Discontinued in 2010?

[Username]

There is no need to worry. This rumor is false.

Ben

What do you know Ben? Share with the class....

[Nicker]

I can't find the Lego castle theme at any Walmarts in my city. Has Walmart dumped the Castle theme because of poor sales?

[dyntar]

The castle line has been hard to find in the shops near me too [in Australia] but that's because there was a few big sales a month ago and all of the castle sets sold quickly. I have only just started to see this years new sets appear in the shops.
If any sets should be discontinued it should be the Bionicle [the shelves are full of them] I've never seen a kid buy one and they are always at reduced prices.

[davee123]

I can't find the Lego castle theme at any Walmarts in my city. Has Walmart dumped the Castle theme because of poor sales?

WalMart is lame. WalMart in Canada (where I note you are) actually decided NOT to sell ANY LEGO a year or so ago, because LEGO refused to lower their Canadian prices. (At the time, the US dollar was weak, so it exacerbated the difference in USD/CAD pricing, even though the CAD/Euro/DK was stable). WalMart Canada then threatened LEGO by saying that they would refuse to sell any LEGO products, but LEGO refused to back down. WalMart was supposedly going to follow through with its threat, but I don't know for sure that they ever did.

Anyway, I would suggest not buying from WalMart anyway if you can avoid it. In addition to the debate on whether or not they're a moral corporate entity, their selection on LEGO products is always extremely limited. Target is probably pretty comparable to WalMart in selection, though-- similarly slim pickings. But, if the option is available, Toys R Us always has fantastic selection (where I am), so I'd opt for them over WalMart or Target any day.

Anyway, suffice to say it doesn't surprise me that your WalMart wouldn't have the Castle theme in stock-- that might not be a good indicator of the theme's selling power.

DaveE

[Bruce N H]

As I recall there was an issue with that Walmart in Canada the person who made that decision had a conflict of interest as one of their family members was a megablox executive and they got in some trouble over it.

In general I would put no importance in how the shelves are stocked at this time of year. Many stores try to clear out old inventory to make way for the new things they will stock for Christmas. Iirc, these stores do almost all of their toy sales in the last three months of the year.

Bruce

[davee123]

As I recall there was an issue with that Walmart in Canada the person who made that decision had a conflict of interest as one of their family members was a megablox executive and they got in some trouble over it.

Indeed! I hadn't realized that, but: http://thewritingonthewal.net/?p=3421

I guess the toy-buyer at WalMart had a daughter employed by Mega Bloks that was directly involved with the relationship to WalMart (that is, her position at MB was at least in part to deal with WalMart). Sounds like it was discussed quite a bit, but wasn't really what prompted the decision, since there were a group of people involved. It just may have biased one particular member of the group.

DaveE

[Blueandwhite]

There is no need to worry. This rumor is false.

Ben

That's all I needed to hear!

[Username]

There is no need to worry. This rumor is false.

Ben

That's all I needed to hear!

Haha. I need to hear more! Itchin' for a scoop.

[Athos]

There is no need to worry. This rumor is false.

So, just to be clear, Castle will continue in 2010?

If so, that is most excellent news.

Steve

[Garbageman13]

There is no need to worry. This rumor is false.

So, just to be clear, Castle will continue in 2010?

If so, that is most excellent news.

Steve

Yes, that is almost completely expected. The real question we should be asking is, will the theme be the same "crownie" fantasy theme, or something completely new....

God bless.

-Garbageman13

[JoshWedin]

The real question we should be asking is, will the theme be the same "crownie" fantasy theme, or something completely new....

That is what I've been wondering....

Josh

[timber_wolf899]

As long as there will be castle I find myself not caring much what sub-theme they produce. Then again i'm more concerned about the real estate market picking up soi can buy more castle! ha

Thanks for the news Ben. ANy idea on when we can expect more specific set news? As i recall the word came down early for 2008, and rather late for 09.

[architect]

Any idea on when we can expect more specific set news?

I do not have any idea on when potential new sets will be announced by TLG. This usually happens at a Toy Fair depending on the quantity of sets and what time in the year the sets are released.

Ben

[Username]

The real question we should be asking is, will the theme be the same "crownie" fantasy theme, or something completely new....

That is what I've been wondering....

Josh

Indeed. I like the Crownies alright, but I think I am ready for something new. Hopefully new forestmen!

[Athos]

Since the rumor was 'current castle line', I'm going to assume that means crownies/fantasy. So thus, since the current castle line (crownies/fantasy) is not being discontinued...

Steve