[bluetomcat]

> The new "themed" sets apparently sell better than the "random box of colored bricks" from the past.

In the 1990s, almost no sets were "random boxes of colored bricks" and they were all themed, but the themes weren't the commercialized junk they are today. You had Castle, Pirates and Space without any references to movie characters and the structures were rather harmonic without too many special or overly-sized parts. The minifigs had serious faces and were not cartoonish. A child would be able to invent its own story and get creative with those themes, rather than using the toy to play when it's not watching the movie.

[nf8nnfufuu]

Apparently the "commercialized junk" sells better, though. Lego was close to going bankrupt in the 90ies.

Apart from the price, I personally can't really complain about the modern Lego sets, either. They are nice puzzles, and my kids like to play with them. After a while they fall apart, and new things can be built.

I don't think Lego wants to pay for expensive Hollywood brands. They always try to establish their own brands, too, like Ninjago, Lego Movie, Nexo Knights. Often it seems the Hollywood stuff simply sells better.

[bluetomcat]

Lego was actually flourishing in the early 90s particularly with Castle and Pirates. Each year brought new sub-themes and factions, and newer sets coexisted nicely with older ones. It started to go downhill with the advent of PC and PlayStation gaming in the late 90s. Kids suddenly had their attention elsewhere. Lego then changed the formula to launching short-lived flashy themes with spiced-up minifigs and unusual parts, and the old spirit of calm playfulness was largely gone.

[nf8nnfufuu]

I forgot to post the link: https://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/innovation-almos...

Sales slump in 1993 - I don't think that agrees with your thesis. Maybe they put out so much stuff out of desperation, to find something that sticks.

[9nGQluzmnq3M]

Oh, give me a break. Every Lego Star Wars or Ninjago set my kids have gotten has long since been dismantled and reassembled into new creations.

[Symbiote]

It is reasonable to say that 2019's "Star Wars" is commercial, but the 1990s "Space" sets weren't commercial.

Some parents prefer not to have brands or advertising within their children's toys, and Lego used to be free from this influence.

[wodenokoto]

No, it is not reasonable to say 'the 1990s "Space" sets weren't commercial.'

Of course they were commercial. They did a space theme because they thought it would sell, just like they are now doing Star Wars because they sell.