Subject:
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Re: Reuters report on Lego at New York Toy Fair
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.general
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Date:
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Sat, 10 Feb 2001 16:23:14 GMT
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Viewed:
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619 times
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In lugnet.general, Lawrence Wilkes writes:
So much cool stuff here!!
> snippo
> ``LEGO is unique among toy makers, it is perhaps the only toy label people
> will go to the store and ask for,'' said David Leibowitz, managing director
> for investment bank Burnham Securities, who has followed LEGO for many
> years.
>
> ``People go to the store and ask for Barbie, not Mattel, but they will ask
> for LEGO,'' he said. Mattel Inc. based in El Segundo, California, makes
> Barbie dolls and other toys.
<soapbox> More than anything this reinforces the need to fight against that
insidious question: "Aren't Megabloks legos the same as LEGO legos, only
cheaper?"</soapbox>
This is also interesting from the whole "top among families by 2005"
perspective: say the results come in that
(A): 90% know Barbie
(B): 80% know legos (=plastic building bricks)
(C): 60% know LEGO (=LEGO brand)
(D): 20% know Mattel
So TLC, interpreting the generic (B) as though it meant the specific (C),
claim 80% market recognition, four times that of Mattel Inc., when in fact,
by branding Mattel's Barbie has 1.5 times the recognition of the "true" LEGO
brand.
> This year, LEGO will be releasing more than 170 new products, its highest
> number ever.
I wonder if there has been a corresponding increase in the R&D budget?
> Launching in late summer, the Bionicle line consists of six heroes, known as
> the Toa, and five villains, know as the Makuta. In addition to the figures,
> LEGO will launch two Bionicle video games.
So! Bionicle II, once you've bought the Toa and the Turaga: collect the five
incarnations of the Makuta. Quoting from bionicle.com:
> Some say he has three heads. Others say he can change into many forms.
> The legend says the Makuta is a whirling, kicking, screaming, clawing beast.
> He -- or IT -- could be many things at once - cobra, tiger, hawk.
A combined Makuta from five Toa scale figures would be quite impressive!
(and is it just me, or do the Mata Nui names sound like they were bought in
a job lot from Toyota?)
> With vicious-looking villains and grim heroes, Bionicle clearly marks a
> departure from LEGO's traditional nonviolent image, but Eio is not worried.
>
> ``Our policy is, don't do violence for the sake of violence. We don't want
> to encourage violence, that's why we don't make any tanks or fighter planes.
> But we have accepted it in fantasy settings and we also have medieval
> castles with invaders and things like that,'' he said.
Give it a few years: "LEGO's new UN peace keeping force series is not about
violence as such. It reflects an international aspiration to conflict
resolution, and a desire to end war."
> Leibowitz agrees. ``I think Bionicle may actually improve the brand, because
> it's less violent than other figures, and kids build the characters
> themselves,'' he said.
I'd be really interested to hear a fuller version of this analysis.
> The outcome of the struggle is uncertain, but LEGO spokeswoman Shannon
> Harnett gave a hint. ``Good always triumphs over evil,'' she said.
"uncertain" -- LOL.
> adding that the company hoped to offer three-dimensional customized products >soon.
Intriguing! Unless they're moving into the statuette business, this sounds
like the "submit your DAT, we'll send you the bricks" concept?
> New Traditional Products
>
> LEGO also has other, more traditional, new products up its sleeve this
> season. Among these are the Harry Potter line which will go on sale in the
> fall, preceding the eagerly anticipated Warner Brothers movie, scheduled for
> release in November. In addition to the movie-based products, Lego will also
> be releasing software based on the book.
In case there was any doubt, confirmation of ABS Potter. Interesting to see
a distinction between "movie" licensing and "book" licensing: fingers
crossed that the movie is more like the book and less like "Home Alone" (see
http://www.salon.com/people/feature/2000/08/24/potter/index.html ).
> ``I think the Harry Potter Lego series should receive high exposure, due to
> the strength of the Lego brand, and the character's popularity,'' said
> Nicole Dowswell, a spokeswoman for retailer K Mart Corp. KM.N.
>
> Eio also seems pleased with the Potter license.
>
> ``Harry Potter fits very well with Lego, castles have always been very
> popular for us, and the entire Potter story is based on this castle-like
> school,'' he said.
<snide> High calibre expert analysis they've got there. </snide>
> Last year Lego had an unexpected success -- or ``sleeper hit'' -- with LEGO
> Soccer, and is now adding a women's team and a team transporter.
The long awaited "fem-fig" set. Excellent.
> However, Lego has not ventured into other, more widely televised U.S. >sports... The company was considering expanding the line into other sports, >but according to Eio there were no firm plans.
The mind boggles... I'm hanging out for rugby, or at least gridiron.
--DaveL
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Message has 1 Reply:
 | | Re: Reuters report on Lego at New York Toy Fair
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| (...) Hope so, And I'd love to work for the R&D dept in Windosr/Slough.. Sent Lego Europe North a CV and havee not heard anything. (...) Nah, Best Lock already doing a UN range. And ISTR a Uniceff truck already beinga lego set ;-) (...) Yeah but (...) (24 years ago, 12-Feb-01, to lugnet.general)
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Message is in Reply To:
| | Reuters report on Lego at New York Toy Fair
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| Lego: From Building Blocks to High Tech By Marcus Rubin NEW YORK (Reuters) - LEGO's showroom at the American International Toy Fair looks deceptively familiar. Brightly colored building blocks bubble around happily in plastic tubes. Small smiling (...) (24 years ago, 10-Feb-01, to lugnet.general) !
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