LEGO Lord of the Rings is Officially Announced

It’s happened! The theme that has had speculation swirling, Lord of the Rings, is to be incarnated in plastic bricks. There will no doubt be debate as to whether it is a suitable theme for LEGO, discussion as to what sets should be included and derision regarding the scaled down nature of the locations. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves, and for now react to the announcement.


Firstly, what a shocker. My full expectation was that an officially announcement would come at New York Toy Fair in January, and until then LEGO would stay completely quiet on the subject. For Variety to have the exclusive article was also surprising, a little like Business Week getting the first interview regarding LEGO Friends. Clearly this is an intentional strategy LEGO are using to get the buzz about new products beyond the usual fan chatter and toy industry mags.


The launch plan mirrors the successful model used for Star Wars and Indiana Jones, to release a wave of sets based on the original trilogy of films, followed by The Hobbit sets to coincide with the release of the first film in December. Having the sequel follow in quick succession should also help this stretch beyond the standard one-year run that LEGO seem to be adopting for licensed lines now. The only drawback is that Castle/Kingdoms/whatever-it’s-called-next is likely to be on hiatus while LEGO Lord of the Rings is on the shelves.

Regular readers of this blog will remember this article, in which I threw out the rumour that this line was on its way. This presented an issue for me, as it received an even stronger reaction than previous rumour lists have done. Comments and e-mails demanded to know whether or not this line was definitely coming, no doubt due to how much many fans had waited and hoped for LEGO Lord of the Rings to become a reality. 


LEGO Monster Guy’s comment,

“Indications? I could read tea leaves or tarot cards and call it an indication! Please specify.”

seemed to sum up the feeling from those getting in touch. Certain message boards had a similar reaction. I decided that I couldn’t comment on any of this reaction until the theme was announced, as my answer would probably confirm that the line was definitely on its way. The word “indications” seemed to cause confusion, and perhaps if I had said “rumour” some readers would have been happier.

So now that the line has been announced, I will make clear the following to readers of All About Bricks. 
• Whenever possible, I will source information. If it is a rumour, it is unlikely I can source it – if I do, there will be no more rumours to follow!
• When I write something on this blog – such as “indications suggest the final licensed theme for next year will be… Lord of the Rings” – it is NOT speculation unless I am clearly writing an article about my ideas, wish lists et cetera. Speculation will always be clearly marked.
• To blow my own trumpet, I have a good track record. Aside from the odd detail/set name changing, all of my rumour lists (which go a few years back at Jedi News), have proven accurate. I will not post a “rumour” or “indication” that I do not have confidence in.

In future, when comments ask where my info comes from or if it is reliable, I shall not be responding as this is designed to clear up any confusion. It doesn’t affect me one way or the other if readers accept my information or not, and I am always heartened when reading discussions how many contributors have faith in the information I provide.


There will be lots to pick apart regarding the new Lord of the Rings line in the coming months, but for fans of the books and films this will be the announcement they have been waiting for. Those of us who don’t care one way or the other for the line can at least be pleased that fellow collectors are getting something they really, passionately want. 


Click here for the original Variety article.