I know that some of our readers are planning to enter their LEGO project on CUUSOO this year, so I thought to talk about that a bit as there has been some pretty major changes on LEGO CUUSOO. As you probably know, CUUSOO is a platform where you can enter your very own LEGO design, and if you get 10,000 supporters LEGO will consider it for production. 🙂
CUUSOO is still in Beta as it is a fairly new venture for the company and there is still plenty to tweak and adjust along the way. This last change has been one of the largest ones and the CUUSOO team posted a helpful update on their blog to explain it (see below and see original here for more).
LEGO CUUSOO Updates to the Guidelines, House Rules, and Terms of Service: “…we’re introducing some updates to LEGO CUUSOO’s Guidelines, House Rules, and Terms of Service based on things we’ve learned over the last two years. These changes will help focus the contents of your projects toward what we’re able to commercialize through LEGO CUUSOO. We’ve seen a lot of great ideas and models from you, but not everything fits what is practical or possible to make and sell. Now that we’ve been through a few LEGO Review periods, it’s easier to decide what types of submissions work as potential sets and what kinds don’t. In order to nurture a pipeline that’s more in line with what is possible to produce, these changes narrow the scope of what we’ll consider. The new Guidelines, House Rules, and Terms of Service clarify and refine what types of submissions we’ll consider as potential LEGO sets. Our goal is to make review decisions more quickly, which means new CUUSOO sets will get into your hands sooner.” Below are some of the highlights of the changes:
| New Guideline |
What This Means |
| Brick-Based Construction Toy Projects Only |
Please only create projects suggesting standard LEGO sets and not new parts, software, websites, apps, or non-LEGO brick based products (backpacks, mugs, etc). |
| One Project = One LEGO Set |
Projects should only suggest single stand-alone LEGO sets, and not a series of products or a playtheme. |
| No Minifigure Series or “Battle Packs” |
We no longer allow projects suggesting solely minifigures, minifigure collectibles, “battle packs,” “character packs,” etc. |
| Only Use Authentic LEGO Parts |
Please do not include non-LEGO brand bricks in your projects, whether from competing brands or after-market customizers. |
| No Company Logos or Team Mascots |
We no longer consider projects consisting of company, team, or organization logos or mascots. |
| Please Don’t Use Our Logos |
You may not use the LEGO Logo (or represent it), or any of our other logos in a way that could imply we endorse your project. See this guide for clarification. |
Here is a bit more from the new LEGO CUUSOO guidelines: “LEGO CUUSOO is set up to evaluate and release single LEGO set concepts that reach 10,000 supporters, and not playthemes, product ranges, or parts. The LEGO Minecraft concept proved so popular that the LEGO Group decided to release more sets as a continuation of our license agreement with MOJANG. This is really exciting because even more people will be able to celebrate their love for building, both with LEGO bricks and in the Minecraft universe! While this naturally gives hope that your concepts could also make it to ‘theme status’, our team still sees future scenarios like this as incredibly rare. Nevertheless, it is a possibility, so we’ve also added Guidelines language that clearly states we don’t offer credit or compensation for any potential follow-up sets, since those are developed by us outside of LEGO CUUSOO.”
And here is what will happen to existing projects that don’t meet the guidelines, and how LEGO CUUSOO will move forward: “Our team has learned a lot over the last two years of the LEGO CUUSOO Open Beta. We’ve browsed your great projects and ideas, and have had the privilege of evaluating those that make it into the LEGO Review. We’ve learned volumes about what’s possible to produce and what isn’t within the CUUSOO framework. As a result of these changes, there are now many existing projects we won’t consider anymore. Many projects that no longer fit will soon be removed and their creators notified. Owners of projects that can be modified to fit the Guidelines will also be contacted. To simplify the administration of this change, projects with over 1,000 supporters will have until December 31 to make the necessary changes, and projects under 1,000 are asked to make the necessary changes before they reach 1,000 supporters. Know that we can’t express enough how much we appreciate the passion and energy that goes into each and every one of your submissions, even if we’re not able to make them. Thanks again for enthusiastically sharing with us the things you would like to see made into future LEGO products and we’re looking forward to making more LEGO wishes come true as we grow.”
As you can see, the LEGO CUUSOO team took careful review of what has been happening with the platform and has weeded out a lot of projects that are just not a good fit for a partnership. The LEGO CUUSOO projects that have been produced so far has been received with great enthusiasm from the LEGO community, in fact, many people collect the sets. They are a great testimony of the collaboration between a company and its fans. You can check out the currently available LEGO CUUSOO sets at the Online LEGO Shop, and there are more exciting sets to come! 😀
How do you feel about the changes at LEGO CUUSOO? Do you agree with them? Did they effect any of your own LEGO projects that you either already posted or planned to? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comment section below! Would love to hear what you think on this! 😉
If you would like to learn more about CUUSOO and see other featured projects, check out the following related posts:
