How LEGO changed Star Wars forever

Purchase your LEGO Star Wars May the 4th sets from our affiliate link: www.brickfanatics.com/product...
For the 25th anniversary of the LEGO Star Wars theme, it's time to look back on the origins of one of the most successful brand partnerships in LEGO history. Once upon a time, the LEGO Group was very hesitant to jump on a bandwagon as toy companies across the world rushed to take advantage of Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace.
This reluctance to engage actually worked to the LEGO Group's favour, as a relatively small launch ended up snowballing into a partnership that has lasted for a quarter of a century.
Music by Scott Buckley - released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com.au

[@BrotherhoodWorkshop]

Man this takes me back. In 1999 I made my very first stop motion videos using LEGO Star Wars toys. Had no idea that I would be doing the exact same thing 25 years later (just a lot better)

[@brick_fanatics]

25 years well spent, your work just gets better and better!

[@subtoadp2]

Poggers

[@bensantos3882]

Do you have any tips for what camera, lighting as well as programs to make good stop motion shorts? You're a legend I remember watching all your videos and I don't even like or watched a single Harry Potter movie(except yours). I didn't even know own Emma Watson or whatever was a character on the movie. I just knew her from her other movies and well being hot.

[@Snackolotl]

I remember being a child over 20 years ago, walking through K-Mart, my dad seeing the escape pod set from the very first wave of Star Wars sets, and yelling out "STAR WARS LEGO?!" in the store. That day, he bought me a couple of sets and I've been a LEGO fan ever since. LEGO and Star Wars have both ALWAYS been very popular with kids and adults, and the partnership only ever made sense.

[@gr-8166]

That’s a great reaction 😂

[@Matt-zu2lu]

Ngl I actually kinda miss the classic blocky, less detailed looks of the old Lego Star Wars sets although I do think it’s great to see just how much Lego Star Wars has evolved.

[@zacmumblethunder7466]

Another factor in there being so many boxed action figures out there now, is that people hoarded them. Each thinking that nobody else had thought "have you seen the prices 1977 action figures are selling for? It'll be just the same with the 1999 ones!"

[@rooknado]

Fantastic point! Are they?

[@zacmumblethunder7466]

@rooknado I bought one figure, kept it boxed and waited. 25 years later, it's the same price, so because of inflation , I actually lost money on it. The toy comoanies latched onto this idea and that's why so many are labelled "Collectors Edition." They may as well print "Will quadruple in value, honestly, it will. Just give it time."

[@danieljmerton]

yes and this means I now frequently get to buy toys from my childhood I never got to buy for the same price they cost back then :)

[@zacmumblethunder7466]

@danieljmerton Oooh, deep envy. I'm from an ancient time and have to pay a high price forva chipped and battered relic of my childhood.

[@squallreviews788]

I'm still kicking myself! I had bought the entire first wave of Lego Star Wars back in the day. I was a teenager at the time and really hyped for Star Wars. But then I went through the "I need to grow up" phase of my early 20's and sold everything or maybe gave some away. Then I fully embarrassed being a geek and have been kicking myself over that ever since!!!

[@WatchVidsMakeLists]

How much did you sell it for...

[@tph2010]

Same.....

[@thaddaeusrobinson4239]

Lego Star Wars has always been and always will be my favorite combo. I still remember my desert skiff Lego set

[@bairdduvessa]

First set I had was qui gon vs maul mini set.

[@bustedsim]

I do sometimes wish LEGO wasn't so license based nowadays, but that's cause I got some pretty decent nostalgia for their homegrown themes and storytelling.

[@Yukikaze617]

I feel like there’s a pretty good balance between their original sets and licensed sets, at least at the physical LEGO store. Places like Walmart or target seem to lean on the licensed stuff.

[@co.1157]

​@@Yukikaze617at all of the Targets and Walmart stores I've been to, one side of the aisle is normal Lego(Lego city+), the other side is licensed products.

[@Sanguivore]

Agreed completely. Knights, Vikings, Space-themed sets, Rock Raiders, etc. The non-licensed sets were always my favorite, though I do also love the Star Wars sets.

[@tph2010]

​@@Yukikaze617 Not really, it seems like everything that used to have it's own theme has all been grouped into "City."

[@bensantos3882]

Agreed I hate Lego Star Wars and Harry Potter. If only I could wipe them from existence. I'd wish Lego stick with European/ folklore/ actual buildings/ medieval themed sets. Also trains and kinects too are what I remember.

[@KennethOpsund]

Great video. You have really told the story well, and it brings back good memories from 25 years ago - what it was like to work with LEGO on launching the best toy in the Universe - when I designed all the Episode I boxes for LEGO Star Wars in Copenhagen. Shoutout to Christian Faber, Jan Kjær, and the rest of the old Advance team. And, of course, also all the cool LEGO people. "It's not a weapon, it's a tool" 😀

[@brick_fanatics]

Thank you! I'm glad to know we did a good job telling your story!

[@jaydyer6682]

The video games were a big part of my childhood. THAT was star wars for me, i didnt watch the movies till way after the lego star wars games.

[@fgdj2000]

Timeline fun fact: Lego Star Wars is at 25 years older now than Star Wars in general was back then (22 years). In other words, we live in a world where Lego and Star Wars have existed joined together longer than Star Wars by itself!

[@Quirderph]

It really hits you when you put it like that.

[@Goose_Willis]

I credit Lego Star Wars for bringing me out of the Dark Ages. Looking back, Star Wars sold Lego to me. Today I get sets I like and have roughly 230,000 pieces. Not one dollar in regret. Thank you Lego Star Wars.

[@DUDEAKATOREI]

I still remember my dad buying me that tiny Imperial Star Destroyer in the shopping mall toy store. That was actually my introduction to the Star Wars series and started my long lasting obsession with the entire brand. It kinda helped that my parents were the generation that saw the Original Trilogy in the theatres. They were always hesitant to buy me expensive toys, but the combination of Lego + Star Wars convinced them to buy me $100 toys for Christmas.

[@TheFenecFox]

I remember playing the LEGO Star Wars games with the megaphones/stud combo as the blasters. For my LEGO set, I keep it going with the droids because I felt the official guns didn't fit them!

[@Auxodium]

I miss the iconic yellow minifig skin texture for starwars. I like how they were representing characters, BUT because they were the yellow classic skin tone, you could impose ANY character into them and make any stories up as you went along playing. I loved the classic early initial run of these sets.

[@youngslav]

yeeeeees same bro

[@Sanguivore]

Agreed completely! The Yellow Charm.

[@tph2010]

Same, although I don't like the eye mask painted on the face instead of the helmet, like the original Scout Trooper.

[@tynovel]

I see the recently purchased Lego Space minifigures in the back! I'm looking forward to a video on them

[@NYJBailey]

I've seen you on one of the Lego groups on Facebook many times, glad to hear you're doing okay. I'll be spending this weekend with family.

[@aquariustigaan]

Such a great story coverage. Subbed

[@BrickProfUK]

All your videos are great but I enjoyed this one immensely. Thank you.

[@t3twd]

Brilliant. I would say this one of the best videos on this channel ever. Well done! And thank you for this.

[@Maclaren79]

Great video, brings back happy memories

[@brucehutcheson5302]

This video was so interesting and factual. I must commend you. Shows your real passion in not only Lego but Star Wars. I was a very young boy at the time in 1977 and went on a school trip to the cinema and, like many others, it changed my life. There has always been a majic around Star Wars, and mine has never wained and also for the love of Lego. Keep it up 😊

[@fatrobin72]

I remember backwards megaphones with a coloured stud... damn I feel old now.

[@miggyz8975]

Excellent episode! A great history lesson. Thank you

[@Kinegos]

Wonderful video!

[@bochi5544]

Lego Star Wars was my introduction to Star Wars, I loved those games growing up.

[@McPilch]

Perfect video for a special (extra special, being 25 years) day! 👏🤩 Being a LEGO (and OT Star Wars!) child of the 70s/80s, and only returning to LEGO as an AFOL in the past half year or so, I've missed basically all of the LEGO Star Wars adventure. However, I still really enjoyed - and felt - this video! Hoping one day we'll be celebrating 25 years of Ninjago, too! Late to that party as well, but I'm quickly catching up on the seasons, loving it!

[@watersleaper]

Is there any chance you could find more info about the cancelled arena set, the book mentions the reek had a specialized mould but the prototype shown did not include this, also would be interesting to see the reek tail and if the set would of included more stuff.

[@ashleycorkadale1744]

LEGO and STAR WARS; a match made in heaven🙏🏼 Why ever did they doubt it😜

[@rooknado]

This video is awesome!!

[@Derpy1969]

I wanted Star Wars Lego sets in the early 80s. I didn’t understand why it took so long. I made my own X-wings and tie fighters from brick sets. Bricks.

[@kurtcocaine4712]

Lego Star Wars games actually made me watch the movies as a kid and got me into the franchise

[@jasonm9336]

Such an amazing video. I definitely had sets from that original wave as a kid (Original Movies and Phantom Menace), I was probably in 6th or 7th grade when those hit the shelves.

[@bigdapramirez6157]

Is that a jar jar binks "flashlight"

[@BrickHQ]

I'm not a star wars fan, but this video was amazing You should make similar videos for other themes

[@ai_is_a_great_place]

14:00 I completed mine in about 7 years so not bad 🤭

[@Frankoman64]

They already had guns in the lego pirate sets years before lego starwars

[@americansoccerunited]

LEGO: Oh my we have to be careful putting blasters in Star Wars sets. Also LEGO: Makes Adventures and Western sets with a crap ton of realistic looking guns in every single set.

[@Mardom0]

This video was great ! Big up’s

[@xxmattopsxx3931]

Hey, I just wanted to say this unopened lego is cool, but if you're gonna spend the money on an unopened set, it's a million times cooler to be the person who built it and then proudly displays it in a case, maintain it, and plays with it on occasion.

[@fgdj2000]

12:26 this was my first set!

[@paul28177]

as a kid in the 90's the only lego set I had was a lego box of various bricks - it was nothing special (it was before star wars). I remember when The Phantom Menace came out - I bought quite a few of the figures and sets...even an R2D2 storage box. I loved displaying them to recreate moments from the movie BUT you couldn't really play with them as such because they were so limited. However, I don't remember starwars lego. I lived in a small town and we had two toy shops and they had a small lego section - in fact I remember lego technics, I remember a box of bricks, I even remember k-nex coming out... but never any lego themed sets. Lego for me mostly went under the radar - I can count on one hand how many times I've been in a lego store. Must admit for the longest of time I thought it was aimed at kids only. The only adverts I saw were for kids and legoland. It wasn't until last year that my friend started posting her lego sets - I had no idea how varied it was and that they did themed sets etc. Let's just say across the top of my wardrobes that span the whole wall has 7 modular sets...i have the pyramid, osaka castle, hocus pocus house, and a bunch of other sets...and this month I've ordered some more star wars sets to go with the other dioramas - I think I've caught the lego bug...lol

[@user-rr9dr5nq6u]

May the fourth be with you one and all.❤️🤠

[@Dicherix]

May the 4th be with you! Thanks for taking me back in time ❤

[@MarkusBerkus]

Less quote cards, more star wars lego figures to look at while listening :) nobody’s reading those. Great vid!

[@LinkiePup]

I honestly prefer the older Lego Star Wars set. Back when they were lego sets and not model kits made of lego. I love the inaccuracies, the play features that didn’t exist in the canon. The low parts count, yet familiar silhouette of the ships, kept the price low, but also let the kids imagination fill in the gaps.

[@Lukas_E.]

Might be a bit biased but this is now my favorite video of yours!

[@JasperJanssen]

Hey, I have that landspeeder.

[@simonframpton9646]

also think your channel is great but would love to see the bargains on Lego as you can spend points and if you bye, thing is its codes to get them i do wish it was like amazon, so you have your account and everything in it much love

[@pathowgate2544]

The whole German mothers being concerned about weapons is absurd. What about all the guns in the western and pirates sets?

[@InventorZahran]

Those are more antiquated/historical. The blasters in Star Wars are derived from "modern" firearms, including ones used by the N@zi military in WWII. I think German parents were more concerned about the fascist-adjacent symbolism than the fact that they were toy weapons.

[@noblenormie1179]

Germans are sensitive clowns. I am speaking from Experience

[@Justin-Hill-1987]

The license to produce LEGO Star Wars sets based on the original and prequel trilogies starting in 1999 opened a Pandora's Box at LEGO, and now, numerous LEGO sets are based on movies, TV shows, cartoons, computer/video games and sports, including Harry Potter, NBA basketball, Gravity Games, NHL hockey, Batman, SpongeBob SquarePants, The Simpsons, Scooby Doo, The Powerpuff Girls, Overwatch, Super Mario and Sonic the Hedgehog, for example... LEGO was reluctant to produce Star Wars sets at first, knowing how violent the Star Wars movie franchise can be...

[@LifeofSquidMann]

The modern sets are great, if a little overpriced. But there's a certain, unmatched charm to the simplicity of early LSW sets.

[@justin21002002]

very easy to track down unopened phantom menace stuff, your telling me I have every one of those chip action figures unopened

[@JackVermicelli]

It's too bad. Opened the floodgates, and now it's an uncommon set, the price of which doesn't include licensing, that isn't focused heavily on recognizable minifigs, and the size/scale/proportion of which isn't severely compromised by making minifigs fit in them. Way to sell out.

[@TheTrollMastah]

Well back in the day it was LEGO Star Wars, now its STAR WARS Lego

[@nickpatrie7668]

I absolutely love LEGO Star Wars, but there is 1 thing that makes me avoid it. All the gray and black sets, even though they are Star Wars I just don’t want to have more gray or black than the bright fun colors, like the N.1 Starfighter.

[@Corfaisus]

Man, those old sets are ugly... and I had them. I remember in the late 90s, I had the pod racing set (all built on my beige living room carpet) in my wooden bed frame cubbyhole. It was definitely the pride of my bedtime, but this was also after Ocarina of Time had come out and my brother and I's first run-in with the Redead. For one reason or another, my childhood mind just couldn't let it go, and so as I lay down to sleep, my eye would land on the pod racers. Anakin's I had no problem with, nor Gasgano's - but Sebulba? His was special. I'd look at his pod racer and the Redead's horrible scream would echo through my mind. It was a real problem for a while.

[@smileyp4535]

3:33 what IS that thing?? 💀

[@tph2010]

As much as I loved Lego Star Wars, unfortunately it started the trend of Lego shifting focus from original themes to franchise IP.

[@elieeee6]

I kind of wish we have more original themes nowadays

[@elijahblechman8633]

I wish Lego didn't give every Tom, Dick and Harry their own theme. Do we really need Lego Despicable Me? Or Avatar? I'd want more original theme over them tbh

[@octav1600]

although I like some of the lego SW sets, not a huge fan of licensed sets. Just imagine how many good non franchise sets we could have had if they didn't go the franchise route. So many castles instead of harry potter.

[@brandonthetoyandgamecollector]

Thing is Lego did try to continue some of that stuff for a bit but they didn’t do well enough

[@octav1600]

@@brandonthetoyandgamecollector They should just do it even if they sell lower. Since they keep doing city, can't be that it is so much more popular than castle or space (and if done well, space can do really well - 2024 sets are selling well , as far as my local lego shop is saying)

[@brandonthetoyandgamecollector]

@@octav1600these days it’s probably just easier for Lego to brand everything they’re not sure about under city than launching a new theme or reviving a classic one

[@zeta_noir]

Non licensed lego sets are hit or miss. For every great new idea like space 2024 you get something garish like dreamzz. If they had better themes I'd buy more non star wars sets (my main thing) but they don't give the cool stuff much attention (like the Halloween themed stuff, they focused more on shit like ninjago instead)

[@octav1600]

@@zeta_noir I think ninjago sells better, although I never understood why. I like it, but mostly for parts (I buy them because they have great mechs / dragons, and the only castle looking things that aren't HP or that one fun castle and market place ) I would rather have a castle line like this awesome space 2024. Not sure what the people making it thought, but they should think more of that and less of whatever they're thinking when releasing Vydiyo xD.

[@simonframpton9646]

to be one thing the new sets are not great and its going down more, the lego star wars was great but it feels a bit lack lustered

[@stevennoyes2684]

Yessir

[@thelonelybolter8245]

I have such vivid memories of the summer of 1999, building giant Lego pod racers and sorting Pokemon cards in my binder ;) NERD ALERT!

[@Bart-Did-it]

You mean how Star Wars saved Lego from bankruptcy.

[@Curlyheart]

That was Bionicle.

[@Bart-Did-it]

@@Curlyheart Star Wars bionicle was terrible Lego chose to sell out their values for money end of story

[@Bart-Did-it]

@@Curlyheart Lego bionicle 2001 and it was terrible . Lego Star Wars and as a result adults began to buy for themselves let alone for the children. I began buying again as a young adult I own 6 original millennium falcons me open the rest in secret mint . Among many others. If it has Disney on the box … it’s not StarWars it’s something thing else and not particularly collectible as Disney pumps out millions more than Lego ever did per unit .

[@Curlyheart]

@@Bart-Did-it I feel like having an anal evacuation.

[@Curlyheart]

@@Bart-Did-itSweet Celestia...

[@paulibaer_206]

To me it is still a bit of a sellout for LEGO. A company that never even produced toy soldiers and still tries to give itself a pacifistic touch, went all in on Star Wars. Especially, Clone Wars where the clones are basically cannon fodder, the closely related military ranks known from the US Army, all give me the chills. The pirates and the medieval soldiers where also not exactly pacifistic themes, but I could always see a stronger distance to real modern armies.

[@ryanvandoren1519]

Just imagine how boring legos would be today if they hadnt sold out..

[@paulibaer_206]

@@ryanvandoren1519 Lego would be probably bankrupt or a much much smaller company

[@silverwhiteknight]

Awesome video? Thanks

[@GrandPrixDecals]

This is complete nonsense, written by someone who spent 2 hours googling (or using AI) and thought that’ll do. Star Wars and Lego = views 😞

[@nomercyinc6783]

legos didnt change star wars at all. toys didnt change franchises at all

[@vexorian]

The Board Member was right. Star Wars is a financial success, but it's made Lego into a worse toy.

[@RockwellAIM65]

This is an awful video. Off-topic. Why did that set make Star Wars for Lego important? Well... will I ever find out? Maybe, maybe not. Maybe go back and study journalism for six minutes, at least.