The Beginning of LEGO’s IP Partnerships

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The Beginning of LEGO’s IP Partnerships

Today, we look at LEGO’s forays into promotional sets cobranded with other companies that ultimately led to the explosion of profitable IP sets based on shows and movies. Hop in your VW Beetle, head over to McDonald’s drive-thru, and come check it out!

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Let’s Get Nerdy About LEGO Frogs 🐸

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Let’s Get Nerdy About LEGO Frogs 🐸

Why is the LEGO frog weirdly special to so many builders within the fan community? Where did it come from and where has it gone? And why did I write a 2,000-word article about frogs!?

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LEGO Contest Round-Up for June 2021

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LEGO Contest Round-Up for June 2021

Sometimes a spark of imagination, a group theme, prizes or even a deadline is all you need to get building! Here are all the LEGO community contests and challenges for the month of June 2021.

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The Shrieking Shack

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The production design for the Harry Potter films has always been pretty amazing, especially starting with the third movie Prisoner of Azkaban. You’ll see plenty of unconventional structures in that universe, and this is a great example, the Shrieking Shack. I won’t go into details of the story (no spoilers here) but you don’t need them to appreciate how wonky and kattywompus this thing is architecturally, and that kattywompusness is captured perfectly in this version by builder Xenomurphy.

Shed Some Light On Hogwarts

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Those mad geniuses at Brickstuff have done it again. As if LEGO 71043 Hogwarts wasn't impressive enough, now you can trick it out with another stunning lighting and sound kit from Brickstuff. And this isn’t your typical “stuff it with way too bright LEDs” kit we see so much of these days, it’s seriously high tech and incredibly well thought out. Brickstuff took over six months developing it, including the development of a whole new controller board. It’s the most advanced kit they’ve ever offered, surpassing even the stunning Millennium Falcon kit. And it’s not just a bunch of lights that turn on and off, it’s storytelling. The whole kit is designed from the ground up to bring the castle to life, not just make it visible in the dark. And once you add your own sounds to it, you will swear school is in session. The kit is so innovative Brickstuff has created it’s own website, lightmycastle.com to showcase it. The kits are available for pre-order now, but there’s a limited supply of “mega-bundles” so act fast.

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Hedwig

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Owls were fascinating to me before I became a Potter fan, so you can imagine how much they are now. I would love to have a pet owl, especially one that could find my friends and deliver mail, how cool would that be? But I’ll have to be content to dream, and admire them in photos, an occasional terrifying flyover in the dark (it’s pretty unsettling), and this excellent brick version by builder Simon NH.

Hedwig

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I was never allowed to take an animal to school, which is one of the things that makes Hogwarts so appealing. Of course you only ever hear about cats, rats, owls and toads, which makes me wonder if dogs are allowed. I think it would really upset my corgis to learn they couldn’t go, I’m pretty sure they’re Potter fans. Speaking of Potter fans, check out this excellent Hedwig by builder DOGOD Brick Design.

Niffler

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You better hind your valuables, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald opens this weekend and Niffler loves a bit of shiny shiny. This little platypus-like magical creature has an absolute weakness for treasure, and is cute enough to get away with it. And this brick version by builder Cha Mi captures that cuteness perfectly.