...Do too many LEGO sets equate to lack of interest and creativity?
The year was 1973 and I was five years old. Before a cross-country trip from New Jersey to California, my parents bought me my first LEGO set, the 710 Wrecker with Car. That was some forty-plus years ago and thousands and thousands of LEGO sets later. You can say that I have grown up with LEGO and that I have ABS plastic in my blood. Back in the early 1970s when I was exposed to the LEGO brick for the first time, LEGO as a company was just beginning to explore themes and fantasy-based sets. It was the Classic Space theme, with its 497/928 Galaxy Explorer, that really got me addicted to LEGO bricks. The 375/6075 Yellow Castle was another early fantasy-based set that I loved. But these were very small themes which consisted of a handful of different sets in each theme. Let's take a look at the chart below from Brickset.com that shows the past fifty or so years and the amount of LEGO items and sets that were released in the corresponding year:
For example, there were 83 LEGO sets released in 1978, the same year the 375/6075 Yellow Castle was released. That was the only Castle-themed set of that year. There were only four Classic Space-themed sets available that year. Most sets from the 1970s and 1980s were from the Classic Town theme, which consisted of the typical Police and Fire sets that are the backbone of the LEGO Universe. Regardless, there wasn't a ton of choices or options. Now, I really don't want to discuss the theme to set breakdown over the past fifty years, but what I want to point out from the above list is the amount of LEGO sets released over the past fifty years. It has grown to stratospheric levels. Over the course of sixty years, The LEGO Group has increased their annual output of unique LEGO sets and items over 2000%! In 1955, LEGO released 36 LEGO sets...Fast forward to 2015, LEGO released well over 700 LEGO sets and items. Even at the turn of the new millennium (2000), LEGO released less than half (376) than what is currently available today (So far 649 sets/items were released in 2016).
Now, many LEGO fans would consider this great news. More and more choices, means more and more options for all sorts of LEGO fans. I, on the other hand, am starting to think that there are too many new LEGO sets released annually. Too many? This coming from a man with almost 10,000 LEGO set? Yes. Too many. There is no doubt that the LEGO designers are producing some top notch models. The new STAR WARS Ultimate Collector Series 75060 Slave I and 75095 TIE Fighter are stunning sets, yet the 75098 Assault on Hoth is a rehashed and uncreative set that doesn't meet Ultimate Collector Series standards in my opinion. Why produce it? Was it really needed? Why lower standards? Maybe LEGO needed this set as a filler to maintain current new set levels. There used to be an intimacy with LEGO sets and their fans. The set choices were limited for years, yet LEGO fans learned to appreciate what they had and made due with less. This is what stimulated creativity in my opinion. Now everything is reproduced in such wonderful detail, kids and adults seem to wait for the next new set instead of playing with what they have. With the exception of some creative MOC'ers, there is a laziness taking over the LEGO world. We are all spoiled. Too many sets. Too many choices. Remakes are getting more and more prevalent. If one STAR WARS model isn't available, just wait a year and it will be. It is getting harder and harder to own a complete theme, even harder to own multiple complete themes.
Who can argue with the recent success of LEGO? Their record profits over the past decade has made them the number one toy manufacturer in the world. They are a juggernaut. That being said, I am having a hard time keeping up with the new sets being released on a monthly basis...and I study this stuff! There are so many cool and creative sets being released, the average LEGO fan will never be able to afford them all. But with the new quality sets, there are sets just not up to recent LEGO standards that never should have been produced. A set like the Ultimate Collector Series 75098 Assault on Hoth should never have been released...or at the very least, not as a Ultimate Collector Series set. Some sets from the STAR WARS theme just are not needed. They have been redone multiple times. Same can be said for some Friends and CITY sets and other themes that produce a ton of remakes or fluff sets. I think it's time that LEGO trims down its line and concentrate on making sure every set is worthy...and different. LEGO sets used to take up a half an aisle in the local big box retailer, now LEGO products can fill 1.5 to 2.5 full aisles in a store. This might sound like a bunch of whining from an elite LEGO fan, but I worry that LEGO is overproducing sets and this could lead to products that are repetitive and uninteresting. There is less and less expectation nowadays and more and more sets will only water down expectations even more. Can you have too much of a good thing? In my opinion...yes. Everything in moderation is the way to go to keep the LEGO primary and secondary markets strong and prosperous.
