LEGO NINJAGO designer reveals genesis of Legends subtheme
As LEGO NINJAGO Legends begins to explore new territory, one of the theme’s designers has revealed how the more mature sets and series came to be.
The first three episodes of LEGO NINJAGO Legends: Monstrosity dropped this week and are free to watch on YouTube. The animated series features a bold new style, one that’s also reflected in the recently-released 71846 The Fire Knight Mech and 71847 The Guardian Dragon.
That more mature approach to both the show and those 14+ sets has been the main topic of discussion in a new video interview between Masters of Brickjitzu and Dimitrios Stamatis, senior designer on the LEGO NINJAGO team and the creative force behind 71847 The Guardian Dragon.
“The idea came from the reception of the [71819] Dragon Stone Shrine [71821] Cole’s Titan Mech,” Dimitrios elaborated. “because they showed that there’s an appetite for a different type of experience within the NINJAGO community.”
“We know there are kids that grow up and at some point the word ‘toy’ is very childish for them. So we want to keep those people engaged and offer something different you can’t get from the regular line.”
That thinking ultimately led to the creation of the LEGO NINJAGO Legends: Monstrosity shorts, with the animated series following the adventures of Kai as he explores the mysterious Land of Monsters following the events of Dragons Rising Season 1.
When it came to designing 71847 The Guardian Dragon, Dimitrios felt like he was exploring new territory and had the opportunity to learn lessons from the creation of many past LEGO NINJAGO sets.
“For eight years, I only did toys,” he explained. “So it was a very strange experience for me trying to service something that I hadn’t done before. How refined should it be? For me it was a completely different ballpark.
“You have a set that is full of different shades of green – you need to justify why it’s a necessity because it potentially takes away from the building experience. I went by the feeling of ‘okay, what would I like?’ more so than anything specific.”
That creative thinking also applied to the look of the box art for 71846 The Fire Knight Mech and 71847 The Guardian Dragon, both of which utilise a new illustrated style.
“Again, we wanted to service a different aspect of the NINJAGO fandom,” said Dimitrios, “to differentiate from the core offerings to say this is unique, this is a new thing for you. We got ideas from other product lines that focus on display action figures or statues and how do they make their boxes.”
In addition, the designer also talked about what effect NINJAGO Legends has on NINJAGO Dragons Rising and the differences between the two creative approaches.
“Initially, the thinking was that [Legends] would be a self-contained thing – something non-cannon,” Dimitrios elaborated. “Because there’s so much potential there. There was an interesting timeline to do something really unique.”
LEGO NINJAGO Legends: Monstrosity is currently streaming on YouTube for free, while both 71846 The Fire Knight Mech and 71847 The Guardian Dragon are available to purchase from LEGO.com and in LEGO Stores.
Featured image: Masters of Brickjitzu
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