A decade on from the launch of LEGO Friends, the LEGO Group has re-imagined the Friends universe, with the introduction of a new diverse group of characters, to enable more children to feel represented during play. This next generation is designed to celebrate friendships in the modern world. Because the LEGO Group values children as its role models, this next generation of LEGO Friends has implemented input from kid testing and research, which all found that children had the desire to see themselves, their friends, and their families better represented.
A huge part of the re-imagined Friends universe is the release of a brand new content series, LEGO Friends – The Next Chapter. Season 1 follows the everyday lives of Aliya, Autumn, Leo, Zac, Nova, Paisley, Olly, and Liann as they navigate their first year of high school while becoming friends. Taking place in the international hub of Heartlake City, the goal of the first season is to experience the formation of friendship amidst the backdrop of the impressive Heartlake International High School and to establish the Heartlake Community Center as a third space for the friends and the community.
Attending high school for the first time is both exciting and daunting for everyone! LEGO Friends showcases the challenges that arise from new responsibilities, new friendships, and wanting to have a meaningful impact on the community they cherish. Sometimes the best friendships form in the most surprising ways.
Season 1 consists of a 44-minute launch special and ten 22-minute episodes, and a 22-minute holiday special. For the first time, all of the episodes will be published on YouTube as well as hosted on a new video player at LEGO.com/kids. The launch special will appear on YouTube on Sunday, the 29th of January. The rest of the season will begin streaming in March. English language only upon launch. Additional languages will launch later in 2023. The LEGO.com/kids player will be available later in the year. In addition to the main show, there will be over 300 minutes of supporting content including vlogs, music-videos, and talkbacks to allow fans to dive even deeper into the world of LEGO Friends. Below is the sneak-peek of the series.
Along with the episodes, there are also new LEGO Friends sets with new settings and characters, including the #41729 LEGO Friends Organic Grocery Store, the beautiful #41730 LEGO Friends Autumn’s House, the #41731 LEGO Friends Heartlake International School, and the amazing #41732 LEGO Friends Downtown Flower and Design Stores. There are also some nice smaller sets like the #41751 LEGO Friends Skate Park, the #41735 LEGO Friends Mobile Tiny House, the #41726 LEGO Friends Holiday Camper, and a series of highly detailed accessories rooms for several of the characters. To see all the new sets, visit the LEGO Friends section of the Online LEGO Shop.
What do you think? How do you like the new generation of LEGO Friends sets, characters, and online series? Feel free to share and discuss in the comment section below!
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So they comoletely retired the original five characters?
It appears so. And I believe that’s a good thing. I mean, by this time, we all have a gazillion Emmas and Stephanies in our collection. 😀
I love the new mall! It’s one of my favorite sets of all time!
I’m still not a great fan of the minidolls, but the attempt to include diversity and various mental issues seems interesting.
I’ll try to get some of the new hairpieces and other interesting parts separately, in due time…