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10 Most Controversial LEGO Sets
WatchMojo
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2/6/2024
Welcome to WatchMojo and today we’re counting down our picks for the top 10 most controversial Lego sets.
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00:00
Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the top 10 most controversial
00:06
Lego sets.
00:10
We're kicking things off with an entire range of Lego sets that's faced controversy
00:21
from the get-go when it was launched in 2014, and you might be surprised to know that it
00:25
revolves around one of America's most loved families, the Simpsons. Were there hugely
00:30
inappropriate or offensive Simpsons sets released? Well, no. Lego fans everywhere just had an
00:35
issue with the TV family being "Legoised", period. Some believed the Simpsons and some
00:44
of its mature topics were not appropriate for all age groups, and therefore not suitable
00:48
for Lego. Others simply thought the Simpsons was yesterday's news, and that a Lego set
00:53
based around their world wouldn't be fun. We've got to disagree with that second point
00:57
of view though. I mean, give us the Simpsons house to build any day.
01:08
A different realm of controversy in the Lego-verse is plain old disappointment, and arguably
01:13
one of the most lacklustre sets around is this "Star Wars Assault on Hoth" set.
01:18
Now on the surface, it probably looks pretty decent, but fans were quick to point out that
01:21
it was, well, rubbish. Launched in 2016, this set was ultimately aimed at adults, but received
01:27
flak for its mediocre design, attention to detail (or lack thereof), box artwork, and
01:32
the fact that its manual suggested combining the set with other sets that were already
01:36
discontinued. Basically, it was a mess, and felt like a rushed mishmash of off-cuts from
01:41
other Star Wars sets. And if all that wasn't bad enough, it was really expensive too. And
01:51
was it worth the money? Definitely Hoth. Thankfully, it was discontinued after about
01:55
a year.
02:02
When Lego releases its latest batch of minifigures, fans swarm to stores to collect them all.
02:07
But in 2013, Lego turned up the heat by adding a special minifig to the 10th anniversary
02:13
set, a 17th minifigure called "Mr. Gold", who was limited to just 5,000 examples. And
02:18
thus ensued the wonker golden ticket-like chaos, with people everywhere buying minifigures
02:23
en masse. Some might have seen this as playful and fun, but many simply saw it as a blatant
02:28
cash grab from the Danish brand, especially considering the Mr. Gold minifig is just,
02:32
well, a basic minifig, painted gold. Still, Mr. Gold remains one of the rarest minifigures
02:37
ever. I mean, look at that smile on his face and his pompous monocle over his eye. He is
02:43
full of it.
02:47
Lego has a strict no-fly policy on making models of realistic weapons, and that includes
02:52
any military sets like tanks. That's why there was controversy when the brand announced
02:57
they planned to release a detailed, technic version of the Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey. This
03:02
is a military aircraft, used exclusively by the military, for a variety of military-related
03:08
operations. Lego's plan, however, was to highlight the vehicle's importance as a
03:12
rescue aircraft, and add some appropriate rescue stickers to boot. But the German Peace
03:17
Society called them out, and accused Lego of being hypocrites. It even planned protests
03:22
outside its stores if the set was released. The set was indeed cancelled just before it
03:26
went to mass market, although some models, like this one nabbed by Oshpian Brickfan,
03:31
did slip through the cracks.
03:56
Although this was never the kind of Lego set you could buy in store, Lego is still heavily
04:00
linked to this set, and it carries a rather unbelievable story. Renowned Polish artist
04:05
and photographer, Zbigniew Libere, says he wants to make his 1996 art project out of
04:11
Lego. Lego says "OK, we'll supply the bricks", which Libere took as confirmation
04:15
that they were sponsoring his project. Libere then produces a concentration camp built from
04:20
Lego bricks, complete with barracks, watchtowers and skeleton prisoners. And it's all boxed
04:25
in what seems to be official Lego packaging.
04:28
Lego then threatens legal action. The controversial set is currently on display in the Museum
04:33
of Modern Art in Warsaw.
04:41
Lego has a bit of a patchy track record with releasing insensitive sets, and by that we
04:45
mean sets based on violent scenes from movies. The kind of sets you probably don't want
04:50
your kids recreating. Hello, "Tusken Raider" encounter from "Attack of the Clones".
04:54
Hello, "Fire Ant Attack" from "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull".
04:57
If you know, you know. But the set we want to talk about is "Palpatine's Arrest",
05:02
a set that recreates a rather dramatic, heart-wrenching and somewhat terrifying scene from "Star
05:07
Wars Episode III - Revenge of the Sith". Basically, this scene depicts good guys being
05:11
slaughtered and bad guys prevailing. It's a pretty cool set, I guess, but there's
05:16
no denying that a dark cloud looms over it.
05:21
Shell Oil and Lego have become somewhat synonymous with each other. The two brands had a partnership
05:25
for over 50 years. A tonne of their sets feature things like gas stations and oil rigs, and
05:30
Shell-branded Lego sets were sold in gas stations. But in 2014, Greenpeace said they'd had
05:35
enough, and accused Lego of putting "cash before kids". They turned up the heat on
05:40
the toymaker, and urged them to end their long partnership with Shell. And they did,
05:44
and after Greenpeace released this rather spectacular viral video, all set to a melancholic
05:49
rendition of "Everything is Awesome", Lego didn't really have a choice. So, the
06:01
dramatic ending of the Shell and Lego relationship kind of makes all the previous Shell-related
06:05
Lego sets controversial in their own right.
06:15
Lego doesn't have a particularly long history of product recalls, but the "Super Truck"
06:18
from 2002 is pretty notable. This toy was recalled because there were reports of kids
06:23
removing the wheels from it, revealing a dangerous spike-like axle. Reportedly, around 358,000
06:32
of these trucks were recalled, after several injuries were reported. Although Lego did
06:36
only refund for the truck, not the Duplo bricks that were included, because they didn't
06:40
have spikes in them. But you know what? At least Lego owns the mistake. It has a dedicated
06:45
page on its website detailing recalls from its past, including this one.
06:51
No, not the Chandler, Monaco and Joey kind of friends. This range of Lego toys was launched
06:55
in 2012, clearly aimed towards the female market. But women's groups in both the UK
07:00
and the US took umbrage with the range's use of pink and skinny figures, and said that
07:05
its fun, cupcake party theming was reinforcing gender stereotypes. A petition urging Lego
07:17
to rethink its marketing strategy was started, and it received a whopping 50,000 signatures.
07:23
And the Lego Friends toyline even received a "TODY" award for worst toy from Fair
07:27
Play - TODY standing for "Toys Oppressive and Destructive to Young Children". Ouch.
07:33
Despite all of this, Lego continues to sell the Lego Friends range, and it's been a
07:36
huge success for the brand. When defending its decision to keep the Friends range, Lego
07:40
said that the creation of the toyline was actually fuelled by questioning 3,000 girls
07:45
who said they wanted to find relevance in Lego construction sets.
08:13
Ah yes, "Star Wars Strikes Back", again. This time with a set that was set to reinforce
08:19
negative Muslim stereotypes. The set in question is Jabba's Palace, a location immortalised
08:24
in "Return of the Jedi". The problem with this set, however, is that its exterior resembles
08:28
the mosque of Haya Sofya, located in Istanbul, Turkey. Combine this resemblance with the diabolical
08:34
character of Jabba the Hutt, and many saw this set as insensitive commentary on the
08:38
Islamic religion, with the Turkish cultural community hitting out at Lego. An apology
08:43
was demanded, but what Lego gave was more of an explanation as to how any apparent likeness
08:48
to the holy building was merely a coincidence. The Turkish cultural community was not happy
08:52
with this response, and both they and Lego went back and forth before the set was retired
08:57
just a year and a half after launch.
09:04
And that's our list. Which set do you think was the most risque? Let us know in the comments
09:08
below. Did you enjoy this video? Check out these other clips from WatchMojo and be sure
09:15
to subscribe and ring the bell to be notified about our latest videos.
09:19
[music]
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