As we discussed earlier, the LEGO Group launched its 90th-anniversary summer celebrations with LEGO CON. Bursting with product and brand reveals, magical sessions, activities, and extra special guests that took fans behind the scenes. Details below.
The LEGO Group put on the show of all shows as it once again wowed fans with the virtual and free-to-attend LEGO CON. Designed specifically for brick-loving families, the two-hour live show, hosted by Vick Hope, Joel McHale, and Melvin Odoom, was bursting with entertainment. It gave LEGO aficionados a sneak peek into the latest LEGO news and products whilst connecting them with other LEGO enthusiasts from around the world.
Wrapped in an extra-special LEGO brand 90th celebration, the abundance of sessions at this year’s event truly challenged fans to think big as it included everything from the magical to the fantastical and even the super-powered.
CELEBRATING 90 YEARS OF PLAY
In its session on ’90 years of play’, the LEGO Group kicked off its summer of 90th-anniversary celebrations. The session saw the launch of two unique heritage products in honor of the big occasion, each designed to evoke nostalgia.
Taking center stage was the #10305 LEGO Lion Knights’ Castle that comes complete with a working drawbridge and portcullis, hidden passageways, dungeon escape routes, and spinning waterwheels. It’s the build adult LEGO fans have been waiting for. A classic – reimagined. Celebrating 90 years of LEGO history, the Lion Knights’ Castle is a new interpretation of the iconic LEGO Castle theme. The impressive set is packed with details, and with 4,514 pieces it offers a project to savor. The set will launch on August 3rd with the following prices: $399.99 / £344.99 / €399.99. For more information, visit the Online LEGO Shop.
The other nostalgic set revealed is the #10497 LEGO Galaxy Explorer with 1,254 pieces that will launch on August 1st. This special anniversary edition of the #497 LEGO Classic Space Galaxy Explorer retains all the features of the 1979 set but on a bigger scale. With 4 astronaut figures and accessories, there are lots to explore in this tribute to a LEGO fan classic. Prices are as follows: $99.99 / £89.99/ €99.99. For more information visit the Online LEGO Shop.
As well as its new anniversary products, the company revealed ‘Make the World a Playground’, a summer-long campaign for its 90th anniversary, where kids and AFOLs alike are invited to unleash their imagination and use their creativity to add even more play to our world.
AWESOME NEW PRODUCTS
Among the new products revealed, fans were treated to an exclusive look at the brand-new LEGO Avatar product range celebrating the overall franchise to date in advance of Avatar: The Way of Water premiering this December. The newly-revealed #75574 LEGO Avatar Toruk Makto & Tree of Souls set lets fans recreate the moment from the first film when Jake, as Toruk Makto, rallies the Omatikaya Clan to defend not only one of their most sacred sites, the Tree of Souls, but all of Pandora. The set will launch on October 1st with the following prices 149.99 EUR/USD. For more information, visit the Online LEGO Shop.
The company also announced several exciting updates to its already beloved lines. Another big reveal saw viewers given an exclusive first look at the brand new, truly out-of-this-world sets coming to fan-favorite, LEGO Star Wars. The sets, the #75323 LEGO Star Wars The Justifier and the #75337 LEGO Star Wars AT-TE Walker will offer fans the chance to recreate the epic Star Wars: The Bad Batch stories with the incredible model of bounty hunter Cad Bane’s starship, The Justifier, or power into battle against the Separatist Droid Army with the AT-TE. Both sets will be available on August 1st at the LEGO Star Wars section of the Online LEGO Shop.
Fans of LEGO Marvel, meanwhile, were treated to a first look at a new Doctor Strange set showcasing the #76218 LEGO Marvel Sanctum Sanctorum as featured in a number of films, giving them a chance to open up their very own multiverses. This 2,708-piece recreation of the Sanctum Sanctorum, the notorious residence of Doctor Strange, incorporates classic scenes from Marvel Studios’ Avengers: Infinity War and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. The top story houses the museum of mystical collections, the middle section contains the library and at ground level, there are familiar features both inside and out. This set will be released on August 1st with the following prices: 249.99 EUR/USD. Visit the LEGO Marvel Super Heroes section of the Online LEGO Shop.
LEGO Minecraft builders were spoilt with two brand new sets to add to their collection; the #21189 LEGO Minecraft The Abandoned Village and the #21190 LEGO Minecraft The Skeleton Dungeon. For more information visit the LEGO Minecraft section of the Online LEGO Shop.
Lovers of LEGO Super Mario weren’t left out either! They were given a glimpse of the brand-new #71410 LEGO Super Mario Character Pack Series 5 that will be introduced to the LEGO Super Mario universe, with fun characters including Nabbit, a Purple Toad, Hammer Bro, Waddlewing, Toady, Baby Yoshi, Red Yoshi, and Blue Shy Guy. They were also shown how new and existing characters alike can interact with the LEGO Mario, LEGO Luigi, and LEGO Peach Starter Courses. For more information visit the LEGO Super Mario section of the Online LEGO Shop.
There was also a first look at a new sporty range of LEGO BrickHeadz allowing fans to become an FC Barcelona player in LEGO BrickHeadz form with three different skin tones, four different hair colors, and many different hairstyles. The shirt features the club’s iconic crest on the front, while there are also two sticker sheets for them to add their favorite number on the back. For more information, visit the LEGO BrickHeadz section of the Online LEGO Shop.
In addition, viewers were the first to be shown the very latest LEGO Minifigures Collection that will be joining the LEGO range later this year. This unique series features a great line-up of fun characters to collect and display or to take independent or group play in unexpected new directions.
EPIC BUILD SESSIONS
To top the many products reveals and sessions, the jam-packed show was also full of opportunities for fans to immerse themselves in live-building activities and conversations with experts from around the globe.
Event highlights included a creative masterclass from inside Pixar Animation Studios, which was given by none other than the director of Disney and Pixar’s ‘Lightyear’, Angus MacLane. LEGO Harry Potter fans, meanwhile, were given the chance to see how we turn movie sets into LEGO sets through a magical building tour of the Warner Bros. Studios London – The making of Harry Potter with Harry Potter film actress Evanna Lynch and LEGO designer Marcos Bessa – giving audiences tips and magic tricks for building their very own creations along the way.
LEGO fanatics were able to take part in epic challenges, where they were shown innovative and diverse ways to build with LEGO bricks. Challenges included many special guests, including Agnes Larsson from Mojang Studios, as well as a special LIVE LEGO Masters build challenge hosted by LEGO Masters Judges Matthew Ashton and Jamie Berard, with contestants from around the globe being challenged to build the most playful cake you’ve ever seen.
“Our fantastic LEGO CON is all about bringing fans together around our shared passion for the brick. It is our way of opening our virtual doors and bringing fans of all ages closer to our designers and incredible products, to experience some of what we experience every day at the LEGO Group,” said Emma Perkins, Head of The LEGO Agency EMEA. “This year’s LEGO CON kicks off our 90th-anniversary celebrations and, to celebrate all of our awesome fans, we wanted to make sure this year’s show was even bigger, better, and brickier than last year!”
Many other beloved lines were also showcased and had some exciting new updates of their own. During the show, the new #31207 LEGO Art Floral Art wall kit with 2,870 pieces and LEGO DOTS Stitch-on and Adhesive Patches were revealed, and from games we heard about LEGO Brawls, which will soon be landing on your preferred gaming platform.
Moreover, LEGO MINDSTORMS revealed Machine Learning, a new extension in the Robot Inventor app, which uses the camera or microphone on your device to identify different images or sounds such as voice commands.
Fans had an exclusive look at the finale of the 2022 LEGO Friends show, while LEGO Ninjago saw a sneak peek of what’s to come later this year. LEGO City had cool activities such as a live in-studio stunt action and fans also got a chance to get closer than ever before inside a LEGO Technic set.
Missed the action? No problem! LEGO CON 2022 is now available to stream for free in full at LEGO.com/LEGOCON or on the LEGO YouTube channel. You can also check out the latest news and products that were revealed during LEGO CON 2022 by visiting the Online LEGO Shop.
What do you think? Did you participate in LEGO CON? Are you excited for the new sets? Feel free to share and discuss in the comment section below!
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WOW! Those sets are very cool but very expensive . As much as i love the castle theme, its just way too much for me. In fact, I’m in the process of (after my birthday) that I’m going to quit buying Lego sets. It’s become to expensive for me and now with prices going up. I just can’t do it anymore.🙁. It’s been twenty some odd years that I collected Lego sets. I’ll just keep what I have and enjoy the sets that I do have.
As far as I have understood, this year’s Lego Con turned out more interesting that the last one, without any technical snags.
I might grab the 76218 Sanctum Sanctorum on a 2X Vip Points drive, and possibly separately yank me some of the natural skin tone minifig heads from the Star Wars sets, or printed parts and torsos from 10497 Galaxy Explorer and 10305 Lion Knights’ Castle, if affordable. (But since Lego’s been delaying putting up their later pieces on Bricks and Pieces this year, it might possibly take a while…)
I don’t know if I can wrap my head around so much incredible news! Classic Castle? Classic Space? Avatar? Sanctum Sanctorum? Incredible!
I was excited about the avatar set (in fact I saw a blurry image last week), but now that I’m seeing it closer, there is something seriously wrong with those figs. It may be the long legs, or the weirdly flat face, I don’t know. Now I don’t think I will get it. They don’t look right.
I think it’s the weird faces that mess them up. Anyway, I’m so excited about the galaxy explorer! They really nailed that one!
Old those classic shields! I hope they will be available at pick a brick and bricks and pieces. I need like a hundred of them. Lol.
Hmm, I might skip to the Pixar Masterclass part and watch it separately. There are timecodes included to jump to a chosen starting point?
This was a far better con than last year. The reveals were amazing (and many of them didn’t even leak beforehand!), the hosts were funnier, and the whole event had a better pacing. There were still some glitches and low points (dotcam, etc.) but it was worth the watch (or rewatch).
I love that flower décor set. Very pretty.
Amazing sets, but those prices! My god! Does Lego think we’re made of money?
Hey, nothing beats Benny’s spaceship, SPACESHIP!!!. If you have that set. Why get the galaxy explorer set?🤔.
Personally, I agree with you. I think the design of this update looks too blocky and retro. Benny’s Spaceship looks better from a design perspective (although I personally don’t own the set. I think I have seen it built once or something)…
Why are you able to pre-order the avatar set, but not the floral art sets? Are they expecting that much bigger of a run on Avatar?
My guess is that is because the Avatar 2 movie is coming out soon and is creating a spike of interest (and thus orders). The Floral set is more timeless and orders will likely be more evenly spaced out. But this is just my speculation. 🙂
UPDATE: While the LEGO CON is designed to be an event for families, the LEGO Group also strongly believes that there are aspects of the event that are enjoyable to every audience group from children to adults. In order to ensure that the AFOL (Adult Fan of LEGO) voice is shared back with the LEGO CON team, the LEGO Ambassador Network team created a survey. Your participation will help ensure that the AFOL voice is heard and taken into account for the future. You have until June 27th but why wait, TAKE THE SURVEY NOW!