by Sarah Herman
The Martian base and launching station, Aero Tube Hangar (7317), was one of the theme’s most popular sets. With its tube/pump system Martian minifigures could be fired down the tubes to their spacecrafts. This set was also popular because all the smaller Martian sets could be connected up to it, such as the Excavation Searcher (7316)—a scorpion-shaped robot vehicle—which came complete with a hangar to connect up to the base set.
After a six-year hiatus from the Space theme (with the exception of some Discovery Channel–licensed sets in 2003), a new group of minifigure astronauts suited up to head to Mars. Mars Mission (2007–2008), unlike Life on Mars, saw an alien race attacking the mission’s astronauts who were trying to remove crystals for energy to ship back to Earth in their space shuttle. There were no welcoming colors and smiling faces for the bad-guy aliens of Mars Mission. Instead, identical green figures with glow-in-the-dark torsos fired down on the astronauts. Similar to the Life on Mars aliens, these figures were not shaped like minifigures and only their commanders (released in the second year of production) with black heads, yellow eyes, and larger appendages were fully articulated. Contrastingly, there were plenty of astronaut individuals living on Mars. While all Mars Mission astronauts wore a white uniform with orange torso design (including a planet logo similar to that used in Classic Space, Futuron, and Ice Planet 2002), their faces couldn’t have been more different. There certainly wasn’t time for shaving in space, with a large proportion of minifigures flaunting some stubble. There were no girls in space this time, but there were balaclavas, scared and angry faces, redheads, and sunglasses.
MINIFIGURES IN SPACE
The release of Life on Mars was marketed to coincide with the real-life exploration of the planet. In 2001 NASA launched the robotic spacecraft Mars Odyssey to orbit the planet and search for evidence of volcanic activity and a history of liquid water. That same year, the LEGO Group sent 300 of the alien minifigures to the International Space Station from Russia, along with the Red Planet Protector (7313), which was used in the first toy-based experiment in space. The minifigures were later awarded as prizes to children of a Life on Mars LEGO building competition. Two years later, NASA launched the Mars Exploration Rovers Spirit and Opportunity complete with two important “astrobot” minifigures. Pictures of Biff Starling and Sandy Moondust were attached to the rover together with specially designed aluminum LEGO bricks and magnets to help determine the presence of liquid water, making minifigures the first “people” to land on Mars.
In terms of sets, Mars Mission clearly took its lead from Life on Mars—the tube/pump system was given a facelift in 2007’s Eagle Command Base (7690) and the MT-31 Trik (7694) was very similar to Life on Mars’s T3 Trike (7312). Despite the similarities, Mars Mission offered some imaginative new sets such as the drill turned mobile tank with moving drill (7649-1) and the aliens’ mothership that came with a human missile launching base (7691-1). The clear color distinction between humans (orange, blue, white, and black) and the evil aliens (black, green, and red), combined with sleek designs and an inventive use of parts and mechanisms, was an effective way of reinstating the feel of Classic Space while modernizing it for a new generation of LEGO fans.
This Life on Mars mono jet set (7310), released in 2001, came with the spectacled technical assistant. © David Martin
A classic theme was truly revived, however, when LEGO brought back the Space Police in 2009, not seen since the early 1990s. Unlike their predecessors who had been locking up human criminals from the thieving Blacktron and Spyrius factions, these Space Police were fighting badly behaved aliens such as members of the Space Biker Gang: fishy Slizer, reptilian Kranxx, “astropunk” Snake, and the Skull Twins, as well as goggle-eyed Squidman and four-armed Frenzy. They dressed in functional dark gray with belts and pockets and wore black helmets with black visors. There was also a female officer, and some minifigures came with alternative “scared” faces. The aliens themselves were of normal minifigure stature, with regular legs and arms. Their heads and clothing varied between individuals, who all seemed to come from different alien species, with great attention paid to details such as the Space Biker Gang’s skull belts, Squidman’s upturned eyes, and Frenzy’s additional arms. There was also a white minifigure astronaut statue included in set 5974, commemorating the first LEGO astronaut in space.
A classic sub-theme was reborn in the 2000s with the release of a new range of Space Police sets, including this Raid VPR (5981). © Christopher Doyle
Part of Space Police’s success is due to the unusual alien minifigure designs, including Squidtron (left) and Squidman. © Christopher Doyle
New alien minifigures such as Rench (right) tried their best to make trouble for the new crime-fighters. © Christopher Doyle
The new Space Police range had moved on from the black, red, and green look of the 1990s to a fresh blue, gray, white, and black color scheme. They had an impressive base ship that could divide into five smaller vehicles, called the Galactic Enforcer (5974). It also came with four detachable prison pods and an alien craft ready to swoop in and free the prisoners. The alien crafts were styled with their criminal pilots in mind with jagged edges and dark colors, such as Snakes’ Wrecker space truck (5972) in black and yellow with flaming boosters and spiky front bumper. And when the bad guys needed a tune-up, they headed to Squidman’s Pitstop (5980) where there was a vehicle-lift and fuel pump alongside exploding barrels and a rocket launcher. In 2010 a new Space Police Central set (5985) gave the coppers a secure place to lock up all the bad guys.
The most recent Space Police sets combined the playability and colorful characters associated with action-figure toys, with inventive LEGO set designs, desirable accessories, and most importantly a sense of humor. The new minifigure faces, the unusual aliens, and the situations designers invented for them were more imaginative than any previous Space sub-theme, without being too prescriptive or dictatorial, giving children the freedom to develop their own storylines based around these innovative sets.
Space Police’s aliens had their own colorful getaway vehicles, such as Squid-man’s customized ram-raider, shown here without stickers applied, and available with Smash ’n’ Grab (5982) © Christopher Doyle
The contemporary and futuristic worlds of Town and Space were not the only evergreen themes to survive the introduction of experimental design and financial problems that plagued the 2000s. Medieval Mischief and Mayhem was the title of the LEGO Group’s 2000 graphic novel based around the Knights’ Kingdom sub-theme launched that same year. The comic introduced the Castle theme for the new millennium and the two warring factions—King Leo’s Lion Knights and the Bulls, led by Cedric the Bull, as well as key characters from both sides. King Leo’s crest was similar to the earlier Royal Knights’. A yellow lion face with a black mane sat in front of a yellow “x” over a blue background. Dressed regally in blue with a lion’s crest on his torso and a gold crown was the white-bearded King Leo. His knights wore silver armor and black trousers with red tunics, apart from Princess Storm who stood out in gold corseted armor and red trousers. Their enemies were represented by the face of a brown bull complete with nose ring and glaring red eyes over a yellow background. In the U.K. catalog that year the Bulls were shown more as outlaws, fighting against the King—with no base of their own, they had a large cannon pointed straight at King Leo’s Castle (6098). Cedric the Bull matched King Leo’s gold crown with a black helmet finished off with bull horns, to match his black clothes emblazoned with the Bulls’ logo. Cedric’s various baddie cohorts are dressed similarly menacingly in black and brown—Gilbert the Bad was the one with the eye patch.
The return to European-style medieval knights gave LEGO designers the opportunity to update their older Castle designs in sets such as Catapult Crusher (6032), Guarded Treasure (6094), and the more civilized Royal Joust (6095). Gray bricks replaced the darker appearance of Royal Knights and Fright Knights, and the new castle was more of a modular structure—with interchangeable towers—bu
ilt on a raised base plate. No new Knights’ Kingdom sets from this range would appear after 2000, but the Knights’ Kingdom name was revived in 2004 when LEGO re-branded it to appeal to a younger age group.
With the exception of the 2001 Harry Potter Hogwarts Castle, LEGO catalogs remained void of any new Castle play sets until 2004. By this time BIONICLE had been on the market for five years and was still selling well, especially the canister sets—small sets packaged in plastic boxes usually containing enough pieces to build an action figure—which along with BIONICLE’s marketing strategy, clearly influenced the redesign of Knights’ Kingdom. In 2004 six character sets were released, packaged similarly in plastic canisters with battlement-style lids. Made up largely of Technic bricks, these figures—consisting of four heroic knights, their king, and the evil Vladek—existed independently from the regular playsets. Targeting 6+ the LEGO sets, made up of castles and battle scenes, had a chunkier feel to them and included minifigures representative of the Technic models. TV advertising focused heavily on the fictional, magical world of the characters, as did the accompanying website, books, and trading cards. The “Hero” knights, who fought for King Mathias (and later King Jayko), were all from different provinces and had crests that reflected their personalities: a wolf, a hawk, a monkey, and a bear, which were visible on their shields. Their king and his castle bore the crest of a lion beneath a crown. The canister models and minifigures were dressed, for the most part, pretty similarly, so characters could be identified across the range. The four original knights were dressed in red, blue, green, or dark purple, while the king wore blue and gray attire finished off with gold. Their main enemy, Lord Vladek, and his Shadow Knights were recognized by the scorpion emblem on their shields and torsos, while his later ally, Dracus, leader of the Rogue Knights, sported an equally unnerving snake. Vladek looked suitably evil in black and red and his full-faced helmet covered up his scowl and glaring red eyes. Unlike previous LEGO Castle themes, the Knights’ Kingdom (II) minifigures had bright colored swords and armor, something that caused controversy among the more traditional Castle fans. More Knights’ Kingdom (II) sets were released than any other Castle sub-theme—and the Knights can be seen fending off flying scorpions in the Castle of Morcia (8781), trapped in a hanging cage in Scorpion Prison Cave (8876), and showing off their combat skills in Battle at the Pass (8813)—but after years of financial difficulties, and a short-lived Vikings sub-theme (2005), TLG reverted to more familiar terrain with another fantasy-led Castle range.
The centerpiece for 2007’s “Castle”—the fantasy line—was King’s Castle Siege (7094). Evidently influenced by a number of its Castle predecessors, one cannot help but notice the similarities between the simple four-walled structure with drawbridge and tall rear tower and the bright yellow set 375 released nearly thirty years before. In addition, the king’s home bears the crest of a crown not that different from the original Castle set. The 2007 sets introduced us to this Crown King, his princess daughter, and his knights (often referred to as Crown Knights), as well as their skeletal enemies (both black and white and occasionally dressed in armor) and fire-breathing dragons led by the Evil Wizard with his one red eye, skull face logo, and creepy charms hanging from his belt. In 2008 new characters were added to the fantasy tapestry with the addition of dwarves and a green dragon as allies of the Crown King, and evil trolls to do the heavy duty work for the Evil Wizard. The line stands apart from previous Castle ranges for its more realistic use of gray and brown for building structures and vehicles, while maintaining a fantastical world with its characters. Although boats had featured in Castle before, this sub-theme included two large ships: Skeleton Ship Attack (7029) and Troll Warship (7048). In 2008 the LEGO Group released a special-edition set exclusively for its online shop, which saw the Crown Knights mingling with the locals. LEGO designers consulted Castle fans when designing Medieval Market Village (10193), the largest Castle set at the time, which included many special parts such as a roasted turkey, buildable LEGO chickens, and the first LEGO cow. They also produced role-playing costume products including swords, a crown, and an archery set.
The year 2010 saw the release of a new Castle theme to replace the fantasy sets mentioned above. Kingdoms took over as the official Castle sub-theme and saw a return to the medieval world originally associated with the Castle theme. Gone were the dragons, ninjas, and evil skeletons (although LEGO couldn’t resist the inclusion of a wizard) replaced by a King, his Lion Kingdom (protected by Royal Lion Knights), and a clumsy Princess who kept getting captured by the Dragon Knights and their wizard. The impressive King’s Castle (7946) was an amped-up version of the Crusader’s castle (6080) from 1984 with its gray brickwork, turrets, battlements, and drawbridge. Other sets included the Dragon Knights’ prison tower (7947) and a court jester minifigure set (7953).
The more recent Castle toys have evolved from the various permutations of subthemes depicting LEGO life a both medieval and fantastical. From the introduction of bright green fire-breathers in 1993’s Dragon Knights, to the impressive castles guarded by the earlier Black and Lion Knights, the influence of weaponry, structures, and color schemes can be seen in the detailed and colorful sets released more recently. A theme that began life in idea books and store displays and eventually found its way into children’s hands as a bright yellow castle over thirty years ago has stood the test of time and looks set to continue to entertain LEGO fans for years to come.
LEGO Kingdoms introduced two new factions of knights—the Royal Lion Knights (left) and the Dragon Knights. © Christopher Doyle
According to LEGO.com, this wizard of the Dragon Kingdom spent his time brewing spells to help the Dragon Knights defeat their rivals. © Christopher Doyle
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Pirates did not manage to achieve the same continuous success as Castle, and by the end of 1997 all LEGO Pirates sets were no longer readily available. With the exception of a few re-released sets in 2001 and 2002, the theme lay dormant in minifigure scale throughout the 2000s. In 2003, TLG re-branded sets suitable for four year olds and upward as “4 Juniors.” In 2004 the name was changed to simply “4+” and Pirates were chosen, alongside City and Spider-Man, to be given the 4+ treatment. Using regular-size LEGO bricks, the two key differences between 4+ sets and System sets were the figures themselves (4+ figures are larger and cannot be disassembled) and the complexity of the sets. The largest 4+ Pirates set—a new ship for Captain Redbeard (7075)—only consisted of 134 pieces, compared to the 925 pieces required to construct the Black Seas Barracuda. Rather than seeing pirates face off against angry natives or the military, 4+ took a new approach and introduced Captain Kragg (with a blue and black flag) to cause trouble for Redbeard and his crew. The majority of these 2004 Pirates sets were only available in Europe, and the line ended in 2005.
This 2009 LEGO Pirates Advent Calendar (6299) included Captain Brickbeard (top left), a female pirate, and a mermaid. © Ben Pillen
DUPLO toys also incorporated pirates between 2006 and 2007 with four sets including the theme. The Big Pirate Ship (7880) was the largest of the four—it measured an impressive 25.5 inches in length and had two tall masts with a rubber anchor and wheels underneath so it could be rolled along the floor. Other sets included a smaller pirate ship, a shark attacking a small raft, and Treasure Hunt (7883) where a skeleton watched a pirate hunt for treasure.
After years of fans begging for a return to traditional Pirates sets of large ships, exciting forts, and fantastic minifigures, designers finally delivered. In 2009 nine sets were released (including a Pirates advent calendar) with more sea-faring sets available in 2010. The most eagerly anticipated of the new sets was the pirate ship itself, (Brickbeard’s Bounty, mentioned in Chapter 4), but TLG didn’t stop there—they were determined to update the entire Pirates line with new sets that gave young fans the chance to experience the same fun with the theme as children had twenty years ago. The pirates had two other large sets to call home—Shipwreck Hideout (6253-1) and Loot Is
land (6241-1). The former was based around an old pirate king’s shipwrecked vessel—another shipwrecked vessel can be seen in 1996’s Shipwreck Island set, and a part-built one is inhabited by a skeleton (as is the new set) in 1997’s Pirates Perilous Pitfall. A bridge connects the new wreckage to a lookout and, similar to the Islanders 1994 Enchanted Island, it is possible to flip the bridge. Loot Island (6241) is a smaller set, and is built on a sand-colored base plate. The skull cave idea was used in earlier sets such as Volcano Island (6248) and Skull Island (6279)—although neither of them came with Loot Island’s bearded castaway dressed in rags.
While Captain Brickbeard is an updated version of Redbeard (perhaps in a nod to his predecessor, he opts for a red shirt over Redbeard’s familiar green attire), there were a number of new pirates on their first tour of the oceans in 2009. Their fashion choices included a hairy chest with a waistcoat, a green and white striped shirt with belt straps, and the aforementioned castaway complete with patchwork trousers and graying beard. They were joined by a new creepy skeleton, a busty female pirate with an eye patch, a mermaid with a shell bra and green tail, and the Admiral’s daughter (who often needed saving) wearing a blue and white dress—created by the more recent addition of a one-piece skirt, as opposed to the usual legs.
The new sets were riddled with animals from the usual sharks (as well as a new shark with a jaw large enough to accommodate a minifigure), crocodiles, monkeys, and parrots to the more recent snakes, crabs, and fish (usually seen cooking on an open fire)—there’s even an octopus in Kraken Attackin’ (6240). But the animals were the least of the pirates’ worries, because the LEGO Group also reissued their old enemies—the Imperial soldiers. In 2009 the largest set to feature the new soldiers was their fort (6242). Its white turrets referencing the original El Dorado Fortress and the Imperial Trading Post, but its simple structure and lack of large base-plate, encouraged children to build beyond the fort’s walls. The year 2010 saw the release of the soldiers’ grand Imperial Flagship (10210). Finished in dark brown and blue, with three central masts, eight-cannon capacity, and shark figure-head leading the charge, this ship harked back to the grandeur of Black Seas Barracuda, and was a promising sign of things to come from LEGO Pirates.