Another LEGO designer leaves behind Billund for YouTube

LEGO designer James May has left the LEGO Group and launched his own YouTube channel, offering behind-the-scenes insights into the LEGO design process.

Following a path already charted by fellow former LEGO designer Tiago Catarino, May announced the news on X (formerly Twitter) late yesterday evening. “As of today I have left the LEGO Group to move on to new things,” he tweeted. “THE GOOD NEWS IS, one of those new things is I’m starting a YouTube channel! Catch the first episode which has gone live RIGHT NOW!”

May’s YouTube channel is called Tubeside – a play on the underside of LEGO bricks, which feature tubes – and his first video focuses on the brand new LEGO Animal Crossing set 77047 Bunnie’s Outdoor Activities. He says the focus of the channel will be weekly behind-the-scenes videos on the sets that he worked on during his time at the LEGO Group.

“[Sort of] like designer videos, but a bit more scrappy and in a more personal YouTube format while I learn as I go with how to do video production,” he explained on X. His first video takes a deep dive into the cheapest set in the new LEGO Animal Crossing range, and offers some interesting insights into the minutiae of the design process – from the focus of the initial brief to considerations for six-year-olds.

Aside from 77047 Bunnie’s Outdoor Activities, May has also worked on sets including 21341 Disney Hocus Pocus: The Sanderson Sisters’ Cottage, 21345 Polaroid OneStep SX-70 Camera, 21339 BTS Dynamite, 21327 Typewriter, 31124 Super Robot and 41714 Andrea’s Theatre School. His YouTube channel has around 70 subscribers at the time of writing.

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