Vidiyo teaser page now live

I guess this new experimental LEGO theme is replacing another prior experimental LEGO theme (Hidden Side).

Oh man.. I can already see this disappearing within a year, whatever it may be.

I’m really sad that LEGO isn’t continuing to promote minidolls with new themes, besides 6 different mini dolls appearing in TLM2 our last theme was in 2017! :(

I have a bad feeling about this....

please be tasty

No UCS modular classic castle with future-proof Power Functions, no buy.

"The fact that the teaser is in the kids section of LEGO.com indicates that the product range is not targeted at anyone reading this article, so please bear that in mind when commenting."
As someone who's genuinely interested to see what Vidiyo is all about on the 26th, the fact that you have to add this disclaimer makes me think about the last time I said certain topics are best left to other sites than Brickset. If you know that the vast majority of Bricksetters are going to react negatively and even toxically to a topic, and you don't want that level of toxicity, it really is in everyone's best interests not to post it at all. Why post something you know your general audience isn't going to like?

Yes, I left a comment on the last Vidiyo article, but I managed that by just not looking at the rest of the comments. Even so, if it wasn't for the fact that the few neutral and positive comments do still receive likes and engagement (like the "Oh hell yeah!" that was the very second comment as I began scrolling), I'd feel like I was wasting my time here when it came to such topics. The disdain can greatly overwhelm any interest, excitement and positivity, which is very discouraging.

@LegoSonicBoy Well, considering one of Brickset's USPs is its comprehensive database of sets, it's reasonable they'll give at least a cursory nod to new ranges that its users don't necessarily take an interest in.

I for one am intrigued by the idea, even if it's probably not something I'd buy in abundance.

@Mister_Jonny: I understand and agree (+1 to you), and I wish I could (I guess I will) continue using Brickset as the go-to for all my LEGO news, but experience has shown time and again that posting about these niche themes simply does not go over well. It would, of course, be unreasonable to ask that negativity be moderated as I don't want Brickset to become an echo chamber of positivity either. But I really don't know what else could be done to improve the experience for those like you and me. I'll have to see how effective this disclaimer is at tempering people's comments under this article.

I really have no hopes. Its not even that Lego has to be far away from multimedia.
The problem more is they seem to not have any people with an idea of how to properly do it.

The only time something like that managed to exist for more than 1 Wave is Hidden Side, but that seems to be over now

Not counting Studios since the Stop Motion one was only one set

This is also a problem when you consider its targeted at kids, a half decent mobile game will always appeal to children more than Lego badly implemented with an app.
Its a desperate attempt to get into a market they have no staying power in.

I think it's interesting that something as benign as this warrants a disclaimer. I don't think the Brickset community is toxic at all, and certainly not enough to warrant a warning. I guess it must be tiring to moderate all the complaints though- I'm certainly not the target audience for LEGO's 18+ endeavors, for example, but you don't see me piping up in the comments every time they unveil some boring new display piece because there's no point.

Back on topic though, I'm preemptively excited for Vidiyo but I'm waiting until LEGO stops teasing us and actually bothers to show off something concrete. The flashy graphics are interesting, but I want to see what the sets will actually be like. I just hope whatever gimmick they push with the line isn't too intrusive. Even if the sets end up binning, i'm sure they'll at least introduce some nice new parts and recolors.

^^^ Huw has made us all aware of this because I’m sure a lot of AFOLS reading it have kids who may be interested... LEGO is a toy after all.

"Shaking the maracas" on the page doesn't seem to do anything (except animate the maracas). Am I supposed to hear something?

Anyone else having trouble getting the sneak peak audio to play?

I am more and more convinced that LEGO is entering in their second experimental era... the first one being in the early 2000's when they experimented with all sorts of non-brick based products and almost went bankrupt. Unlike the early 2000's however, it seems like now they are experimenting more with combining LEGO and electronics, a combination that so far doesn't seem to have worked (with the exception of Mindstorms and Boost). They first did this in 2012 with Life of George, and flopped. Then, they tried it again in 2014 with Fusion, and that also flopped. They also integrated an app/game gimmick in lines such as Ultra Agents, Dimensions, Nexo Knights, and Hidden Side, but honestly, the people who bought sets from those lines bought them because of the physical sets, not the app game. Their latest attempts at this are with Super Mario and now this new line, Vidiyo.
Honestly, as other people in this thread have pointed out, it seems like LEGO is trying to dive into a market in which they have no real staying power in. If they continue pushing those experimental lines, I wouldn't be surprised if eventually they would hit the point where they get into financial trouble, like it happened 20 years ago during the early 2000's.

@Huw said:
"...It's just that we seem to be going through another phase of negativity, which we addressed in 2019: https://brickset.com/article/44244

It seems everything LEGO does has some fault or other and/or does not meet everyone's expectations...."

I took a look back at that post’s comment thread and noticed something intriguing as well. Like you, I feel we’re in a “golden age” of LEGO - the parts available and the quantities are staggering. But I think that there’s a shrinking segment of the community that sees sets as raw materials for their own creativity. The number of folks who self-identify as a LEGO “collector” in that thread was intriguing. It connotes passivity - build the thing on the box and walk away. That’s a large cultural shift within the AFOL community over the last decade.

I'll try to be very neutral with my comment.
On the one hand, yes, LEGO needs to keep innovating to stay relevant, especially with kids, who after all are the customers / fans of the future. And yes, innovating often means trying something that has the potential to fail just as much as to take off and fly.

That being said, on the other hand there are some recurring themes (pun not intended) in TLG's experiments in recent years. Themes which appear to continue with this new idea. The main one being that they try to be trendy and hip, but not noticing that what they perceive as trendy is not what the target audience is seeing as such. Another one being that everything needs to be connected to a licence nowadays in order to sell.

I would really love it if one of TLG's experiments turned into new evergreen theme, but like others I have a bad feeling about this try.

@TJJohn12 said:
" @Huw said:
"...It's just that we seem to be going through another phase of negativity, which we addressed in 2019: https://brickset.com/article/44244

It seems everything LEGO does has some fault or other and/or does not meet everyone's expectations...."

I took a look back at that post’s comment thread and noticed something intriguing as well. Like you, I feel we’re in a “golden age” of LEGO - the parts available and the quantities are staggering. But I think that there’s a shrinking segment of the community that sees sets as raw materials for their own creativity. The number of folks who self-identify as a LEGO “collector” in that thread was intriguing. It connotes passivity - build the thing on the box and walk away. That’s a large cultural shift within the AFOL community over the last decade."

TJJohn12 I agree, there are more and more Youtube channels popping up that show people build a set and put it in their city or plonk it on a shelf, there seems to be a lack of MOC's out there, for City especially ( a few notable exceptions of course, looking at you Jang)
I don't know how many videos have been made with work arounds for the new road sets or cities that are lines of modulars. I feel it is becoming more about the number of sets or the whole collection rather than what you like or what is useful to you for parts or inspiration.

@LegoSonicBoy said:
" @Mister_Jonny : I understand and agree (+1 to you), and I wish I could (I guess I will) continue using Brickset as the go-to for all my LEGO news, but experience has shown time and again that posting about these niche themes simply does not go over well. It would, of course, be unreasonable to ask that negativity be moderated as I don't want Brickset to become an echo chamber of positivity either. But I really don't know what else could be done to improve the experience for those like you and me. I'll have to see how effective this disclaimer is at tempering people's comments under this article."

@Huw addressed it well already, but this is a website for all things Lego. As we have seen though, if a set isn’t geared directly toward AFOL’s it automatically is evil, a stain on the Lego name, a waste of bricks, etc. This website just simply wants to try and temper the negativity that will no doubt occur. It would be a disservice to the community if they didn’t report on stuff like this.

@MegaLucario, while you may not chime in everytime theres something not for you, there is a very vocal and often rude group that does. Hence the disclaimer. There’s nothing wrong with them trying to get some people to take a step back and check themselves.

The Man Upstairs : You know the rules, this isn't a toy!
Finn : Um... it kind of is.
The Man Upstairs : No, actually it's a highly sophisticated inter-locking brick system.
Finn : But we bought it at the toy store.
The Man Upstairs : We did, but the way I'm using it makes it an adult thing.
Finn : The box for this one said "Ages 8 to 14"!
The Man Upstairs : That's a suggestion. They have to put that on there.

I, for one, am thankful for any theme LEGO makes that they find to be profitable: (1) selfishly, it keeps them in business making sets I want, too - which isn’t all of them, but is a heck of a lot these days: we DO seem to be in a golden age; (2) any theme that’s profitable is clearly finding a market, which means it’s making someone out there happy, which I celebrate. :)

I also continue to be amazed at how comprehensively The LEGO Movie addresses so many aspects of LEGO... including the appeal to different ages.

@Huw: I'm glad we agree that things can get pretty obnoxious sometimes. Pretty disappointing the community has to be treated, ironically, like a bunch of kindergarteners by having reminders and disclaimers to put a little more thought and consideration into what they say because a lot of the stuff they don't like was never intended to appeal directly to them in the first place. IMO it's a curse of being part of an adult fanbase for what is ultimately a kid's product first and foremost, even though they're now tapping into the grown-up market.

@monkyby87: Yeah, of course. I agree with your reply to me and to @MegaLucario.

@EvilTwin, @d_m_t_arnold: Yeah the audio isn't working on any of my browsers.

I'm intrigued for a full reveal. Especially since some of the set names refer to classic themes. I'm all for new lines and what they have to offer. As an aside, anyone have any luck getting sound when shaking the maracas? Not sure if it is the site or a PEBKAC error.

I’m interested in seeing what they come up with. I honestly don’t mind LEGO experimenting like this. And they probably have to in order to stay ahead. As long as these experiments don’t endanger the financial stability of the company or take away focus, designers and creativity from their established lines that bring in the money (and make us happy), then it’s all good.
Just because I may not like it or see the point of it doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be there.

I love the minifig shown earlier. While this theme isn't my cuppa tea, I'm really curious as to just what it is. And if there are more minifigs like the Llama, I'm definitely getting those.

Put simply, LEGO's trying a lot of weird ideas. While Mario seems to be selling great, the rest, are well, flops, particularly those with app integration.

@cody6268 The problem with giving a set app integration is that it puts a pretty short shelf life on that functionality. The lifespan of any app isn't guaranteed beyond a few years at most, though thankfully I think most of Lego's app-integrated sets are strong enough on their own merits.

I don't really have any thoughts on this one way or the other based on the very limited info but I am interested in seeing what it is. I'll be looking forward to Jan 26 just out of curiosity. Maybe the kid would enjoy it.

Generally speaking, I don't have a problem with the disclaimer. Criticism is good, negativity with good reason can be fine if conveyed thoughtfully, but toxicity shouldn't have a place here. I'll leave it at that.

Edit: I just saw the teaser posted on Jan 2 and, if nothing else, we're going to get some fun minifigs. I'm intrigued.

@maaboo35 said:
"VIDI...YO? Please don't tell me that LEGO is using the word "YO" unironically here."

it worked for Ninja-Go.

@cody6268 said:
"Put simply, LEGO's trying a lot of weird ideas. While Mario seems to be selling great, the rest, are well, flops, particularly those with app integration. "

The thing is, there is no guarantee Mario is going to sell well passed the first wave. It's a novel idea that no doubt, a lot of people will enjoy, but after they got the first wave, I see no reason why people should be buying more of it. What are they going to do, just endlessly expand their Mario courses?

@willworkfortoys said:
"I'm intrigued for a full reveal. Especially since some of the set names refer to classic themes. I'm all for new lines and what they have to offer. As an aside, anyone have any luck getting sound when shaking the maracas? Not sure if it is the site or a PEBKAC error."

Not sure if this is true or not, but apparently it's because it uses Adobe Flash, which was discontinued at the end of last month.

@LegoDavid It seems that people who don’t see the appeal of the Mario sets are viewing them as an inferior alternative to a video game. That’s not it at all. They are Lego sets with added functionality. If people like the Minecraft theme, they will continue to buy sets. Same with the Mario theme.

@TJJohn12 said:
"The number of folks who self-identify as a LEGO “collector” in that thread was intriguing. It connotes passivity - build the thing on the box and walk away. That’s a large cultural shift within the AFOL community over the last decade."

The problem is that TLG themselves are trying everything to foster just that: providing sets that are supposed to be built as instructed and then never take them apart again.
When I was a kid, the backs of the boxes of say Classic Space or Legoland Stadt (City) or Technic showed alternative models that could be built with the parts provided. No instructions for those alternatives of course. It was expected (and rightly so) that kids could look at the alternative models and then just build them if they wanted to. Technic sets in addition always came with an official B-Model, the instructions for which were included in the set. This was commonplace and one came to expect that as a given.
Nowadays Technic models don't come with B-Models anymore, at least the large and interesting sets, and even a couple of years ago when B-Models still existed, you didn't get paper instructions anymore but had to download them.
City or any other set boxes don't show alternative models on the back anymore either, and I can't even remember when there was one of those great Ideas Books available that used to fuel our imagination as kids.

No, TLG is doing everything to stifle creative use of their sets. They might have their "Rebuild the world" advertising campaign at the moment, but that is such a huge flop and completely fails to get across their point. Our kids didn't get what the TV commercial was meant to tell them and even I have a hard time understanding how these spots intend to foster creative play with LEGO sets. Funniest thing is the blue Caterham, which isn't even available from LEGO, but from Lepin and Decool. Go figure.

@AustinPowers said:
" @TJJohn12 said:
"The number of folks who self-identify as a LEGO “collector” in that thread was intriguing. It connotes passivity - build the thing on the box and walk away. That’s a large cultural shift within the AFOL community over the last decade."

No, TLG is doing everything to stifle creative use of their sets."

No one is stopping you from building. If you are choosing to only stick to the instructions, then that's on you.

I don't really understand the logical leap from "Lego isn't holding peoples' hands and giving them step-by-step instructions for alt models" to "Lego is breaking into your house and stopping you from making alt models." Just doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me

There are pages and pages of B- and C-models on places like Rebrickable. The sets aren't limited, your imagination is.

@aleydita said:
" @Huw , personally I think Brickset contributes to the negativity. Dismissing tat so casually is a good example. Many of your readers probably collect keyrings and other items you unnecessarily call tat.

Brickset is aimed at AFOLs, reasonable, but then those AFOLs who don't follow your defined parameters of what AFOLs should like are juvenilised in much the same way as wider society might juvenilise all AFOLs.

So what if someone enjoys the Galidor theme? Or Clickits? Or - heaven forbid - tat like keyrings or magnets? Why is it necessary to define what they like as unworthy of Bricklink, just because you personally don't find it worthy?"

https://brickset.com/article/43183/what-items-go-into-our-set-database
Maybe you can point out where they're referenced as "tat" (I've personally never seen Huw or any of the other mods or contributors refer to them as tat). Here it shows that the list is maintained when they get referenced, but naturally trying to keep track of every single keychain ever is a bit much, considering the vast majority of interest is in sets (Brick Sets, if you will).

I also don't see where anyone was juvenilized by their interests, especially not by any of the staff.

Also, Clickits is one of, if not THE most popular theme in the Brickset community. I just really don't understand what you're getting at here

You guys sure use a lot of words for "welp, not for me!"

@Thunbear said:
"You guys sure use a lot of words for "welp, not for me!""

Perfectly said. I think we are done here. Lol

@aleydita , I’m sorry, but I have no idea where you are coming from. Brickset catalogs all Lego stuff and provides a space for it. No discrimination. As for keychains, I mean, what else do you want people to say about them? You can’t really review them, so they are relegated to just catalog entries.

I don’t mean any disrespect, but I truly don’t understand your comment. It just doesn’t make sense or have any factual backing.

@AustinPowers , I also don’t understand where you get the notion they’re stifling creativity. They produce lego sets to build models...as they have for years and years and years. There’s nothing that says you have to do that, or that Lego says that’s the only way to build. I mean heck, they have an entire line of sets designed around building multiple things from the same parts, the 3-in-1. Just because the boxes on regular sets don’t show alternative models? Give me a break.

Seeing a lot of armchair accountants in these comments here - just because you don't like a particular theme doesn't mean it "bombed" or "is a flop", unless you can pull up specific sales figures or evidence to prove your point. I know it's easy for confirmation bias to sneak in (we've all done it, me included) but c'mon, its easy enough to say "it's not for me!" without trying to claim the sets will group up into a reasonably-sized meteor and wipe out surrey innit.

As for my own two cents on this, I'm intrigued but I think I need to see a bit more before making heads or tails of it as this promo artwork isn't doing anything for me. The llama minifig from a few days ago looked properly daft in the best way possible though, so if they've got more 'figs of that ilk in store I'll be a happy fella.

I’ll have to reserve judgment until I can actually see the product.

Personally I’m hoping they don’t make the same mistake Hidden Side did with the app. Kids didn’t seem to know or care what it could do with the app. Even if they did, there wee far too many issues getting the app running for it to even be considered a good marketing gimmick. It felt like selling a videogame that only worked on 5% of devices, but the game just so happened to also require an expensive toy.

As for what VIDYO is, I’m hoping it’s a safe alternative to apps such as Tik Tok and the like. I think one aspect of LEGO I like is how they tend to create programs that give young people a taste of what something is before they dive into the real deal. My Lego Network was a blog simulation, Life seems to be a very safe social media platform (though encouraging children to be on social media is an awful idea in my opinion), so maybe this is what they’re going for?

As long as it isn’t harmful or manipulative, I could care less. The worst thing something aimed towards children can do in my opinion is teach them bad life lessons or expose them to content they aren’t quite ready for.

I, for one, am just happy LEGO exists :-)

Seriously though, even if this theme doesn't interest me, it certainly doesn't take away from those that do. There's no pressure on anyone to buy something they don't like! It's not like they took away sets from other themes in order to make this one.

As a completist, I Will buy the cheapest one and add it to the corner behind hidden Side and Lego Movie 2 items; until they become collectors items in 20 years and are bought by the same People obsessing negatively about the theme in this thread.

@theJANG said:
"No UCS modular classic castle with future-proof Power Functions, no buy."

The AFOL fanbase in a nutshell

@LegoSonicBoy said:
" @Mister_Jonny: I understand and agree (+1 to you), and I wish I could (I guess I will) continue using Brickset as the go-to for all my LEGO news, but experience has shown time and again that posting about these niche themes simply does not go over well. It would, of course, be unreasonable to ask that negativity be moderated as I don't want Brickset to become an echo chamber of positivity either. But I really don't know what else could be done to improve the experience for those like you and me. I'll have to see how effective this disclaimer is at tempering people's comments under this article."

I would very much prefer if the negativity-idiots were moderated away.

And they truly are idiots: visiting a LEGO news site when they clearly live in the far past.

I think we’ve skipped past the funniest part which is the minifig dancer (top right). Packing quite the... gear in the rear.

@LegoSonicBoy said:

Yeah. Brickset has one of the most toxic comment sections I've ever seen on a LEGO website.

Any time there's some sort of fresh and new idea people just go "this is too weird," "this is to experimentive," "I'll stick to Star Wars thanks"

Any time there's some sort of new license people just go "I've never heard of this," "is this really that popular," "we need more original IPs"

It's a well known fact that it's impossible to please everybody, but people on this site seem so ready to poo-poo all over everyone's interests just because it doesn't appeal to them and rain on everyone's parade. Perhaps the most annoying of which is people who only comment "pass" on an article, providing no reason to not get the product or improve it and simply running out to the world to say "I don't like this, no elaboration."

I think a big part of that might because of Brickset's audience. Most of the people on here are middle-aged Europeans, while LEGO's target demographic (for a lot of these themes) are young Americans. Perhaps the most prevalent example to me is everyone going "what is The Last Airbender?" or "what is Adventure Time?" despite those being household icons this side of the pond while simultaneously freaking out that TLG hasn't made a Red Dwarf set. Heck, look at Minecraft. Every time there's a product reveal you get a flood of comments of people saying they don't get the appeal of Minecraft, despite the LEGO line lasting nearly a decade and the game itself being the best selling videogame of all time.

Innovation isn't a bad thing. Look at BIONICLE. LEGO Completely stepped away from their comfort zone to create a series of ball and socket action figures with a multi-media story. While constraction's fallen by the wayside, the storytelling style has lived on in the likes of Ninjago and BIONICLE itself lasted an entire decade and became one of the most beloved science-fantasy IPs.

Or what about LEGO Mario? People here said it would be a surefire flop, but it went on to sell out in about the first week.

Heck, the concept of LEGO itself. This company originally made hand-crafted wooden toys. Plastic bricks were a massive departure from the norm back in the day, and are a staple of the company now.

Just 'cause you don't understand something doesn't mean it's bad.

All that said, my thoughts on Vidiyo so far. First minifig reveal was awesome. This website looks cringey. To early to judge.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but all of the innovation and new themes from the last year or two are using System parts, aren't they? Which is very different from when they tried innovating with completely separate kinds of sets/toys. You might absolutely hate DOTS, for example, but it's a source of lots of tiles in a wide variety of colours you can use for other things if you want.

I'm not excited by the teaser (if that was what was intended) but I am curious. Looks like the colour palette might be vibrant and saturated, so maybe some interesting recolours are on the way.

Another day of people complaining because the 2021 Lego isn't the 1981 Lego, they all still waiting for the company to return to the Town/Castle/Space/Pirates/Technic era and abandon all the other themes from nowadays.

I will just add that I work with kids for 10 years by now, and HALF OF THEM had no idea you are "allowed" to build your own things. Or should I say they werent encouraged to do so.
I met many parents that also dont like when kids "destroy" and mix sets as they are expensive toys.
WHOLE HS THEME was about NOT DESTROYING your sets as they cant work with app then..
This is the clown world we are living.

I personally like fact we all are liking Lego for different things, but I would also like Lego to be more about creating instead of dust collecting ;)

@GSR_MataNui said:
"It's a well known fact that it's impossible to please everybody, but people on this site seem so ready to poo-poo all over everyone's interests just because it doesn't appeal to them and rain on everyone's parade. Perhaps the most annoying of which is people who only comment "pass" on an article, providing no reason to not get the product or improve it and simply running out to the world to say "I don't like this, no elaboration.""
Ha, yeah. My only exception to that is the very first comment under the last Vidiyo article that was just a flat "No." That one was pretty funny. The rest are zero-effort which, IIRC, is grounds for deletion according to Huw. (I myself have left a zero-effort comment that rightly got deleted in the past, in case anyone thinks I'm biased.)

@aleydita , when it comes to negativity on this board, I would take a long look in the mirror.

And at the end of the day, this is a private website by individuals. The creators and administrators of the site can make whatever rules and policies they want. They’re free to do so. Just as you are free to not visit. This site does a great job of being fair, impartial, and accessible to all different types of Lego consumers. If you do not appreciate or enjoy what they have brought us, I would encourage you to find another outlet for Lego news.

But back on topic, lol, it will be interesting to see just what this new theme brings to the Lego table.

On topic point I've just thought of: will Vidiyo be a theme that isn't specifically gender targeted? Of the child-oriented themes there are quite a lot that IMO are implicitly aimed at a particular gender although obviously the box doesn't outright say "for girls" or "for boys".

DOTS certainly feels like they looked at girls' interests (e.g. the jewellery stand) when coming up with that new theme. But Hidden Side didn't seem to be targeted by gender. Is Vidiyo a replacement in that regard?

Imagine being a grown adult and getting bent out of shape over a children’s toy because it isn’t made for you.

@CCC said:
" Here are some ...

https://brickset.com/article/17281/site-updates

https://forum.brickset.com/discussion/4314/master-thread-additions-to-the-brickset-database/p8

There will be quite a few other references as that sort of product is commonly referred to as tat on brickset."

So the display cases, and luggage tags. The tags, not being available on Shop.com, already fall into the "probably not covered" category. Heck, they weren't even at a brand store or Legoland. The display cases also got a perfectly reasonable explanation.

In both of these cases, no one was juvenilized. No one was insulted for their interest. They're simply either A, impossible to keep a comprehensive list of, or B, outside of Brickset's purview. I would also add that neither of those examples are key chains or magnets. I would also add that there was no evidence of "dismissing entire themes." So far, not a single word from aleydita has been backed up.

@CCC said:
" @CDM said:
" @CCC said:
" There will be quite a few other references as that sort of product is commonly referred to as tat on brickset."

Seems accurate to me yet, admittedly, I don't collect luggage tags.

"

Yes, accurate to me too. And I imagine this theme will be tat too, just brick built tat with an app tie-in so will be in the database. As noted earlier, if people are allowed to mock Galidor and other themes, then no theme should be off limits."

I think you have a point, but the reasoning is different. People mock Galidor (sometimes without even knowing what they're talking about) because it was one of the top three worst themes Lego ever made. No matter how you slice it, it was a not good idea with not good implementation. There's space for a reasonable dose of constructive criticism.

With something like Vidiyo, we don't have more than two pictures. Very little info, almost nothing to go off of, and it's aimed at a group much different than most of this site's users. Asking them to keep that in mind (to avoid "This looks stupid and juvenile" about a theme aimed squarely at children) is different than making criticism off-limits.

Everything should be available for constructive criticism, and poking fun at a terrible theme can certainly coexist with telling adults to keep themselves in line

@aleydita and @fakespacesquid : could I kindly ask you to continue your little personal feud on private messages instead of in the general comments?

@darthnorman said:
"Oh man.. I can already see this disappearing within a year, whatever it may be."

No problem with this. Not everything needs to be a permanent theme.

In my experience a company that stops innovating and experimenting is a dying company.

LEGO throwing new ideas out there is always a good thing, even if most of them fail.

Every successful theme was once some new experiment.

There were probably people who told Ole Kirk to not bother with that plastic garbage and stick to wooden toys.

Every LEGO theme (yes, even Galidor) has useful parts for MOCs. If these don't remotely sound interesting based on what they are supposed to be, just wait until some MOC god gets a build using some of these pieces featured on The Brothers Brick. Then you shall know why all LEGO, no matter how seemingly dumb, has a place in some AFOL's collection for some reason.

This is the way.