[April Fool's] Product Cancellation Initiative announced
Posted by Huw,
LEGO has announced its ambition to cancel an increasing number of sets, with fans voting for which should be cancelled:
The LEGO Group announces commitment to cancel 10% of planned products by 2025
The LEGO Group today announced an ambitious goal of cancelling 10% of its own products annually by 2025, potentially rising to 20% by 2030. This creative strategy follows the successful pilot program introduced in 2020, which began with the thrilling cancellation of 42113 Bell-Boeing V-22 Osprey.
The LEGO Group’s commitment to quality is strengthened by this initiative, freeing up resources across the organisation to focus purely on products that will deliver even stronger commercial results.
The response to the pilot program has been tremendous. According to research conducted between 2020 and 2022, interest in products cancelled up to one month before their scheduled release is 61% higher than equivalent products that are available to purchase.
In future, the period between cancellation announcements and release dates will be shortened to maximise anticipation for novelties, and the frequency of cancellations will increase through operational efficiencies.
Cloë Clavotsen, Head of Product Termination, commented: “We are delighted with the response to our recent cancellation campaigns and are looking forward to expanding the strategy in 2023 and beyond. Our research has demonstrated that fans are even more energised when products are unexpectedly withdrawn before planned launches.”
The LEGO Group will now invite fans to be part of the process to determine which products are cancelled next via the LEGO Ideas Platform. Previous cancelled products include examples from LEGO Technic, LEGO City and LEGO Indiana Jones, and we are delighted to announce that LEGO Jurassic World will be joining this rarefied collection in June, as one of four upcoming sets will be selected for cancellation!
Cloë adds "Given the passionate response to past cancellations, we are confident in the support for our commitment to cancelling 10% of announced products by 2025. This initiative will also give fans an opportunity to advise The LEGO Group in determining which products will be most successful, as online discussions promise. Also, we recognise the view that too many sets have been produced recently and this innovative process reaffirms The LEGO Group’s commitment to supporting our fans.”
Round one of LEGO Cancellation Initiative voting will commence on April 31st, before announcing which of the LEGO Jurassic World novelties will be cancelled in late-May.
While we wait for the LEGO Ideas poll to be published, which of the four eligible sets would you choose to be cancelled?
Some previous cancellations have been disappointing, but I suppose this idea creates an extra sense of excitement around each set, as any can seemingly be cancelled at any time. Whether eventually cancelled or not, we will continue to add sets to the database as they are announced.
Are you looking forward to voting for sets to be cancelled and do you agree with LEGO's wish to increase their number? Let us know in the comments.
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77 comments on this article
Nice ;- }
April is upon us.
Interesting timing of the announcement……
I vote none should be canceled! This better be an April fools day joke!
If only we could've voted to cancel the oversized Hulkbuster.
Having been canceled for a bit, I understand firsthand the pain April 1 can cause.
I vote to cancel BTS.
I'm also old enough to remember the worst product cancelation, 18+ Duplo Design:
https://brickset.com/article/58636
I’d start with the entire Marvel theme, then the Mario stuff. Good riddance.
Cancel SCALA! Cancel Galidor! Cancel Bionicle! Cancel Dots! Cancel Vidiyo! Cancel Mindstorms!
legocancelculture? toosoon?
Nice graphics, well done!
Damn! You got me.
Was going to hope this would be a chance for 77014 to come back. I guess we'll have to wait a bit a longer.
I fully support this bold step
Good try lol... I am always amazed by the number of people who forget what day we are :-)
Is there a reason for Cloë Clavotsen, I would have thought something like Illa Proof.
I'd cancel those stupid Technic car sets. THEY AIN'T TECHNIC!
If only.
Too few sets can be cancelled. My disappointment is immeasurable and my day is ruined. ;)
The annual non-funny April Fools post.
And the date today is… 32 March :~P
So, how many April Fools "jokes" are the Lego group gonna roll out today? Here's 1. The "Majestic Horse" prank was another.
This had better be an April Fools' Joke, I really want it to be, I however, won't assume anything, Lego has made some decisions in the past that weren't exactly positive.
Hmm, hard choice on the poll. All of them are so hilariously overpriced as to deserve cancellation, but Im gonna go with the brachiosaurus set, because I really feel like they could've done better on pretty much every aspect of it
Agreed on the Mario sets, good riddance!
@JohnEssLegoEss said:
"So, how many April Fools "jokes" are the Lego group gonna roll out today? Here's 1. The "Majestic Horse" prank was another."
Seriously doubt LEGO have anything to do with this.
April Fool’s jokes are lame.
I'd like some of the costs for all four sets. to be cancelled, especially 76959.
If only they would reintroduce some cancelled sets...
I almost forgot today's tradition while reading the preview text.
Good one! :-)
Bravo. I love everything about this. I look forward to your April 1 posts every year. Pay no mind to the naysayers!
Cancel culture strikes again!!!1!
Too bad this is April, good idea actually... Start with reducing the amount of big exclusive sets by at least 50% and work on improving of the quality of the rest.
Could we please cancel the whole BrickHeadz range?
Happy April!
Jay’s Brick Blog has the same “joke” so who do we actually blame for this? As soon as I started reading the article it sounded ridiculous, then I remembered the date and, sighing, realised this was someone’s idea of humour.
Man, the Lego-haters as of late are going to love this April Fools ‘joke’. All for those engagements and clicks though!
I admit I was just confuzzled until halfway through reading the article (I'm autistic). But even knowing that it is an April Fool's Joke, I find myself wishing we could genuinely voice criticism about the increasing number of GWP sets (some with high/specific requirements), TLG's mentality that ICONS sets have to be big and expensive, and disney sets having unreasonably high price-per-part ratios (particularly 4+ ones).
I saw another good April Fool's today, it said the spend threshold for a GWP was £220.
You almost...
Can't wait for the first "Random cancelled set of the day" to appear on Brickset.
Cancel the sloths!
I prefer the hotel chocolate hotel that’s made entirely of chocolate ! Happy April fools day !
"Round one of LEGO Cancellation Initiative voting will commence on April 31st"
I've got it circled on my calendar.
This article could almost be taken serious. We already have 2 cancelled sets (Temple of Doom and Jabba's Throne Room Diorama) for this year with probably more to come. No wonder LEGO is so pissed about leaked information from retailers about upcoming sets.
Ha, ha….! Good one!
@R0Sch:
Jabba’s Throne Room diorama?
A little time and effort = a jolly good result
Nice one. I enjoyed that.
Can we cancel April Fools Day? ;)
Sorry to be a humbug about it.
STILL waiting for the Game of Thrones line that was promised a few years back... :(
@PurpleDave said:
" @R0Sch:
Jabba’s Throne Room diorama?"
Yeah, not many know about that since no leaked images exist. But it was supposed to come out together with the Endor Chase and Emperor's Throne Room Diorama sets. Set 75356 with 630 pcs and 5 minifigures: Jabba The Hutt, Bib Fortuna, Leia - Boushh, C-3PO and Chewbacca. LEGO also removed one figure from Endor (probably Ewok) and 2 from Emperor Throne room (probably 2 Royal Guards) compared to the retailer catalogue while maintaining the prices.
Apparently there's a Temple of Doom April Fool's set too.
@R0Sch:
Okay, that’s not quite what I was expecting. Some time ago, Disney announced they would no longer allow any “Slave Leia” toys, and it was not clear at the time if this would be a “Leia’s Chainmail Bikini” thing like they did to Boba Fett, or if they were seriously saying no toys based on that costume would be allowed. If it’s the latter, it really does limit what they can do with Jabba’s throne room, and causes serious problems for Jabba’s sailbarge, the latter of which was recently part of the big product leak. But if this diorama was supposed to have Leia in her bounty hunter disguise, that still leaves the big question unanswered.
It's embarrassing how long I was confused by this. You got me!
Ok, who voted for the Dilophosaurus Ambush?
Just take the year off Lego. Happy April 1st everyone!
I got to the infographic and read the footnote before realizing what day it was. Seemed oddly plausible for some reason for a bit. Well done!
Head of Product Termination, is such a delightful title!
Just think of the positive effect on the environment!
NOOOOOOO! DON'T CANCEL ANY JURASSIC PARK 30TH ANNIVERSARY SETS! Please no :(
I vote to uncancel Bionicle.
@Elite_1 said:
"I vote to uncancel Bionicle."
I vote to uncancel Adventurers. Johnny Thunder FTW!
(Take THAT Indiana Jones!)
Love this! LEGO has its finger on the pulse!
Here, the date is written as 4/1/2023.
:)
@Warrior_Dex_Lionklaw_of_Chima said:
"Agreed on the Mario sets, good riddance!"
they aren't good but that's what makes them ideal for me: parts packs - because from the looks of it, nobody is buying these here in AT, so I see them in the bargain bin at the local supermarket all the time. Last year, I grabbed 2 Luigi's Mansion Entryway sets for 15€ each, that's 1000 pieces for 30, a solid deal.
@StyleCounselor said:
"Having been canceled for a bit, I understand firsthand the pain April 1 can cause.
I vote to cancel BTS.
I'm also old enough to remember the worst product cancelation, 18+ Duplo Design:
https://brickset.com/article/58636 "
I second the notion!
I'd prefer that TLG instigate a buy-back program where they release sets then cancel them a month later. After all, some pieces are a choking hazard even for AFOLs with voracious buying appetites!
Or how about a product rent program for VIPs? Rent the set for 3 months; incentivizes customers who normally over purchase and sit on sets (assuming they are ever going to find time or room to build the set) to actually build the model, display and rebuild, then free up their limited storage space. Pricing for such a rental program should certainly help bring down cost to the consumer to a more comfortable and affordable range.
"the thrilling cancellation of 42113 Bell-Boeing V-22 Osprey" was a work of genius, the perfect arrangement of words in the undying spirit of corpospeak.
Brickset you've done it again, you madlads.
The majestic horse was a funny prank.
This one isn’t.
@Ephseb said:
" @Warrior_Dex_Lionklaw_of_Chima said:
"Agreed on the Mario sets, good riddance!"
they aren't good but that's what makes them ideal for me: parts packs - because from the looks of it, nobody is buying these here in AT, so I see them in the bargain bin at the local supermarket all the time. Last year, I grabbed 2 Luigi's Mansion Entryway sets for 15€ each, that's 1000 pieces for 30, a solid deal."
Same here. Always on deep discount since no one appears to be buying them. I got several as parts packs when they were 60 to 70 percent off.
Says Lego Ideals in pic..... city, jur.. park ect not lego ideals
Had me goin' for a minute...'til the back-of-my-brain said "WHAT DAY IS IT"...:D
Also (as a lark) I voted for the 'Brach' to go 'bye bye'...why? Well, look at that 'break' in its neck...you just can't unsee that...but, it's 'all in fun':)
@StyleCounselor said:
"Having been canceled for a bit"
No one canceled you. You received flak for saying some stuff a bunch of us found offensive.
Lol, I was far too many lines into this before realizing what was going on...
The joke is that planned Lego sets are cancelled all the time, but normally we never hear of them.
This is well-written, but let down by the underlying joke just not being especially funny. The bit relies on a Product Cancelation Initiative being something that briefly sounds plausible before you go "wait a minute..." and it just isn't.
I was looking forward to all of those sets :(
I fell for it ! Well done :)
This was a cruel, sick joke to make.
...I loved it.
It took me way too long to realize this was a joke XD
If this was serious I woulda said "None, cancel the employment of whoever got this visit from the Good Idea Fairy instead."