Toy Fair 2016: DUPLO & Juniors

[Hapori Tohu]

While I don't know of any BZPower members who are part of the target demographic for DUPLO or LEGO Juniors, there's still some interesting sets and parts that are worth checking out. Both themes have some new licenses and tie-ins to other themes that make things worth checking out even more. To see what the LEGO designers have come up with for 2016, read on!

 

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[Aanchir]

While I don't know of any BZPower members who are part of the target demographic for DUPLO or LEGO Juniors...

Here's one!

 

I know next to nothing about "Miles for Tomorrowland", but I really appreciate it since there has been a serious dearth of sci-fi or space-themed sets in Duplo, and these ones give us not only an exo-suit — an exo-suit — but also some spaceships, a robot ostrich, and an adorable little slime alien!

 

I'm not sure why Iron Man needs a car

That's the wrong question. There are plenty of reasons for Iron Man to own a car, the most obvious being "he's rich and he does what he wants".

 

The correct question would be "why on the box art is he driving his car around on the rooftop of Avengers Tower?" Though I guess you could answer my question the same way I answered yours.

 

The Juniors Ninjago sets look really cool. Probably a really wise decision, since I know some kids like Ninjago who are younger than the 7–14 age range of most of the regular sets. I also love that the snakes are back, and one of them is even a brand-new character. It's a shame said brand-new character doesn't get a name other than "Snake Villain", but in the very least you can tell he's a Venomari Serpentine based on his color scheme and four eyes. Technically both of the snakes are new minifigures — Lasha, who appears in the smaller set, has a new outfit and a new facial expression but is still recognizable as the same character. The Ninja are just mixed and matched from previous costumes but I don't mind that and I doubt too many kids will either.

 

It's amusing how small the vehicles in the two Ninjago sets feel just by virtue of being so much less oversized than typical Ninjago vehicles. The build for the dragon in the Lost Temple set is a little suspect, but I understand that a typical Ninjago dragon uses building techniques that are way beyond what's expected of these sets' target age range. It's nice that there's finally a double-door designed to fit the arched Juniors door frame.

 

It's interesting how last year's girl-oriented Juniors sets had pink boxes, and this year's have red boxes (albeit with some pink patterns). Kinda neat direction to take from a branding perspective, and I think it helps the Juniors theme feel more coherent despite how many different brands it encompasses. I really like the vet clinic. Even though it uses simple building techniques, it feels very complete visually, as opposed to, say, the Lost Temple, which feels a bit jumbled. The Ice Cream Truck set also feels pretty well-rounded, despite lacking a roof.

[Makaru]

By far the best thumbnail for the coverage yet.

[Toa Smoke Monster]

By far the best thumbnail for the coverage yet.

Yep. Nothing says 'Duplo and Junior sets' like Mickey Mouse reaching for your soul.

 

Anyways, these look really good for younger Lego fans. Especially the themed Junior sets. It makes me wonder if we'll get a Junior Bionicle set sometime in the future.

[Hahli Husky]

 

While I don't know of any BZPower members who are part of the target demographic for DUPLO or LEGO Juniors...

Here's one!

 

!!!!!!!!!! >:0 I'LL HAVE YOU KNOW that as an EDUCATED 9/5-year-old I have MUCH better taste than this BABY TRASH and am EAGERLY AWAITING coverage of the Jack Stone reboot that is DEFINITELY happening.

 

 

 

But in the interest of being somewhat on topic, the juniors line has continued to be a cool idea and the sets are so simple and fun. Definitely on my radar for potential small child presents.