Most people are familiar with the LEGO Ideas theme, but did you know that the sets are designed by someone just like you? The LEGO Ideas sets are not designed by a LEGO designer in an office somewhere but by someone like you in their own home who has a great idea.
LEGO Ideas is a crowdsourcing platform that was created with Chaordix that was designed to allow anyone over the age of 13 to submit their own ideas for new LEGO sets. If an idea receives at least 10,000 votes from the community, it will be reviewed by LEGO and may potentially be selected for mass production and sale.
Table of Contents
When Did LEGO Ideas Begin?
LEGO Ideas was first launched in 2008 as the LEGO Cuusoo platform. It was created in response to a request from Japanese LEGO fans who wanted a way to submit their own ideas for new LEGO sets. The name “Cuusoo” comes from the Japanese word “kusho”, which means “to dream”.
In 2014, LEGO Ideas was relaunched with a new name and a new focus on global participation. The platform is now open to anyone in the world who has a great idea for a new LEGO set.
What Is Cuusoo?
Cuusoo is a company that joined forces with the LEGO Group to launch a crowdsourcing experiment in 2008. In the beginning, the Cuusoo website was exclusively in Japanese, but an international website was launched in 2011.
What Is Chaordix?
Chaordix is a company that builds online communities to assist businesses to engage and understand their customers better. The LEGO Group partnered with Chaordix in 2014.
Within a few years, of working with Chaordix, the LEGO Ideas community reached over 1.8 million members who submitted over 36,000 new ideas. There were 36 new Ideas sets created from the Ideas community in under 10 years. With 90% of these sets selling out in their first release. Because of the LEGO Ideas platform, LEGO has been able to reduce the time to market for new LEGO sets from 2 years to 6 months.
Why Was LEGO Ideas Created?
The intention behind LEGO Ideas is to give LEGO fans a way to share their creativity and passion for the brick with the world. It’s also a way for LEGO to crowdsource new ideas and tap into the collective creativity of its fanbase.
What Are The Benefits Of Using LEGO Ideas?
There are several benefits to using LEGO Ideas, both for individuals and for LEGO as a company.
For individuals, LEGO Ideas provides a way to bring their own creativity to life. It’s also a great way to engage with the LEGO community and get feedback on ideas.
For LEGO, crowdsourcing through LEGO Ideas allows the company to tap into a wealth of creativity and come up with new ideas for sets that they may not have thought of themselves. It also helps to build buzz and excitement around potential new products, which can ultimately lead to increased sales.
If you’re interested in submitting an idea to LEGO Ideas, then read on to learn everything you need to know about the process. We’ll discuss the rules for submitting an idea, what happens once an idea is submitted, and how you can increase your chances of having your idea selected by LEGO.
How Does LEGO Ideas Work?
Anyone over the age of 13 can submit an idea for a new LEGO set on the LEGO Ideas website. Once an idea is submitted, it will be open for voting by the community. If an idea receives enough votes (10,000), it will be reviewed by LEGO and may potentially be selected for mass production and sale.
LEGO Digital Designer
LEGO Digital Designer (LDD) was free software that was launched in 2004 that allowed you to build models with virtual LEGO bricks. This software was a good resource if you wanted to use it to submit an idea to LEGO Ideas. Unfortunately, the software has been retired and is no longer supported.
LEGO Digital Designer was replaced with Bricklink Studio. The software is free and is a good tool for you to design your LEGO masterpiece! There are other alternatives but in my opinion, Bricklink Studio is the best.
The 4 Stages Of Submitting An Idea
There are 4 main categories for submitting an idea.
Submission Phase
People that have registered with LEGO Ideas can submit their idea through the LEGO Ideas website. There must be a written description with photos and then a LEGO model submitted, either using a virtual building tool such as Bricklink Studio or with actual LEGO bricks.
Review Phase
The next LEGO Ideas phase is the review phase. All submissions are reviewed and any that violate intellectual property are rejected. For example, a set that fell under the My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic theme, was declined due to it being owned by Hasbro. A Sandcrawler set was denied due to the Lego Group’s collaboration with Lucasfilm on Lego Star Wars.
There were 26 projects that made it through the first 2020 review and 35 projects in the second review. These are the largest numbers so far that have made it through the LEGO Ideas review process. LEGO stated that it was probably due to the worldwide Pandemic and the lockdown in many countries that ensued. The first review in 2021 saw 57 projects make it through which is an even larger number than in 2020.
Engagement Phase
In this phase you should promote your idea wherever you can in order to gain the 10,000 supporters in order
Production Phase
The production phase is the final phase where if a project has made it this far, then it is further developed by LEGO and the final model gets released as an official set in the LEGO Ideas theme.
This is the final phase after you have received 10,000 supporters and you get to collaborate with designers to finalize your set and get it ready for store shelves. You can congratulate yourself on a job well done and reflect on the fact that you have reached a phase that a lot of people never get to reach.
What Are The Rules For Submitting An Idea?
There are a few rules that must be followed when submitting an idea to LEGO Ideas. First, all ideas must be original and must not infringe on any existing trademarks or copyrights. Second, ideas must be appropriate for all ages and must not contain any offensive content. Finally, ideas must comply with LEGO’s brand values.
If an idea is successfully selected by LEGO for mass production, the individual who submitted the idea will receive a percentage of the royalties earned from sales of the set.
To be successfully considered by the LEGO Group, ideas should not relate to alcohol, sex, drugs, religious references, post-World War II warfare or a first-person shooter and there are many others. Please check the guidelines for the complete list of inappropriate content. These themes are considered inappropriate for younger LEGO fans.
Who Can Submit An Idea?
Anyone over the age of 13 can submit an idea for a new LEGO set on the LEGO Ideas website. Children between the ages of 13 – 18 can submit ideas but need consent from their parents or guardians if their idea reaches the production phase.
Unfortunately, even though you submit a great idea, it is not guaranteed that your idea will be selected for production. The LEGO Ideas team reviews each submission carefully to make sure it meets its high standards for quality and creativity. If your idea is selected, you’ll work with the LEGO Ideas team to bring your vision to life and see your set hit store shelves!
What Happens Once An Idea Is Submitted?
Once an idea is submitted, it will be open for voting by the community. If an idea receives enough votes (10,000), it will be reviewed by LEGO and may potentially be selected for mass production and sale.
If an idea is successfully selected by LEGO for mass production, the individual who submitted the idea will receive a percentage of the royalties earned from sales of the set.
Here is the LEGO Ideas timeline of supporters as given on the official LEGO Ideas website.
- 100 votes in 60 days.
- 1000 votes in 12 months.
- 5,000 votes in 18 months.
- 10,000 votes in 24 months.
How Can You Increase Your Chances Of Having Your Idea Selected By LEGO?
If you’re interested in submitting an idea to LEGO Ideas, there are a few things you can do to increase your chances of having your idea selected by LEGO.
First, make sure that your idea is original and has not been submitted before. Duplicate ideas will not be considered by the LEGO Ideas team.
Second, try to make your idea as detailed and fleshed out as possible. The more developed your idea is, the more likely it is to be selected by LEGO.
Third, create a strong marketing campaign for your idea. Use social media, forums, and other online platforms to get people excited about your idea and encourage them to vote for it.
Fourth, reach out to LEGO influencers and ask them to promote your idea. If you can get some big names behind your idea, it will increase its chances of being selected by LEGO.
Finally, be patient! The selection process can take months or even years. Keep promoting your idea and eventually, you may just see it become an official LEGO set.
Do You Get Paid For LEGO Ideas?
If your LEGO idea receives more than 10,000 supporters within a 12-month time period and is manufactured, you will receive 1% of the total net sales and also 10 complimentary sets of your LEGO Ideas creation.
Where Do You Go To See The Next LEGO Ideas Review Results?
To find out what fan submissions have made it through the complete phase and will be put into production just go to the LEGO Ideas Blog. This blog will keep you updated with all the latest news related to LEGO Ideas submissions.
What Are Some Of The Most Popular LEGO Ideas Sets?
Some of the most popular LEGO Ideas sets include the LEGO Ideas Treehouse (21318), the LEGO Ideas Ship in a Bottle (92177), and the LEGO Ideas Medieval Blacksmith (21325).
What Is The Biggest LEGO Ideas Set?
The biggest LEGO Ideas set is the LEGO Ideas Home Alone (21330) which has 3,955 pieces.
What Is The Smallest LEGO Ideas Set?
As you can see from the table below, the LEGO Ideas set with the least amount of pieces is the LEGO Ideas Space Rocket Ride (40335) which only has 154 pieces. This was a promotional set that was given away for free with a qualifying purchase at LEGO stores and LEGO.com.
The smallest non-promotional LEGO Ideas set is the LEGO Ideas Research Institute (21110) which had 165 pieces.
How Many LEGO Sets Are There?
There have been a total of 48 LEGO Ideas sets since the beginning of the theme in 2011.
What Are All The LEGO Ideas Sets?
There have been more than 48 LEGO Ideas sets since its inception in 2011. Click on the title of the set to go to BrickEconomy for more information on the set.
| LEGO IDEAS SET | PIECE COUNT | RELEASE DATE |
|---|---|---|
| LEGO Ideas Shinkai 6500 Submarine (21100) | 412 | 2011 |
| LEGO Ideas Minecraft Micro World The Forest (21102) | 480 | 2012 |
| LEGO Ideas Hayabusa (21101) | 369 | 2012 |
| LEGO Ideas The DeLorean Time Machine (21103) | 401 | 2013 |
| LEGO Ideas Ghostbusters Ecto-1 (21108) | 508 | 2014 |
| LEGO Ideas Exo-Suit (21109) | 321 | 2014 |
| LEGO Ideas NASA Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity Rover (21104) | 295 | 2014 |
| LEGO Ideas Research Institute (21110) | 165 | 2014 |
| LEGO Ideas Wall-E (21303) | 677 | 2015 |
| LEGO Ideas Doctor Who (21304) | 623 | 2015 |
| LEGO Ideas Birds (21301) | 580 | 2015 |
| LEGO Ideas The Big Bang Theory (21302) | 484 | 2015 |
| LEGO Ideas Caterham Seven 620R (21307) | 771 | 2016 |
| LEGO Ideas Maze (21305) | 769 | 2016 |
| LEGO Ideas The Beatles Yellow Submarine (21306) | 550 | 2016 |
| LEGO Ideas Old Fishing Store (21310) | 2,049 | 2017 |
| LEGO Ideas NASA Apollo Saturn V (21309) | 1,969 | 2017 |
| LEGO Ideas Adventure Time (21308) | 495 | 2017 |
| LEGO Ideas Women of NASA (21312) | 231 | 2017 |
| LEGO Ideas Voltron (21311) | 2,321 | 2018 |
| LEGO Ideas Ship in a Bottle (21313) | 962 | 2018 |
| LEGO Ideas Pop-Up Book (21315) | 859 | 2018 |
| LEGO Ideas Tron Legacy (21314) | 230 | 2018 |
| LEGO Ideas Treehouse (21318) | 3,036 | 2019 |
| LEGO Ideas Central Perk (21319) | 1,070 | 2019 |
| LEGO Ideas Dinosaur Fossils (21320) | 910 | 2019 |
| LEGO Ideas Steamboat Willie (21317) | 751 | 2019 |
| LEGO Ideas The Flinstones (21316) | 748 | 2019 |
| LEGO Ideas Space Rocket Ride (40335) | 154 | 2019 |
| LEGO Ideas Grand Piano (21323) | 3,662 | 2020 |
| LEGO Ideas Pirates of Barracuda Bay (21322) | 2,545 | 2020 |
| LEGO Ideas NASA Apollo Saturn V (92176) | 1,969 | 2020 |
| LEGO Ideas 123 Sesame Street (21324) | 1,367 | 2020 |
| LEGO Ideas Ship in a Bottle (92177) | 953 | 2020 |
| LEGO Ideas International Space Station (21321) | 864 | 2020 |
| LEGO Ideas Medieval Blacksmith (21325) | 2,164 | 2021 |
| LEGO Ideas Home Alone (21330) | 3,955 | 2021 |
| LEGO Ideas Sonic the Hedgehog – Green Hill Zone (21331) | 1,125 | 2022 |
| LEGO Ideas Vincent Van Gogh – The Starry Night (21333) | 2,316 | 2022 |
| LEGO Ideas The Globe (21332) | 2,585 | 2022 |
| LEGO Ideas Jazz Quartet (21334) | 1,606 | 2022 |
it is interesting to note that the LEGO Ideas Shinkai 6500 Submarine (21100) was only released in Japan. The LEGO Ideas Hayabusa (21101) was the first LEGO Ideas set to be released worldwide.
Final Thoughts
Since its launch, LEGO Ideas has received submissions from all over the world, with popular topics including pop culture references, real-world landmarks, and original creations. The LEGO Ideas theme has proven to be very popular, but why wouldn’t, be? The sets were designed by LEGO fans, which was a great idea for LEGO as 90% of the sets produced sold out in their first release.
LEGO Ideas continues to be popular with over 36,000 ideas being submitted! The LEGO Ideas theme is one of my favorite themes, with the LEGO Ideas Treehouse (21318) one of my favorites.
So if you have an idea, go ahead and submit it, you never know, your design might just be the next LEGO Ideas set that is produced.