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Why Do LEGO Sets Retire?
LEGO is a global phenomenon, with a huge array of fans worldwide. One of the things that makes LEGO so popular is the wide range of available sets, spanning different themes and interests. However, LEGO sets don’t last forever – eventually, they will be retired to make way for new products. Every year, LEGO retires sets from its production line. This can be a confusing process for fans of the toy company, as it’s not always clear why certain sets are removed.
The fundamental reason that the LEGO Group retires old sets is to make room for newer and better sets. The LEGO Group wants to keep its production line fresh and updated with new ideas and themes. New movies are continually being released, so new sets in licensed themes are made and the older sets have to be retired to make room for these new sets.
There are several more reasons why LEGO retires sets, and we will discuss them in this article and also what that means for collectors and fans of the brand. Keep reading to learn more!
What Does It Mean When A LEGO Set Is Retired?
When a LEGO set is retired, it will no longer be produced and sold on the official LEGO website. Although retiring an old set doesn’t mean that it won’t be available anymore, you can still purchase these sets on secondary marketplaces such as Amazon or eBay. However, you will probably have to pay more than the recommended retail price.
Other Reasons Why LEGO Sets Retire
Another reason why LEGO sets retire is poor sales. LEGO often discontinues a set to make room for new sets if it isn’t selling well. After a set has been in stores for a while, there will be a diminishing number of sales as people that want the set have already bought it. Most people only buy one copy of a particular set.
Poor sales can also be due to it just not being very popular. The set may not have been received very well by the public, leading to poor sales, so LEGO retires the set earlier than planned.
Sets are also retired due to design flaws. Sometimes LEGO will retire a set because it contains pieces prone to breaking or falling off. In other cases, the set itself might be poorly designed and not worth the trouble of fixing.
Retirement also creates scarcity which is good for the LEGO Group. It reinforces the LEGO brand and creates hype and mystique around its products making it even more popular. When a set is retired, it becomes much harder to find and can be quite valuable to collectors. This scarcity increases the desirability of the set and makes it even more coveted by fans.
Finally, LEGO retires sets because they no longer fit their brand image. For example, if a new movie comes out and LEGO wants to capitalize on its popularity by releasing related sets (such as Star Wars), then older sets that don’t coincide with the movie’s theme might be retired. Different or updated versions of a model from a new movie may be released so the older version will be retired to make room.
An example of this is the LEGO Star Wars Millennium Falcon. Over the years, many versions of this iconic model from the Star Wars franchise have emerged. Look at this article I wrote that has a table of all the different versions that have been released. LEGO Star Wars Millenium Falcon (75105) was released in 2015 and retired in 2017. In 2018, LEGO Star Wars Solo Kessel Run Millennium Falcon (75212) was released which was featured in the movie “Solo: A Star Wars Story”, which was released in the same year. This set retired in 2020 to make room for a new version (75257) released in 2019 when the movie “The Rise of Skywalker” was released.
So, those are some of the reasons why LEGO retires sets. It’s not an easy decision for the company, but keeping things fresh and exciting is necessary.
Retiring an old set doesn’t mean it won’t be available anymore. Often, some retail stores still have stock after a set has been retired until they are completely sold out. Secondary marketplaces such as Amazon and eBay will have stock that will be higher than the retail price due to the product being more scarce.
For collectors, this means they need to keep an eye on what’s being released and on what is being retired to snatch up the sets they want. It also means that certain sets will become more valuable as time goes on. This is good news for those with a few retired sets lying around because they could make some money by selling them later. Some people even invest in LEGO sets and buy a lot of them before they are about to retire and sell them for a profit at a later date when the price goes up.
Do Retired LEGO Sets Come Back?
This is a question that many LEGO collectors ask and the answer to it isn’t always no. The reason for this is simple: LEGO likes to keep things fresh and by retiring older sets, they can do that.
Although not very common, some retired LEGO sets are re-released after they have been retired. Sometimes these sets are re-released with a different number of pieces and usually have a different set number. Other times these sets are re-released with a similar number of pieces and are virtually the same as the original.
Retired LEGO sets do sometimes come back either the same or newer versions. For example, the original LEGO Ideas Ship in a Bottle (21313) was released in February 2018, was retired in December 2019 and had 962 pieces. The set was re-released in November 2020 with a different set number of 92177 and only 953 pieces. Both had the same retail price of $69.99.
There are many more examples of LEGO sets that came out of retirement that I go into more detail about in an article that I wrote entitled “Do LEGO sets come out of retirement.”
What LEGO Sets Will Be Retiring In 2022?
Below is just a partial list of sets retiring in 2022. Many more sets will be retiring but are not listed here.
- LEGO Architecture Burj Khalifa (21055)
- LEGO Architecture Dubai (21052)
- LEGO Architecture Empire State Building (21046)
- LEGO Architecture New York City (21028)
- LEGO Architecture Skylines San Francisco (21043)
- LEGO Architecture Trafalgar Square (21045)
- LEGO Creator Expert Assembly Square (10255)
- LEGO Creator Expert NASA Apollo 11 Lunar Lander (10266)
- LEGO Disney World Cinderella Castle (71040)
- LEGO Ideas 123 Sesame Street (21324)
- LEGO Ideas Central Perk (21319)
- LEGO Ideas International Space Station (21321)
- LEGO Ideas Medieval Blacksmith (21325)
- LEGO Ideas NASA Apollo Saturn V (92176)
- LEGO Ideas Pirates of Barracuda Bay (21322)
- LEGO Ideas Ship in a Bottle (9217)
- LEGO Ideas Treehouse (21318)
- LEGO Ideas Typewriter (21327)
- LEGO Ideas Winnie the Pooh (21326)
- LEGO Harry Potter Hogwarts Castle (71043)
- LEGO Jurassic Park T. Rex Rampage (75936)
- LEGO Ninjago City Gardens (71741)
- LEGO Star Wars AT-ST Raider From The Mandalorian (75254)
- LEGO Star Wars Imperial Shuttle (75302)
- LEGO Star Wars Imperial TIE Fighter (75300)
- LEGO Star Wars Luke Skywalker’s X-Wing Fighter (75301)
- LEGO Star Wars Yoda (75255)
- LEGO Technic Ferrari 488 GTE (42125)
- LEGO Technic Land Rover Defender (42110)
Why Are Retired LEGO Sets So Expensive?
The answer to this question is simple and comes down to the law of supply and demand. When LEGO retires a set, it can be difficult to find one for sale. This is because retired sets become a hot commodity with collectors and fans of the toy company. As a result, the price of retired sets often spikes on the secondary market.
For example, the LEGO Star Wars Death Star II was retired in 2007 at a retail price of $269.99. However, since then the price has increased dramatically and according to BrickEconomy, the set increased in value by approximately 11% a year. The value of this set now is over $2000 on secondary marketplaces such as Amazon and eBay. Just imagine if you could buy many of these sets back in 2007 and hold them until now, you would have made a nice profit!
The reason why retired LEGO sets are so expensive is that they are no longer being produced. Once a set is discontinued, it becomes more difficult to find and drives up the price. In addition, as time goes on and the set becomes rare, the price continues to go up.
So, if you’re a fan of LEGO and want to get your hands on a retired set, be prepared to pay a high price! The best way to ensure that you can get one is by keeping an eye on Amazon, eBay, and other online marketplaces. That way, you can snag one before the price gets too high.
LEGO is a good investment and many people take advantage of the increased value of retired sets. I wrote an in-depth article on investing in LEGO.
The table below shows sets that have become very expensive after retiring. Of course, not all sets get very expensive after retirement, just certain ones. If you can successfully predict which sets will increase in price, you have a very good investment opportunity.
| SET | YEARS | RETAIL PRICE | VALUE |
|---|---|---|---|
| LEGO Star Wars Cloud City (10123) | 2003-2005 | $99.99 | $6,159.60 |
| LEGO Star Wars Death Star II (10143) | 2005-2007 | $269.99 | $2,623.33 |
| LEGO Star Wars Imperial AT-ST (10174) | 2006-2007 | $79.99 | $503.00 |
| LEGO Star Wars Ultimate Collector’s Millenium Falcon (10179) | 2007-2010 | $499.99 | $2,642.50 |
| LEGO Advanced Models Cafe Corner (10182) | 2007-2009 | $139.99 | $3,319.00 |
| LEGO Advanced Models Green Grocer (10185) | 2008-2010 | $149.99 | $1,976.80 |
| LEGO Architecture Robie House (21010) | 2011-2013 | $199.99 | $689.79 |
| LEGO Star Wars Super Star Destroyer (10221) | 2011-2014 | $399.99 | $1,107.80 |
| LEGO Advanced Models Town Hall (10224) | 2012-2014 | $199.99 | $936.48 |
| LEGO Architecture Sungnyemun (21016) | 2012-2013 | $34.99 | $399.84 |
| LEGO Ideas The DeLorean Time Machine (21103) | 2013-2014 | $34.99 | $200.00 |
| LEGO Ideas The Big Bang Theory (21302) | 2015-2016 | $59.99 | $200.00 |
| LEGO Architecture Venice (21026) | 2016-2017 | $29.99 | $225.35 |
| LEGO Star Wars The Death Star (75159) | 2016-2020 | $499.99 | $872.62 |
| LEGO Technic Porsche 911 GT3 RS (42056) | 2016-2019 | $299.99 | $901.01 |
| LEGO Ideas Old Fishing Store (21310) | 2017-2018 | $149.99 | $425.30 |
| LEGO Star Wars Betrayal At Cloud City (75222) | 2018-2019 | $349.99 | $611.67 |
| LEGO Star Wars Y-Wing Starfighter (75181) | 2018-2019 | $199.99 | $417.03 |
| LEGO Star Wars Helmet Collection TIE Fighter Pilot (75274) | 2020-2022 | $59.99 | $152.97 |
| LEGO Technic Bell-Boeing V-22 Osprey (42113) | 2020-2020 | $119.99 | $811.20 |
How Fast Do LEGO Sets Retire?
The length of time before a LEGO set is retired can vary depending on the age of the set. For example, older sets are more likely to be retired because they no longer sell as quickly as newer releases. However, some sets stick around much longer than others – this may depend on how popular or new a set is. You will have to keep your eyes peeled and watch out for news from LEGO about which sets will be discontinued!
Usually, LEGO sets are in production for an average of 1-3 years before retirement, depending on the theme and demand. Different themes have different life spans before they are retired. If you know the average life expectancy of a specific theme, then a prediction can be made of when a set will likely retire.
I analyzed some data from LEGO sets that had retired and calculated the average length of time before a specific theme is retired. The table below displays the average lifespan before retirement of the more popular LEGO themes.
| LEGO THEME | AVERAGE LIFESPAN BEFORE RETIREMENT |
|---|---|
| LEGO Architecture | 35 Months |
| LEGO BrickHeadz | 9 Months |
| LEGO City | 19 Months |
| LEGO Classic | 21 Months |
| LEGO Creator Expert | 36 Months |
| LEGO DC Comics Super Heroes | 15 Months |
| LEGO Disney | 14 Months |
| LEGO Dots | 13 Months |
| LEGO Duplo | 22 Months |
| LEGO Friends | 13 Months |
| LEGO Harry Potter | 18 Months |
| LEGO Ideas | 16 Months |
| LEGO Jurassic World | 20 Months |
| LEGO Marvel Super Heroes | 16 Months |
| LEGO Minecraft | 20 Months |
| LEGO Ninjago | 13 Months |
| LEGO Speed Champions | 20 Months |
| LEGO Star Wars | 16 Months |
| LEGO Super Mario | 7 Months |
| LEGO Technic | 18 Months |
As you can see from the table above, the LEGO Architecture and LEGO Creator Expert themes have a much longer lifespan before they are retired than other themes, more than double in some cases. As you can see, the LEGO Super Mario theme has an average life of only 7 months which is the theme that has the shortest lifespan. Seven months does not seem very long at all before retiring a set. Now, these numbers are just averages; some sets are in production much longer and some are around a shorter period of time before retirement.
It’s interesting that LEGO Brickheadz for example, has an average lifespan of only 9 months but Mr. and Mrs. Claus (#40274) had the longest lifespan in this theme at 35 months, which is a huge range.
An example of a specific set in the LEGO Disney theme that did not retire after the theme’s average lifespan is the Disney World Cinderella Castle (#71040), which was released in October 2016 and is still in production. So this set has exceeded the average life span for the Disney theme in the table above by quite a significant amount. This set is expected to retire very soon though.
Final Thoughts
So those are some of the reasons why LEGO retires sets. It’s usually because they want to make room for new sets, because sales are declining, or because a similar set is being released. LEGO is constantly updating and releasing new sets to keep up with the latest trends.
Retired sets can still be found on secondary marketplaces like eBay or Amazon if they haven’t sold out. Once a LEGO set has been discontinued, its value usually goes up as it becomes harder and more expensive to get your hands on one.
The best way to know which LEGO sets will be discontinued is by keeping your eyes peeled for news from the company. The better you track them, the less chance of missing out on a set worth collecting!