I’ll be putting all of these together this weekend and sending them to LEGO.

I’m going to close comments on this post, since we won’t be able to accept any more suggestions on this past today. I’m sure there will be many more opportunities for readers of The Brothers Brick to make suggestions to LEGO through our resident Ambassadors.

Short description of the theme:
Trees, shrubs, and other such details are needed to round out towns and cities. It shouldn’t be too hard to make kits that are meaningful and not just Shop-at-Home exclusive accessory packs in this arena.

Possible set idea #1 (with short description):
Hedge Trimmer – Small kit with one minifig, and a few tools – a hedge trimmer and a lawn mower, or something else along those lines. He’d be accompanied by a reasonably-sized green baseplate, a handful of green basic bricks and plates, a few small tiles and plates to behave as dirt, stones, or walkways, and a pile of trees and shrubs. A kit like this would have amazing potential for repeat-buying – pretty much any parent who sees their kid put these parts to good use will want to grab a few more to expand the town.

Possible set idea #2 (with short description):
Park – This would be a great set for girls in particular – a few happy minifigs, maybe a slide or merry-go-round could be included. The big things to include here is a nice green 16×32 baseplate, basic bricks and plates in earth tones (green, reddish brown, light and dark stone), and plenty of plants. I’d like to see a nice decorative arbor included here, and perhaps even a gazebo.

Possible set idea #3 (with short description):
Beautified City Scene – Give little kids that parts they need to make a modern, super-pretty city scene. I’m picturing a set of custom roadplates with an island in the middle – the islands would include various flowerbeds, trees, street signs, and other detail-oriented parts. The roadside could include larger flower beds, a “Welcome to LEGOLAND” sign of some sort, and a few nice kiosks to put around the town – a happy smiling food vendor, a few goods vendors. The big thing to include here is special parts to round out a city – roadplates, signs, trees, awnings, and macaroni bricks that can be filled with mulchy-areas.

Name of the theme: [Roadside Shops]

Short description of the theme:
A variety of stores for a town. There are some obvious problems here – licensing real store names takes time and money. I think fun could be had here, though! Again, this is a theme that appeals as much to parents and little girls as to little boys – but that’s the type of variety us town fans need.

Possible set idea #1 (with short description):
Drive Thru – a small drive-thru restaurant or laundromat. A small car and tiny storefront could probably be done for under $10.

Possible set idea #2 (with short description):
Medium-sized store – something that looks like a real store. A kinkos, a convenience store, an electronics store, a car dealership (or is that what Brick Street Customs is supposed to be?) – you get the idea. Something ordinary.

Possible set idea #3 (with short description):
Large, licensed store – OK, so you can’t count on getting a particular license to build a town model around. What sort of license would you need to make a LEGO model of a LEGO store? I’d like to see this done in a serious way – a nice, large set with a pick-brick section on the wall and tiles that look like LEGO sets. Nothing’s more exciting that the meta aspect of LEGO people playing with LEGO parts!

Short description of the theme:
Everybody wants more of the cub scouts from the Green Grocer kit. Boys like the outdoors and camping. The “Extreme Team” kits were a bit too unrealistic to appeal to many people, but a scouting / camping line would probably be a bit more popular. Competition is one thing, but I think roughing it and having run-ins with wild animals is more along the lines of what people would like.

Possible set idea #1 (with short description):
People pack – this would be a simple community-service themed kit, featuring several children and a few adult leaders, a toolbox, and enough yellow or tan pieces to build a small bridge. A small “river” of some sort could be included to make this more interesting – either a printed baseplate or just a cardboard backdrop.

Possible set idea #2 (with short description):
Camp playset – this would be much like the current Indiana Jones camp, but with more realistic elements. A few tents, a campfire, and a small troop of scouts are the must-have elements in a line like this. Throw in some food items and some black bears, and this is hours of fun all by itself.

Possible set idea #3 (with short description):
Mountain climbing kit – Much like the current Agents Volcano Base, but with the mountain panels being more of a solid backdrop instead of walls for a secret venue. A small cave could be included somewhere along the way (perhaps with animals) to make this more interesting. This is another kit with pretty wide potential -lots of large rock pieces, cords, climbing equipment, distinctive minifigs, and basic bricks in earth tones. An alternate model could be included, show how to make the same pieces into caves with hideouts.

Name of the theme: [Functional City ]

Short description of the theme:
This would be similar to the 9V Dacta house kits released in the 80s – teach kids how to add light, sound, and motion to their town buildings. Power functions could be included – I don’t know what’s coming for future Power Functions elements, but I’m guessing that some small light elements, sound elements, and motors could be counted on. I’d love to see a WeDo tie-in here as well, encouraging people to design their models in Digital Designer, test out ideas on the computer, and then have them run automatically in the physical city buildings based on events on the computer (who wouldn’t love to show off a LEGO city that lights itself up at night?).

Possible set idea #1 (with short description):
Street car – This doesn’t need to be quite as advanced as the monorail or train kits – just a simple set-up with a motor and a polarity switch. When it hits the end of the track, it turns around. A version that stops so people can board the trolley would be even more exciting, but probably too complicated to do at kid-friendly price point.

Possible set idea #2 (with short description):
Light-up house – Although lights as accessory kits are equally important, I think a set similar to the current Beach House kit with a few easily-controlled working light fixtures would be a sure hit. If this were tried at more of a high-end price point, an automatic garage door opener would be another great feature. I seem to recall the DACTA kits using solar panels and including light-up stoves – I think all of those old ideas are brilliant, and if there’s any way to bring them to a broader audience, I’d love to see it.

Possible set idea #3 (with short description):
Large multi-set – Does anyone else remember the old 9V 7 Basic Town kit from the early 90’s? I’m picturing something like that, but done in an excessive way. Put together a decent set of basic bricks in realistic colors – reds, dark oranges, sand blues and the like – include a large amount of windows, doors, and PF elements, and skip a regular instruction book in favor of featuring an idea book showing ways to set up different features. Include a CD that allows this “Town Plan” style kit to be automated from a computer. Show how to use translucent bricks to make a coffeemaker start on queue, or to make bustling traffic sounds start at a given time. Include enough lights to make two rooms light up in each color scheme – perhaps use a light brick similar to the ones used for cars and spaceships in the late 80’s, so that a single light piece could shine on two sides of the same wall (the piece I’m thinking of was like a 1×4 plate, but with lights on the two sides and contacts in the middle and underneath). At least one motor is a must – show how to make a garage door that moves, or a helicopter on top of a building that can really spin it’s rotors. I’d include two city road plates in here, and encourage people to put buildings directly in front of the road – essentially this would be an Power Functions electronics kit designed to jump-start kids on making exciting models with lights and motion, but the city scape appearance would make it more appealing to parents who aren’t sure if their kids are ready for this yet.

What themes would you like to see the City Design team work on? What are the essential models for that theme?
Name of the theme: [ People ]
Short description of the theme:
Everybody wants more minifigs, and some that are genuinely new and interesting. Here are a few ideas I have on that front. All of these ideas would include children and women, so they should add an element of realism to a town and also appeal to girls (and parents) that want to play with the finished sets.
I am also picturing these as being high-quality enough and complete enough to later be dropped into adult hobby layouts. Hook ‘em while they’re young and all that.
Possible set idea #1 (with short description):
Creator House -ready family – I’d recommend making a few of these with different ethnicities. A few accessories and pets could make this even more enticing. I’d even try bundling these with Creator House kits.
Possible set idea #2 (with short description):
A suburban vignette with minifigs – one that seems easy and fun is a lemonade stand staffed by two kids. The stand would have a wooden look, a few cups and chairs, and come with several customers.
Possible set idea #3 (with short description):
Larger Kiosk – a city navigation structure of some sort. This would be a medium-sized building designed to work in any sort of town layout, with a lift-off top. I’m picturing something fairly round with various entrances – one “side” could be a hot-dog vendor, another side could have public restrooms, and one side would have a large map and brochures. Perhaps play value could be added by including several blank stickers that kids can easily draw on, allowing them to update the map on the building’s wall periodically.

http://www.mechanizedbrick.com/mb.html

- swimming pool

- playground

- skate ramp/bike ramp..

I think that another theme that already exists, inside the “City” theme, is “City Port” and that is the name of the theme. I have seen the new Coast guards sets (that was my initial suggestion) and the ferry boat so this is a product line that always existed in LEGO products and should be expanded

Name of the theme: [ City Port ]

Short description of the theme:
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The sets are built for and around the city port, as many big cities and several mid-sized and small cities have waterfronts and port installations. The sets all have at least one boat as the centerpiece
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Possible set idea #1 (with short description):
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Tugboat – I think that a makeover of the tugboat set (dating from the beginning of the 80’s) is long overdue and is therefore a small set with 150-250 pieces that is sure to please kids. The set can be a bit larger than the original 80’s version and include tires around the hull, one minifig and introduce an original take on the hauling cable. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/34/Tugboat_diagram-en_edit1a.svg
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Possible set idea #2 (with short description):
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LNG Carrier – to open a gate for the near future, LEGO could integrate this recent technology and introduce new piece designs to build spherical structures, based on the design of the “Arabian” half-dome piece. The set could be fairly large, using the same hull as the sea cargo but in a different color, and having three minifigs (one captain/pilot and two shipmates) – (see this site http://www.geocities.com/uksteve.geo/lng.html for examples)
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Possible set idea #3 (with short description):
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Barge – two barges that can be linked together, and eventually be pulled by the tugboat. 450-600 pieces They are carrying items such as bicycles, car parts, empty crates, and/or ‘wood planks’ or the like. Four minifigs, two for each barge. The set can also be accompanied by a small green speedboat.
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This theme can include other interesting “collector’s items” — like an icebreaker, a tourist boat — or can link two themes together, for example if there is an oceanography ship with its very own submarine.

Also, I have a very big request for the LEGO Group, something that has been missing for a long time : How about a BLACK WOMAN minifig? =)

Name of the theme: [ City Essentials ]

Short description of the theme:
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Sets need people and accessories, plus
vehicles that sit not one, but two
mini-figs.
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Possible set idea #1 ( TAXI ):
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A first-ever four-seater vehicle of a NYC
taxi, a taxi driver, and a citizen with lego
money.
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Possible set idea #2 ( Citizen Packs ):
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Boxes that include at least 6 min-figs
with accessories (not online exclusives,
not everyone buys online)
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Possible set idea #3 ( short description ):
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Vehicle sets that hold at least two
mini-figs, like the turbo car in the
agents theme, accept civilian versions
that go good with lego city.
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