Friends - general discussion

[Coneil21]

The Friends theme to me is the girls equivalent of the City theme for boys. Next, I would love to see the "girl" line take on some more AFOL friendly themes. Hunger Games and Twilight are two themes that i think would be homeruns.

[TheOrcKing]

Well, that is pleasantly reassuring; not a single person voted "No" yet.

I'm so happy!

[redhen]

I love treehouses, so I built Olivia's Treehouse and it's pretty cute. I put my Mirkwood elf and his tree next to it

 

I had high hopes for the Creator Treehouse that just came out, but I'm disappointed looking at the pix. It looks clumsy, like they just stuck a regular white house on the side of the tree.  Of course now I want to design one that is better.

[Celes]

I told my sister that for her birthday I would get her some "Legos" and the Lego friends sets looks perfect for that, but still I'm not sure, I like the sets and everything and even got used to those new minifigures, but like me I would like her to grow up with the normal minifigures and for a 13 year old girl Im not sure if Lego friends is the best option, *sigh* If only the Winter Village Bakery was availabe for retail price... But I like friends, the colors and the cute animals bring something fresh to the usual Lego sets.

[kerrmando]

i'm a 20 year old male and I love the rarity of some of the colors in the Friends sets. I love building Purple Mocs, either spacecraft, walkers or Castle related themes and the parts found in friends sets are really helpful with that. 

 

I also like to invest in these sets, especially the first wave, because I feel that the male dominated culture of lego investors are far less likely to throw some of these in their closets instead of throwing some Star Wars sets in their closets..

[redeemed763]

I agree, the rare colors make these sets quite valuable, in the friends box, they look like girly colors, but used in the right way, they can add a lot to many other MOC's.

[Darth Lego]

Personally I'm not a fan. One of the things I try to follow when I invest is to invest only in sets I wouldn't mind keeping. I would much rather have a lot of Star Wars or City sets that I can't sell versus Friends sets. I'm also pretty limited in what I can invest in due to the limited amount of money I make. I'm not trying to be a downer, but that's just how I feel.

[Happyblue22]

Fan for sure. Really wish I could find some better deals, have to keep stopping myself from paying retail. I personally wish they had regular minifigs, but I have taken a liking to the minidolls they are very cute. Lots of new colors and accessories, I think would be great for parting out, something i'm going to be trying my hand at very soon. I hope Lego keeps Friends around for a long, long time.

[Guest ph4tb0i]

deleted: i didn't know that i already replied to this thread.. >_>

[Blackjack]

Well, that is pleasantly reassuring; not a single person voted "No" yet.

I'm so happy!

 

I did. 

[TheOrcKing]

I did. 

Of course you would. Well since then, six other people don't like Friends but nineteen people do so I'm still happy as a pig in slop!

[Blackjack]

Of course you would. Well since then, six other people don't like Friends but nineteen people do so I'm still happy as a pig in slop!

 

I own pigs.  I take offense.                   

[wholovesboo]

So I was perusing the latest "special edition" issue of Lego Friends magazine, and noticed that they updated the map of Heartlake City, adding some more details (like the Dolphin Cruise Ship) and also naming some new locations...making me wonder if they're setting the scene for future sets...

 

Whispering Woods -- "The Whispering Woods is a forest paradise where every winding trail through the mossy trees leads to adventure! It's the best place in Heartlake City to see lots of animals and explore the outdoors. The Friends love hiking, camping and discovering nature here!"

 

Camping set?!! Besides the Adventure Camper, I mean. I can just make out some teeny tiny tents on the map.

 

Ambersands Beach -- "Ambersands Beach is the spot for summer sun and water fun! This cool city beach has wicked waves for surfing, pretty stretches of sand for summer sports and a boardwalk, where the Friends can shop, skate or grab a frozen treat!"

 

Please please please make a boardwalk set!!!

 

Lighthouse Island -- "Lighthouse Island is a famous Heartlake Harbor landmark and is full of high-seas history. It was even an ancient fortress! Mysterious local legend says that the famous pirate princess, Dark-Eyed Kate, was shipwrecked there and buried her treasure somewhere on its sandy shores."

 

Okay, not sure why they're jumping on the pirate bandwagon, but how cool would a lighthouse set be? Especially one that used to be an ancient fortress and could have secret compartments and buried treasure and maybe even booby traps! Is a skeleton mini doll in the works?

[Quacs]

I found the "Lighthouse Island" reference interesting since this was very recently an actual Creator set. Here's a peek at it:

http://shop.lego.com/en-US/Lighthouse-Island-5770

[wholovesboo]

I found the "Lighthouse Island" reference interesting since this was very recently an actual Creator set. Here's a peek at it:

http://shop.lego.com/en-US/Lighthouse-Island-5770

 

Yes I thought of that Creator set too!

 

It also reminded me of the Friends Brickmaster, which is a treasure hunt adventure:

http://www.amazon.com/LEGO-Friends-Brickmaster-Lego/dp/0756692547

[TheOrcKing]

Whispering Woods? Wasn't that from Winnie the Pooh? Oh wait, no, that was the 100 acre wood but the name still sounds awfully familiar. Hold on, now I remember. It's the first boss from Kirby!

[nessieslc]

Yeah, there's a web page somewhere that will do this. I built a spreadsheet in Excel that I can use that's customized to how I want it to look...I recommend everyone do the same and make sure you factor in all of the charges. Then you can experiment with different #'s. Don't forget random charges like if they pay you with foreign funds and it has to be converted...

Emes,

 

I know this is a lot to ask but I'm just getting started and was wondering if I could see your spreadsheet formulas?  Any help would be greatly appreciated!

[nessieslc]

I found and ice cream stand and picnic yesterday at Walmart.

[Gondorian]

(This might be more suited to a blog post, but I don't have time to write up something decent, so I will just ramble instead.  I am mostly interested in the discussion that might ensue.)

 

Now that all the controversy over Lego Friends has died down, and they have about 30 (or more) sets out, I think it's a good time to take (and buy!) stock and reflect on how it's doing and where it is going.

 

Well, in terms of how it's doing, it seems to be a huge success with girls of a certain age.  I know many would prefer them to be playing with "normal" Lego, but that is not going to happen on its own.  Any toy purchase will be weighed up against competitors, and, for girls, the competitors are generally not normal Lego but dolls.  Lego have positioned Friends really well - it tends to have a different spot in stores away from other Lego and next to Barbie in my experience.

 

Another big plus for the set are the unique parts and colours available.  If you wanted to part it out and keep the bricks and sell the Friends, then I think that would work pretty well for you.

 

Given where we are today, and the success that has been had, I can't see this theme ever ending, although it might evolve over time.

 

With that in mind, I think the early sets will be worth lots in the future, as Butterfly Beauty Shop and some others have already shown.

 

I would not rule out Lego doing cartoons too, which will help sales, since they already have animated Lego Friends on their website and on adverts.

 

My top picks for investment are Olivia's House (worst-case, if you end up with loads unsold in future, then you can just build a street with them!) and the

[DoNotInsertIntoMouth]

I honestly have not invested in it for two reasons:

 

1. I can't put my head around who is buying them after they are gone. Parents for girls when there are current sets out? I don't know. i know they sell well, I just have trouble investing in something when I don't understand the market.

 

2. I still have not gotten to where I can by a Lego friends set and not feel like a predator. Lol

[Coneil21]

Thanx for starting this thread. I too am interested in fleshing out what people think about the investment potential of this theme.

I, personally, am torn. Yes, I see that the theme is wildly popular with certain age girls, but I just don't think there will be many future AFOLs who will be willing to pay big money for retired Friends sets. I tend to think that, unlike boys, most girls grow out of toys by a certain age and they do not come back. That being said, I just can't explain the Barbie phenomenon.

Now if Lego ever advances beyond the Friends theme for their girl line and produces iconic female friendly licensed themes (ex. Titanic, Hunger Games, Twilight), that to me would take the girl line from "toys" to "collectibles" and then I can envision some AFOLs willing to pay the big bucks. If the traditional (boy) line of Lego consisted of the City theme and nothing else (no sw, no lotr, no hp, no poc), what would the lego investment potential look like?

[DoNotInsertIntoMouth]

Thanx for starting this thread. I too am interested in fleshing out what people think about the investment potential of this theme.

I, personally, am torn. Yes, I see that the theme is wildly popular with certain age girls, but I just don't think there will be many future AFOLs who will be willing to pay big money for retired Friends sets. I tend to think that, unlike boys, most girls grow out of toys by a certain age and they do not come back. That being said, I just can't explain the Barbie phenomenon.

Now if Lego ever advances beyond the Friends theme for their girl line and produces iconic female friendly licensed themes (ex. Titanic, Hunger Games, Twilight), that to me would take the girl line from "toys" to "collectibles" and then I can envision some AFOLs willing to pay the big bucks. If the traditional (boy) line of Lego consisted of the City theme and nothing else (no sw, no lotr, no hp, no poc), what would the lego investment potential look like?

 

This is a good point. My wife is into Lego, but she thinks the friends sets are stupid.

 

But a Disney Princess theme, Twilight, Hunger Games, we would be broke.

[legopocalypse]

Summer Riding Camp, Olivia's House, Dolphin Cruisier, Heartlake High are IMO the 4 best available Friends sets to invest in.

[turbomattk]

Summer Riding Camp, Olivia's House, Dolphin Cruisier, Heartlake High are IMO the 4 best available Friends sets to invest in.

 

Although I am very green on LEGO investing, I believe that these sets above would be best for flipping during the Christmas season.  Maybe hold on to a couple of the sets to see how they end up EOL.

[ctoddlight]

Thanx for starting this thread. I too am interested in fleshing out what people think about the investment potential of this theme.

I, personally, am torn. Yes, I see that the theme is wildly popular with certain age girls, but I just don't think there will be many future AFOLs who will be willing to pay big money for retired Friends sets. I tend to think that, unlike boys, most girls grow out of toys by a certain age and they do not come back. That being said, I just can't explain the Barbie phenomenon.

Now if Lego ever advances beyond the Friends theme for their girl line and produces iconic female friendly licensed themes (ex. Titanic, Hunger Games, Twilight), that to me would take the girl line from "toys" to "collectibles" and then I can envision some AFOLs willing to pay the big bucks. If the traditional (boy) line of Lego consisted of the City theme and nothing else (no sw, no lotr, no hp, no poc), what would the lego investment potential look like?

 

I feel much the same way.  My daughter loves the sets now, but I do not see her carrying that too much further.  They are perhaps a little too "cute".  I see the bigger sets as good longer-term investments, but not to sell to AFOLs, but another generation of children.  Currently I am focusing on flipping smaller sets while they are still holding some initial demand.