Profitable Elves?

by **timber_wolf899** » Thu Feb 12, 2009 8:06 pm

I don't know if i see lego passing up elves just due to the sheer profit potential.

you KNOW how well they'd sell.

by **Sir Nelson** » Thu Feb 12, 2009 8:22 pm

timber_wolf899 wrote:you KNOW how well they'd sell.

I, for one, must admit that I really don't know. Outside of the LEGO Castle fans - who are a small percentage of the overall (adult and child) consumers of LEGO products - I don't think they would sell very well. Certainly not as well as Star Wars sets/figures, for example. Can you please elaborate on your assessment?

by **timber_wolf899** » Thu Feb 12, 2009 9:22 pm

Why do you believe this to be so, Sir Nelson?

Do not non legoish sw fans buy lego sw?

Why would non legoish tolkien fans not buy elves?

Ad to that the general popularity of fantasy elves in general and i think you have a massive potential fanbase, no?

EDIT: let me frame the argumetn this way. Why would the same lego processes that produced dwarves not produce elves. <esp if you consider the relative general popularity of elves being higher than dwarves.>

by **Sir Nelson** » Thu Feb 12, 2009 10:17 pm

timber_wolf899 wrote:EDIT: let me frame the argumetn this way. Why would the same lego processes that produced dwarves not produce elves. <esp if you consider the relative general popularity of elves being higher than dwarves.>

This thread was about the new crossbow toy, but has now become a discussion over the possibility of elves coming out as a new LEGO Castle faction. While I do agree that LEGO elves would be cool, I do not agree with your assessment about its overall sales.

Anyway, I think we should stay on track with the subject matter here, so if you want to explain yourself more, please take it to PM. Thanks.

by **timber_wolf899** » Fri Feb 13, 2009 7:50 am

I offer that we are indeed not off track insofar asthe thread's original topic was the new toy and what it portends for the future of castle.

As to our disagreement on elves/not........I know only one way to settel such a thing, a bet!

I bet you an Orc warrior that we will have confirmation of elves within twelve month's time!

by **architect** » Fri Feb 13, 2009 8:30 am

I split this portion of the Archer thread. In the future, please start a new thread for different topics. The thread has also been moved to Dear Lego as topics about elves are pure speculation at this point.

Ben
CC Sets Admin

by **Tower of Iron Will** » Fri Feb 13, 2009 9:33 am

When LEGO tested the possible faction make-up for the 2007 product line, skeletons vs humans was the most popular. Perhaps it was the same way with the Dwarves and Orcs. AFOLS may be influential enough to get a Medieval Market Village and a super chess set from LEGO, but it's the kids that determine the faction elements. If kids like Elves vs Orcs then that's what we'll have. Yet LEGO could pull a move like they did with the Good Wizard and the Advent Calendar in that only selected regional markets could get elves. Boneheaded as it may sound LEGO may not produce elves at all. They might play it safe and have another human faction.

If you want to gauge interest in elves ask a few 6 to 10 year olds (both boys and girls) what they would like to play with. Of course a large number of us here want elves, but then we could go on and on about all the stuff we FOLs want added to the Castle line.

-Tower

by **JoshWedin** » Fri Feb 13, 2009 11:07 am

timber_wolf899 wrote:As to our disagreement on elves/not........I know only one way to settel such a thing, a bet!

I know of another way. How about just waiting and see what happens?

Nelson has not disagreed with you about whether or not are elves coming. He said he doesn't know. You don't know either. That wasn't even really part of the discussion.

What you were discussing was whether or not they would be profitable. That has nothing to do with confirmation within a year, does it?

Josh

by **Munchy** » Fri Feb 13, 2009 11:18 am

Didn't the LEGO reps at NWBrickCon '08 state emphatically that there would be no elves this year?

by **Heir of Black Falcon** » Fri Feb 13, 2009 11:19 am

We could always get an elf campaign going. Get a million kids and adult fans to write some letters, emails, make some shirts that say make lego elves not war...riors!
Of course that’s my own opinion and gushing with pro-elf sentiment.

I’d be surprised if they stopped with dwarves, trolls, troll/orcs. Why would trolls and dwarves be any more profitable than elves? Do we know if they have tried toy testing with elves even? I’d like to hear the results if they did, especially compared to dwarves, trolls etc. I used to do toy testing for Mattel some time ago so I’d love to hear how they set their testing as well. Interesting memories.

Munchy,

I am not sure anyone is pushing them at any specific date at this point.

Heir

by **JoshWedin** » Fri Feb 13, 2009 11:35 am

Munchy wrote:Didn't the LEGO reps at NWBrickCon '08 state emphatically that there would be no elves this year?

That's how I took it. But in all honesty, Matt Ashton was about to reveal figs that we now know are coming out in the first half of the year. He said "Sorry, no 'Elves'". It is possible they could be coming out later in the year. Personally, I doubt it...but they could.

Josh

by **Athos** » Fri Feb 13, 2009 11:50 am

I wouldn't be surprised if we saw elf sets by the end of the year. Either as leaked pictures for the early '10 line or for a late '09 release.

With only three Castle sets (not counting the MMV) in this years line up so far, it seems reasonable to assume Lego has a few more castle sets waiting in the wings...

Steve

by **Username** » Fri Feb 13, 2009 12:00 pm

Well, we haven't heard anything about impulse sets yet for 09 (unless I missed it), so it would be cool to get an Elf Archer impulse set.

by **timber_wolf899** » Fri Feb 13, 2009 12:15 pm

What you were discussing was whether or not they would be profitable. That has nothing to do with confirmation within a year, does it?

Josh[/quote]

Well sortakinda but not quite. I believe the discussion was<at least from my angle> lego's opinion of profitability. i.e. How do you answer the question on whether lego will mke elves? if lego believes elves will sell, they will likely produce said elves. If not, they won't.

if that makes any sense?

Another post above mentioned the human and skeleton factions winning out in 07 testing. Along those lines perhaps we will see a human forest based faction rather than elves?

by **Aliencat** » Fri Feb 13, 2009 1:03 pm

timber_wolf899 wrote:Do not non legoish sw fans buy lego sw?

Why would non legoish tolkien fans not buy elves?

Since the Lego Castle line isn't officially licensed to be a Tolkien theme, the answer to this is simply no.
The reason why Star Wars fans that aren't necessarily Lego fans buy Lego Star Wars, is that they generally collect all things officially affiliated to Star Wars.

For example, they will buy a Jabba the Hutt action figure (if you can even call what Jabba does "action"

), but they won't buy a generic green creature that may look a bit like Jabba, but isn't an actual Star Wars figure. That's the same comparison you're making with Lego Castle here. Tolkien fans (I must emphasize some Tolkien fans, because these are generally of very different caliber than Star Wars fans as far as buying merchandising goes) will buy a Legolas figure, but they won't just buy any generic old elves.

Profitable Elves?

Who is online