LEGO has posted images of the upcoming Simpsons collectible minifigs on Facebook. They will be available in May, and the lineup includes Chief Wiggum, Scratchy, Ralph Wiggum, Nelson Muntz, Marge Simpson, Milhouse, Maggie Simpson, Lisa Simpson, Krusty the Clown, Itchy, Homer Simpson, Grampa, Ned Flanders, Mr. Burns, Bart Simpson and Apu Nahasapeemapetilon.
Awesome! This makes up for not having a whole theme filled with Simpsons playsets. Mainly because I only wanted the figs…
Double the Simpsons family and Flanders; Why¿? (At least their eyes looks better here)
Instead of these doubles and Itchy&Scratchy, I would have preferred; Moe, Smithers, Comic Book Guy, Duffman, Patty & Selma, Sideshow Bob, Doctor Hibbert, Skinner, Willy, Edna Krabappel, Barney, Lenny & Carl, Agnes Skinner…
Oh well… I can always hope for a second series… :-)
I think a second series is possible. My guess is that they will include characters like Hoexbroe mentioned above, but since I don’t think Lego would release an entire series based upon secondary characters alone, we’ll probably get another set of alternates of the Simpsons themselves, like a power plant Homer or Bartman.
The head molds seem like they will make it easier to guess which minifig is in the bag.
I hope there isn’t a second series of Simpsons figures, it’s bad enough that the rest of us who have zero interest in the Simpsons have to wait out this series, I don’t want to think about waiting out another wave of them. Guess I’ll be saving some money though because of this.
This was a mistake by LEGO. So they won’t make military themes, or religious themes for fear of offending people, but the Simpsons are more offensive and just as violent. Not a fit for the ‘Kid’s brand!’
Offensive? An animated comedy show about a family that sticks together through thick and thin, goes to church, the kids go to school, the parents work and the whole town despite not being perfect are always there to back each other up. And the TV show is an institution still going pretty strong after over 20 years.
Also, somehow that’s as violent as the military? A real life force of trained killers (who admittedly are there to defend their nations – thank you guys) using cutting edge military equipment that in countries that are war-zones kids may encounter and may fear everyday… I’m not sure I follow your logic in this.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a76cFdO1btk
Video is apparently kid friendly, because Itchy and Sratchy is a kid show… Right? Anyone who tries to argue that The Simpson is a kids show is out of touch with what kids should be watching. It’s not an awful show, but it is in fact an adult sitcom
I was pretty surprised at this move to. The Simpsons is pretty tame compared to other animated shows like South Park, Drawn Together, or heck even Family guy pushes things further, but I was still surprised to see Lego take on the Simpsons. I was wondering how Lego was going to handle the more risqué elements such as Moe’s bar and the excessive use of alcohol and violence in the show. After reading an interview somewhere, It only confirmed my suspicions. Lego is going to tiptoe around the various aspects of the series that aren’t conducive to the brand, such as Moe’s tavern or having Duff Beer anywhere in any sets. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Simpsons “cleans up its act’ for a little while while this whole partnership is going on either.
And This is what Wunztwice was referring to I think.
I sadly lack an opinion of the political correctness or otherwise and feel fairly ambivelent about the absence of Waylon Smithers, Lionel E Hutz and the late Maude Flanders from this lineup, but I will nevertheless set out to collect the whole set. Or at least some of them.
@ Curtis, Well said. =D
Maybe it is just me slowly transitioning back to my original love of Space and Castle themes that I had as a kid, but I have found myself not really caring about this series. If I still cared about the Simpsons I would definitely want them. The heads make them stand out a little too much compared to regular Lego. They look awesome for what they are, I just have no appeal toward them. The price, while understandable given the new molds needed for the head solidified it in my mind to skip this.
Yeah I’m going to have to echo what the wunztwice, Curtis, and Dave said above. I was also surprised to see LEGO take on this IP. I don’t care if the family sticks together through thick and thin, or how long it’s been running. That doesn’t change the fact that there are plenty of non-kid-friendly themes in the show.
I agree The Simpsons are not intended for children, but many Lego sets aren’t. Batman is way more violent and foul than The Simpsons and that is marketed toward children. Parents can handle this for themselves. I purchased the house the moment VIPs could get it, and my 4-year-old son and I built it. He will never watch The Simpsons on my watch. In fact he made Homer and Bart hug and modeled them as he sees his parents. Loving. It’s a great fun set for all ages.
And nobody commented on the T-shirts?
“So they won’t make military themes, or religious themes for fear of offending people, but the Simpsons are more offensive and just as violent.”
Yes, because satrical cartoon violence is analagous to Blackhawk helicopters and Seal Team 6 with sniper rifles.
I don’t see The Simpsons as being out of line with LEGO’s values (Duff beer notwithstanding). That being said, I’m not too excited about this line of minifigs. Beyond recreating Springfield in LEGO, these figs are pretty useless. Most of the new clothing and accessories are pretty Simpsons-specific, and the heads are totally non-reusable for anything that isn’t Simpsons related.
Allow me to re-phrase and elaborate on my previous post. Rather than “just as violent” what I really meant was that the show is “certainly violent.” As an example I don’t believe a father throttling his son over and over is really what LEGO wants to encourage, or is in line with the company’s stated ‘core values.’ Satirical or not I cannot see the violence, alcohol use and rude humor as appropriate for the age range the collectable figures target.
Feel these swing too far into the Simpsons world and out of lego world. It’s the heads. Iconic lego heads printed with additional clip on hair or hats would have been more “lego”. If these came out when the Simpsons was new it would have been well timed. Still lego did a good job, they all look good, just not “lego” enough for me.
There is something funny about the argument with Simpsons being violent. Indiana Jones has people getting shot, hearts ripped out of them and faces melting off. Prince of Persia has people getting hit with throwing knives, arrows and swords. Lord of the Rings and Hobbit has people getting killed by swords, arrows and knocked around by huge scary beasts. Pirates of the Caribbean has people getting shot with guns and sword fighting. Star Wars has people getting shot with blasters and hands and heads sliced off. Harry Potter, while not necessarily gory, certainly has its share of violent moments. If people are going to argue against Simpsons for the violence then I am sure they must be protesting all the violent themes I mentioned above. I mean, those are by far MUCH worse than the Simpsons so I am sure that the complainers have never once thought to buy those themes either.
Here is the thing… all of these shows are not rated R; either PG-13 or lower. The content may be questionable in some cases for younger children, but the rating does not make it an adults only thing. That is all that matters in Lego’s eyes and helps make the product more appealing to a wider audience. If you are going to protest against the Simpsons, you really need to be protesting against nearly all the other licensed themes they have done as well.
I’m none too surprised about this revelation, since I was speculating about it (A Simpsons-brand lineup of collectible minifigs) as soon as LEGO was announced to be negotiating the Simpsons license with Fox — just over a year ago. Back then, I was a little more excited at the prospect… because I didn’t know the head sculpts would be decidedly non-LEGO. They look great, but they are not about to fit into my LEGO collection anytime soon. Kind of a bummer.
Good point, wyldjedi!