LEGO Ideas design manager Jordan Scott has shared why he believes buildable versions of nostalgic characters resonate so strongly with fans, and why the LEGO Group is producing more of them than ever before.
The LEGO Ideas team recently revealed 21370 E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, the latest fan-designed set to make its way from the LEGO Ideas platform to shelves. Richard Lemeiter (aka Lafabrick) saw his original submission reach the required 10,000 supporters during the first LEGO Ideas review of 2025, and it will now become a physical LEGO set.
During a recent roundtable interview with LEGO Fan Media, including Brick Fanatics, LEGO Ideas design manager Jordan Scott discussed why buildable versions of iconic characters – like the 1,226-piece wrinkled alien from E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial – have become increasingly appealing to fans.
“I think for some, it’s a fine balance, because I think with certain characters, they lend themselves really well to being a buildable character,” Jordan said. “I keep referencing Gizmo, but it is such a cute character that you kind of want that almost full-size, life-size Gizmo. I think with E.T. as well.”
Jordan was referring to 21361 Gremlins: Gizmo, another LEGO Ideas release based around an instantly recognisable character from a beloved 1980s film.
“We’ve seen the house before with minifigures and things, but I think people are just resonating more with just E.T. as a character,” Jordan continued. “There are definitely instances where a minifigure-based set would be even stronger, but I think in these cases you’re building the hero character.”
That distinction is important. LEGO Ideas has previously seen several E.T.-themed projects reach 10,000 supporters, including Martin_Studio’s version of the E.T. house featuring minifigures of the film’s main characters. However, despite reaching the milestone during the second LEGO Ideas review of 2025, it was not selected to become an official set.
Jordan suggested that, for some nostalgic characters, the character itself can sometimes be a stronger choice than the world around them – although it is not a rule that applies universally.
“Jaws, you wouldn’t just want the shark, you kind of want the whole thing with the Orca and the minifigures, so there is a fine line,” Jordan added. “I think it’s just kind of what comes up at the right time during our review process, because it is sometimes down to timing.”
The timing of the E.T. projects highlights that challenge. The fan-designed house reached 10,000 supporters shortly after the buildable E.T. project had already been selected, meaning the LEGO Group had to consider which direction best represented the property.
Ultimately, the design team felt that focusing on the character was the stronger approach.
“I think we went in the right direction with this one and some of the other ones,” Jordan stated. “We’re seeing a trend of brick-built characters for sure, but we’ll still be doing many bigger sets.”
That will likely be welcome news for fans who have criticised the LEGO Group’s adult-focused portfolio for becoming increasingly display-oriented and moving away from traditional play-focused builds.
Brick Fanatics’ analysis suggests that brick-built character sets have become significantly more common in recent years. Between 2021 and 2023, 23 such sets were released, while 59 have launched since then and counting.
While not every nostalgic property is best represented by a character build, Jordan’s comments suggest that the LEGO Group sees them as an important part of the portfolio – especially when the character itself is the reason fans feel connected to the original franchise.
21370 E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial will be released on August 1, 2026, priced at £119.99 in the UK, $139.99 in the US and €129.99 in Europe.
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