Does LEGO have their fingers in all the pies?

I couldn't think of a better idiom for LEGO and their intense selection of collaborations and IP's ( Intellectual Property ). According to many various outlets, LEGO have collaborated with over 250 IP's! Some highly popular and others... well, not so popular.

Star Wars, Harry Potter, DC, Marvel and Disney just too name a few.

On the other hand there are so many questions as to why the constant relentless nature of collaborations and partnerships aside form the obvious, *money*

I will break down how all parties benefit from these arrangements and why they need to be proactive in a fast paced toy market.

So why is the LEGO Group so driven in to so many collaborations?

  • Bringing of new audiences and demographics

They don't put ages 3-99 on the box for no reason. LEGO has been designed for a broad range of demographics and age groups. From the Duplo range which is aimed towards small children and toddlers - to the architecture collection which primarily targets adults. The same applies when LEGO are building new and existing collaborations.  ' Who are we targeting '

There are themes and products for boys, girls, men and women. LEGO really has all bases covered. Gabby's dollhouse and animal crossing predominately for girls, Fortnite and Minecraft for boys. Plenty of themes for both men and woman alike; Harry Potter, Disney, Marvel - the list is endless.

  • Product design becomes much more feasible

This is a tricky as there really are some beautiful sets on the market. However, when it comes to product design LEGO almost gets a free ride. I am not saying collaborated sets are lacking in design, innovation and style. I am saying that it has taken what I thought LEGO was all about ' Imagination '

They are constantly promoting the idea that Lego is for creativity, originality and imagination, but a majority of sets produced are essentially existing ideas.  

Lets takes the recently released Rivendell set from the Lords of The Rings franchise. An absolutely stunning build with exceptional detail which makes this sets really stand out. The blueprint for Rivendell was already there and took minimal imagination to create it into its final form. The same applies to other popular sets, like the Death Star and Hogwarts Castle. 

It almost dilutes the market having too many these collaborated sets now. Which is why it is appealing to have community's such as the Brick Link designer program flourish with rich, imaginative and unique designs.

My personal favourite The Ocean House from Season 2.

  • It keeps them constantly relevant

In life things come and go. Things that are relevant now may not be relevant later on in the future. I remember growing up in the mid 2000's when LEGO collaborated with some of my favourite cartoons. SpongeBob SquarePants and Ben 10. Of course both very successful cartoons at the time, however when LEGO got hold of the rights for Ben 10 it fully flopped only producing a handful of sets. SpongeBob on the other hand produced incredible sets such as the Krusty Krab and the Adventures in Bikini Bottom.

Essentially it is these trends and collabs that LEGO is so well adept at connecting with, it ensures that the LEGO brand as a whole remains relevant in such a fast paced environment we now live in. The world of entertainment is constantly changing and adapting to new technology and trends so it remains the LEGO brands best interest to move parallel with the status quo. 

You only have to look at some on the more recent collaborations they have entered into to; Formula 1, Bluey, Super Mario and Fortnite just to reel of a few, and it is clear they are having a huge positive impact on the brand financially too.

  • Who benefits more from new and existing IP collaborations?

Well..... everyone wins! These IP's collabs allow LEGO to constantly pump the production line with new sets every month on top of gaining new and dynamic audiences. 

In return I would assume these various companies who partner with Lego are well compensated financially, but in essence the real trophy would be the widespread recognition it would gain from one the biggest toy brands in the world. It's that crossover of fanbases and demographics which is a swing for the fences.

* Apologies for the multiple baseball metaphors, I don't even like baseball :)

Back to blog