The stories behind the biggest changes in LEGO Ideas The Evolution of Stem

Here’s a look at the reasons behind some of LEGO Ideas 21355 The Evolution of Stem’s biggest changes between the fan-designed project and the final model.

It’s inevitable that fan-designed LEGO Ideas projects will go through some changes before hitting shelves. These are typically discussed with the fan designer throughout the process and often centre around budget, quality control, and other factors that the LEGO Group needs to be across.

While speaking to fan designer Daniel Bradley, LEGO designer Ollie Gregory, and LEGO Ideas Design Manager Jordan Scott at a recent Fan Media roundtable, they revealed the reasoning behind some of the biggest changes in 21355 The Evolution of Stem. While the spirit of the build remains, there are some pretty major changes to be aware of, which we’ve already broken down in full here.

Here’s a deep dive into the stories behind some of the LEGO Ideas set’s biggest changes.

To bee or not to bee

First up: the bee. Jordan revealed that the brick-built bee wasn’t always intended to be a bee but structural issues in the DNA forced a change – but a happy one.

“We wanted to do a blue whale to represent the sea but it was so heavy that it was tilting the entire DNA strand,” he explained. “We went with a bee instead. Bees are endangered and they’re very crucial to the environment, so it did make sense.

“It also flies, whereas whales don’t. Plus, they’re builders, so it all made sense but it was a shame to lose the whale.”

Indeed, the bee appears to tick more boxes than the whale ever did, so this is a happy change all-round it seems.

A mile-long DNA strand

Next up is one of the most central changes, switching a rocket ship to a DNA strand as the main part of the build. This came down to wanting to differentiate the build from other space-themed builds in 2024 – but it was far from an easy change.

“I probably spent the most time of anything in the model,” said Ollie. “That was a real challenge, even using our existing pieces. That was why we co-developed this new element with the little cross set in the middle because there was nothing that was helping us in the current system.

“We want to do something different and do these half-grids and still have the structural integrity there. It was a lot of fun to do that element – and now there’s nothing stopping you from making it a mile long.”

From named to anonymous – and back again

Another change that went through a lot of discussion was the minifigures. The original fan design that the public saw included anonymous minifigures but now the three characters are named scientists from history.

“My original submission was around actual historic people in STEM and then I read that it can’t be based on third-party IP for the challenge,” remembered Daniel. “It went full circle for me.”

Indeed, IP seems to be one of the biggest battles for this set, with getting licenses to use the identities and appearances of famed scientists proving tricky. That’s exactly why LEGO Ideas projects can’t initially include them, but 21355 The Evolution of STEM proves that, when there’s a will, there’s a way.

LEGO Ideas 21355 The Evolution of STEM launches on March 1, 2025, for £69.99 / $79.99 / €79.99.

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