LEGO Ideas allows users to submit ideas for new LEGO sets, which require 10,000 supporters to be reviewed. If approved, it takes 12-18 months for the set to be produced. However, the majority of supported ideas are rejected. Additionally, LEGO struggles with long production lead times and difficulties setting production run sizes. While LEGO Ideas is a nice marketing program, the author argues it could better serve as a model for crowdsourcing in toys if LEGO improved the review process, production agility, and better served both adult and core fans.

1. Is LEGO Ideas a
good role model
for crowdsourcing
in the toy industry?
21108 LEGO Ideas Ghostbusters set photo by Brickset @ Flickr (CC) https://flic.kr/p/neLaRN
2 cents //Ville Kilkku

2. LEGO Ideas, the pioneer
• Launched as LEGO Cuusoo in Japan in 2008
(collaboration between LEGO and Cuusoo)
• International launch in 2011
• Wholly run by LEGO in 2014
• More than 10,000 proposals from the crowd
• 12 LEGO sets announced for international release
• Compare to competition: Hasbro and Mattel took their first steps in crowdsourcing
in 2014

3. The basics of LEGO Ideas
• Age limit 13
• Each project is one new LEGO set, can use existing IP
• Submitted projects need to reach 10,000 supporters
• LEGO retains the right to refuse any project
• Review sessions three times per year, each project reviewed independently
• Final product is created by LEGO’s own designers
• The originator of the idea receives a 1% royalty on the product’s net sales

4. Flow or no flow
10,000 supporters
Review period cut-off
Review
Results
Set in stores
4 months
4 months
2-8 months
Up to
4 months
12-18 months
from supported
to stores!
(actual results)

5. Rejected projects
• The majority of supported projects do not get made into LEGO sets!
• 2013: 3 approved, 11 rejected
• 2014: 5 approved, 17 rejected
• Lego used to give reasons for rejections, but no longer does – perhaps
partially because of the Firefly (sci-fi series) set rejection, in which the fans
showed how the arguments LEGO used were not valid
• Fan alienation becoming a real issue!

6. Does LEGO have the production agility needed?
• Extremely long lead times (and according to LEGO, the lead times for Ideas
sets are shorter than for other sets!)
• Difficulties in setting the right production run sizes (Research Institute as an
example of a set where supply could not keep up with demand – new
production runs could not be scheduled)
• Conclusion: LEGO faces severe issues on production agility!

7. LEGO Ideas, the niche product
• LEGO has demonstrated neither belief in nor commitment to
crowdsourcing
• Ideas, as it stands, is a nice marketing gimmick serving a niche market
• From the co-creation megatrend point of view, it should be obvious that
Ideas should be much more
(and competition has awakened! For example, Mattel + Quirky)

8. Improvement potential exists
• Lower the age limit, serve both AFOLs and the core market
(COPPA child protection rules do not prevent this)
• Eliminate batch reviews, implement flow
• Do not treat all supported sets the same:
• Mass production
• Online only
• Kickstarter-style preorders
• Improve production agility to grasp opportunities
• LEGO Ideas has potential, but it is far from being
a role model as it is now