I just received an exciting announcement from LEGO. It seems that their design team is accepting submissions for ideas in something like a contest. It seems like one person will get to work with LEGO Designers to develop their idea into an official theme.
Find the full text of the announcement from LEGO, after the break.
So, that is where you come in!
An invitation to your imagination
We would like to invite you to
pitch your great idea for a big
story or strong products for 7-9
year old boys.
Use your own fantasy and not build
on established universes (like
Star Wars, Harry Potter, etc.)
Things to consider…
The following questions should be
answered in words and/or images:
What is the world?
Who are the good guys?
Who are the bad guys?
Why do they fight?
What do the models look like?
What to submit?
As a minimum, please use the template to answer the
following points:
• A short and catchy headline/theme name
• 50-100 words story premise.
• A list of the main trigger points in the story – what makes it
exciting for the boys?
• Fill out the theme template in words or images
How do you participate?
Submit you great ideas before…
…the 15th of
November…
Email the ideas to
KimT@LEGO.com
What is in it for you?
If your great idea is selected you will
get the chance to interact with LEGO
Group on making your idea come to life
as a real LEGO Play Theme
How to participate? : Please inform us by mail at
KimT@LEGO.com, so we can send you a “Release Form” and
the Idea-Template to fill out.
You need to print, sign, scan and return the “Release
Form” in order to participate – any submissions without
the “Release Form” are rejected.
Notice: Release Form in brief.
“The participation in this project and the work performed by you will be performed on a principal “work for hire” basis, where
all rights to the ideas will belong to the LEGO Group.
You accept not to present any information, including but not limited to any technique, procedure, idea or work, which is already
protected by intellectual property rights or protected by any other rights, which could prohibit the use of the presented
information during the project and also prohibit use of results or suggestions afterwards.
All rights related to any suggestion, results or submission made by you are hereby assigned to the LEGO Group, who shall be
Thank you…
…for reading our open brief,
and we hope that you feel
inspired to submit your
idea.
Best regards
LEGO Design Team
So cuusoo didn’t work out? ;)
Hardly. Cuusoo was never designed to develop play themes. It’s really set up to do one of creations. They’ve done these call for ideas many times before.
Given the demographic, I expect all theme ideas will have to be saturated with minifigs. So if I submit one, I’m gonna stock it chock full of interesting part/color ideas, so that SOME good will come of this! Like some kind of inverted “trickle-down” effect ;-)
Please note that this call for ideas is intended for AFOLs only!
Play Theme: Alien Conquest YEAR TWO. I mean SERIOUSLY?!
I’m with ry!
Also:
“Who are the good guys?
Who are the bad guys?
Why do they fight?”
I get that it’s 7-9 year old boys were talking about, but that’s an interesting set of assumptions to start off with. What if they don’t fight? What if they’re both bad? Or both good? Maybe just misguided?
Who am I kidding. Blacktron IV baby!
Obviously, I understand the reasons why this is an Adults-Only contest, but oh how I wish it wasn’t.
Also, “Submit you great ideas”? Not sure if Yoda impression or typo…
I’m propose a theme called “MediumDarkFleshSpace”, in which good guys and bad guys in spacesuits fight over various different sizes and shapes of caramel colored blocks, which in their universe have magical properties probably or are valueable somehow I don’t know. In each set, we meet some random character that no-one cares about and their enormous personal hoard of light brownish loot. If the kids don’t bite, we can always re-brand it so the blocks are ‘alien poop’.
Since TFOLs are barred from this contest, I can only lend my voice in support of Ochre Jelly’s theme. MediumDarkFleshSpace is definitely a catchy name, I can see it being a cult legend like Classic Space and Blacktron in a few years. Hopefully it comes with some medium dark flesh foliage pieces though…
What age must one be to be considered an adult?
Anyone else thinks it’s dodgy that Lego isn’t offering any reimbursement for winning ideas? When Dungeons and Dragons asked its fans to submit new product settings they paid money to the winner (Eberron setting).
@Skullossus: “[…] the work performed by you will be performed on a principal “work for hire” basis […]”
Age issue is simple they can’t enter to legal binding agreement with anyone who isn’t and Adult. It’s sad to see that there is no “official” prize but they do state that the following: “you will get the chance to interact with LEGO Group on making your idea come to life”. That in itself is the prize. But I’m sure their process will include some kind of shout out/thank you to the product “envisioner” since once you give them your idea it’s theirs.
Honestly, I know that I’d basically be throwing my idea to a corporation and giving up all creative rights, but I’d still love to see my idea being turned into a full-blown line of sets and figures.
I’m of two minds about this. On one hand, I love that TLG is looking for input from us. And I have an idea I think is really good.
On the other hand, it’s a “sign it all away” type deal. If the idea becomes the next Ninjago, spawns 3 years of sets and a TV show, and my compensation was a handshake and a thank you, I’d feel a bit used.
Lego has been hiring designers from the AFOL community, but have they ever done so with concept people?
How do we get the forms?
I sent an e-mail to the address, expecting a generic form e-mail back, but I haven’t seen anything yet. It’s not like the deadline is two years away.
I’m wondering about the forms as well. If Kim / LEGO is willing, it might be good to post a download link rather than send an email. I have a feeling Kim likely was overwhelmed by responses and posting one link would be more effective than trying to respond to tons of emails.
Brickwares, that’s a great question!
I am consistently disappointed in LEGO’s complete lack of gender sensitivity (for lack of a better term). It’s in the same vein as jimmythefly’s comment about cliche GOOD VS BAD.
I get that LEGO is following a marketing standard, but by doing so, they are perpetuating some major issues that subconsciously have a significant impact on the minds of developing youths.
Things like this teach kids that “boys and girls are always different; boys like item A, and girls like item B and there is no transcendence.”
I sent my request in on Wednesday morning as soon as I saw this post.
Still nothing in the ol’ inbox.
:\
Does anyone have the forms yet?
I received an out of office reply saying Kim isn’t back into the office until monday.
I’m eager to get a submission in as its a pretty awesome idea.
Yeah, I have not gotten anything either, and I mailed them Wednesday. But I figure the extra time just gives me more opportunity to develop my idea. I am assuming they’ll start getting back to us mid-next week–deadline’s not until November 15 after all. We still got time. Good luck everybody!
For those wondering why they haven’t received the forms yet, remember that LEGO is an 80-year-old, family-owned business, so they don’t always operate on “Internet time”. ;-)
Well, it’s been about a week and no forms. Anybody heard anything yet?
I just got my forms. It’s weird, the email specifically asks you not to share them with anybody. It seems to me that it would save them a lot of work? Or maybe they’re worried about it going really widespread and then having to sort through 10,000 responses.