How Lego designed its new ‘Bad’ sets—without ever seeing the movie first
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Two months ago, Universal Pictures and Lego teased an upcoming collaboration with the hobbyist They are not bad a movie trailer made entirely of Lego bricks.
Now, Lego has revealed what it has been cooking behind the scenes: Four new sets designed to capture the most vivid images of the upcoming film starring Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, based on the popular Broadway musical of the same name.
The new collection includes a rendering of the Shiz University entrance (where main characters Glinda and Elphaba attend college); the location of the Emerald City; a suitcase that turns into Glinda and Elphaba’s bedroom; and a set revolving around two giant leading lady dolls. Each kit is available for pre-order online now for prices between $29.99 and $99.99, and will ship on October 1. Builders can assemble their sets ahead of the film’s release, which is scheduled for November 22.
Lego movie collaborations have proven to be successful over the years. Yours Lord of the Ring series, They don’t take revenge tower, and the life-size R2-D2 proved to be their most popular sets. In recent years, the company has expanded the scope of its brand partnerships, releasing content in various forms with Target (clothing), Ikea (storage-slash toys), and Epic Games (Legos in the metaverse).
Designing a Lego set was “like trying to put a puzzle together”
Creating the new sets started with a trip to London, according to Raquel Ojeda Gregorio, the lead behind Lego. They are not bad. Universal Pictures arranged for his design team to see the musical in London’s West End, and invited them to the actual sets of the musical. They are not bad film during filming. Ojeda Gregorio caught up with the film’s director, Jon Chu, to get a feel for his take on the story. Universal also gave Ojeda Gregorio a copy of the film’s script. While all of these experiences helped shape Ojeda Gregorio’s ideas for potential Lego sets, he won’t be able to watch the movie until November (like the rest of us).
“It was like trying to put a puzzle together because we won’t be able to see the movie until it comes out,” said Ojeda Gregorio. “But all the ingredients were starting to come together. After going to London, I came back to Lego to create a team and started designing models that we thought would be good for the consumer.”
Most new Lego models require about six months in the conceptual stages, but Ojeda Gregorio was working on an estimated timeline of four months or less to present Universal with the final documents. So he called it a “creative boost”—Lego’s internal language for an intensive brainstorming session. “During capacity building, we say, ‘Okay, I need 20 people [from Lego Group] who will work for a week on this project,” he explained. “It helps to speed up the process, and then we have time to clarify all the details we want.”
To engage the new generation of They are not bad followers
Ojeda Gregorio’s team identified two target consumer groups They are not bad sets: children under the age of eight, the story’s messages of “defiance, courage, and loyalty” are very influential; and older children (and adults) who may already love music and want more of a challenge while building their sets.
Shiz University and Emerald City are gearing up to cater to young builders who might enjoy role-playing scenes with their Legos (both sets come with simple, age-appropriate instructions). Meanwhile, bedroom sets and figurines, less complex and designed to serve as both building sets and beautiful decorative pieces, are for older builders.
Sprinkled throughout the set are various Easter eggs in the form of QR codes, which Ojeda Gregorio says lead to “more content” (though he won’t divulge the details). He hopes the sets can help introduce a new generation of children They are not bad the story.
“The thing that surprised me when I met the director and saw the story was how much they loved that IP,” said Ojeda Gregorio. He remembers Chu and the Universal team talking about the impact music had on them as children, which they also feel now as adults while making the movie. “I really hope that children will watch the movie with their parents and that they can make good memories with Legos, because we also put a lot of love into it.”
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