As we discussed at the beginning of the month, four new LEGO Friends sets are centered on sea life rescue. The sets themselves are fun and educational with beautiful new marine creature pieces, but these sets are actually part of a larger initiative to raise awareness about the importance of ocean conservation. Back in May and June, LEGO announced a partnership with Ocean Heroes Bootcamp, as well as National Geographic Kids. The campaign has several facets and includes a number of activities, which you can read about below.
Ocean Heroes Bootcamp, a youth leadership program co-founded by award winning non-profits Lonely Whale, Captain Planet Foundation and Point Break Foundation. Ocean Heroes Bootcamp is dedicated to empowering and inspiring future generations to protect our precious oceans. The collaboration saw the LEGO Group bring creativity and learning through play to the annual bootcamp, which attracted more than 300 young people from 20 countries (the event took place at the end of June in Vancouver, BC). Mari-Louise Jonsson, Senior Director, Responsibility Engagement at the LEGO Group said the Group was honored to be part of the Bootcamp and to work with its young Ocean Heroes. “Children are passionate about protecting the environment and we believe we have a responsibility to help them. LEGO play is about equipping children with skills to tackle 21st century problems, and there is nothing more urgent than building a sustainable future. The partnership is part of our Planet Promise – to have a positive impact on the world and society children will inherit. Engaging children around the issues which shape their future is key to fulfilling this promise.” You can learn more about the event and watch the 2019 recap here: OceanHeroes.Blue
To mark the launch of the new LEGO Friends Sea Life Rescue theme, the LEGO Group partnered with National Geographic Kids to develop a campaign designed to inspire children to take action and keep our oceans safe for all animals. The LEGO Friends sets are inspired by real-life rescue scenarios and are designed to immerse young builders and explorers in aquatic adventures. Juliane Aufdembrinke, Senior LEGO Designer, shared her inspiration for the theme: “When I was young, dolphins were my favorite animal so this theme is a personal favorite of mine! Children today continue to love dolphins and sea life in general, but are also passionate about protecting ocean life. The LEGO Sea Life Rescue theme is designed to inspire the marine biologists, engineers, and conservationists of tomorrow – in a fun and playful way. We are grateful to have the support of National Geographic Kids on the important topic of protecting ocean animals and it was great to collaborate with a real-life submarine pilot Erika Bergman.”
Part of the campaign is to encourage families to think of daily actions, which can make a difference to the environment. National Geographic explorer and Submarine Pilot Erika Bergman introduces children to her work, the value of play, and how important it is to think creatively if we are to solve the challenges facing our oceans. Erika said: “This campaign is designed to share with children the realities of caring for our fascinating and magical sea life. We want them to understand the challenges facing marine animals and be inspired to come up with new ideas to protect them. The LEGO Friends Sea Life Rescue sets offer a great platform for children to explore caring for sea life in a fun, creative way and the campaign encourages them to take action, including pledging to become official ‘Sea Life Friends’. We know kids of today are hugely committed to protect our planet and wildlife, so it’s exciting to team up with LEGO Friends to connect education, play, inspiration, and action.” The campaign is featured on LEGO Group and National Geographic Kids platforms. You can also learn more about this collaboration as well as find videos, fun facts, quizzes, and more, here: LEGO.com/Campaigns/Sea-Life-Rescue
In the video-player above, I have included several videos from the campaign, as well as videos featuring the related LEGO sets. The four new LEGO Sea Life Rescue sets feature a lovely combination of teal, coral, yellow, and white, beautiful new shells and coral pieces, baby and adult sea creatures, s well as various rescue vehicles and equipment. Below are the details.
The #41376 LEGO Friends Turtles Rescue Mission features an amphibious vehicle that can sail out to sea to the stranded baby turtles from the island, and then drive them back to the beachside clinic on stilts with an examination bed and a medicine area. The set includes Olivia, Zobo the robot, and four turtles. 225 pieces. Price: $19.99 – BUY HERE
The #41378 LEGO Friends Dolphins Rescue Mission features a submarine with a viewing sphere with hinged windscreen, plus an underwater scooter, shipwreck with hinged mast, and a mini island with a treasure trunk. Accessory elements include a water-reactive textile treasure map, coral and sea creature elements, treasure chest with gems, and more. The set also includes Stephanie, Kacey, and two cute dolphins. 363 pieces. Price: $39.99 – BUY HERE
The #41380 LEGO Friends Lighthouse Rescue Center features a four-story building with an examination area, lab, sea lion play area, rest area, TV room, office, observation deck and a jetty. A separate island features a wood-effect shack with planks that fall away at the press of a button to release the trapped sea lion. Accessory elements include a water-reactive textile treasure map, light-brick, medical instruments, sea creature and coral elements, and more. The set also includes Mia, Emma, a dolphin, a bird, a turtle and two sea lions. 602 pieces. Price: $59.99 – BUY HERE
The #41381 LEGO Friends Rescue Mission Boat features a three-level boat with lots of play-features, a heart-shaped island with a beach and shipwreck, and an underwater coral scene. Accessory elements include a water-reactive textile treasure map, coral and sea creature elements, three shades of gems, and more. The set also includes Olivia, Andrea, Mia, Zobo the robot, and a narwhal. 908 pieces. Price: $89.99 – BUY HERE
What do you think? How do you like the LEGO Friends Sea Life Rescue sets? Do you have any of them already? And what do you think of the activities and educational videos and other materials related to the theme? Feel free to share and discuss in the comment section below!
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We love this whole series. The colors are so beautiful, and we love the sea creatures. By the way, the sea creatures come in a full pack, so you get all of them with each set.
Thanks for mentioning that! The more sea creatures the better! 😀
I like these sets too. The new elementary has a great series talking about the new pieces and what can be done with them.
Oh, yes, I saw some of those articles too! I liked what they did with the coral piece! 😀
A welcome new approach compared to their partnership with Shell Oil which gained massive Internet attention five years ago as Shell was aggressively pursing oil drilling in the Arctic. https://sustainablebrands.com/read/behavior-change/lego-ends-50-year-partnership-with-shell-after-6-million-people-campaign-to-save-the-arctic
Lego had a long-standing relationship with Shell going back to the 70s, maybe even 60s. Lego made Shell-branded sets, usually gas stations, cars, and other toys. I don’t support Arctic oil drilling, but it’s not fair to blame Lego for the partnership. Attitudes changed significantly since the 70s. I agree that National Geographic, NASA, and other organizations that are doing good for the planet and its future are a better fit for Lego.
I remember that Shell fiasco. LEGO wasn’t very happy that Greenpeace dragged them into the debate. Anyway, I agree that National Geographic, NASA and the like are a more wholesome (and less controversial) fit for LEGO.
Hmm, looking up Bricklink, it seems the Shell collaborations basically was run from 1966 to 2018, for about 50 years, although some of the latter sets seem to have been co-sponsoring with Ferrari. (Now it seems Lego makes Ferrari sets without explicit Shell branding.) For some reason, the NA market had a separate Exxon license, two of the sets were tankers with a mere palette swap for the European Shell sets, but the other two sets don’t seem to have a direct Shell equivalent.
This is probably one reason why Lego switched to the fictive Octan, though, from 1992 and forward. (Although apparently there’s a Russian company that has “borrowed” the name and logo…)
Having one’s own fictive company also makes it possible to create more adult implicit references, such as the usage of the Octan logo in The Lego Movie.
That’s a good summary of the relationship between LEGO and Shell, but yeah, it makes more sense for LEGO to have their own gas station brand. I remember seeing a picture of the Russian Octan station. It’s funny! 😀
I’m tempted to pick up the submarine. It looks really cool. By the way, when I first saw the lighhouse, I thought it was coral and a very light pink. I guess it was just a trick on the eyes.
It may have been just the color of your screen. Sometimes white comes out a bit weird.