LEGO responds to Collectible Minifigure box problems

[@mini_k]

Love how they had to dance around the whole "we have to maintain the gambling" factor

[@IKEA_SSB]

remember: gambling is ok if it's for toys or video games (according to someone)

[@thegreatpiginthesky3904]

​@IKEA_SSB and both things are heavily consumed by children. What a jokr

[@logantrimble006]

I'm one of those people who doesn't leave his luck to chance. This is why I ordered the whole series on eBay instead. This is how I'm sending a message to the Lego group.

[@xxx_rotfd_xiii_xii3619]

@@IKEA_SSBremember: its not gambling if you are buying a product

[@Brandon-ji2lo]

I think it is gambling because you might be getting something that is worthless to you, just like a worthless scratcher card if you gamble and win nothing. That Echo would be worthless to me. I honestly might stop buying these or only buying my favorite 1 or 2 from each set from Ebay. I support and don't support TLGs decision but it is what it is I guess.

[@quentinspinks2606]

If they actually cared about the environment they could put all 12 of the mini figures in 1 box. The Office set is basically a CMF series in 1 box at a reasonable enough price. The only people benefiting from the current system are resellers. People don’t want to deal with the randomness so they have to go online and pay a premium to buy the figures they weren’t able to find.

[@Gzilla313]

The Muppets is the only CMF line I’ve collected. I pre-ordered it from an eBay seller for basically $60. It wasn’t an exorbitant price to buy a full set.

[@RobinHullBuilds]

I saw in Billund a few weeks ago, and recently in my local supermarket, boxes of 12 figures. They were in a stacked style and, I presume, contained a full set?

[@PaladinHeart]

I decided to get a full case on eBay and completely satisfied with getting 3 full sets. Would be more ideal to buy directly from Lego and get 2 full sets for $120, but as long as Lego refuses to sell full sets in one box then I'll just keep going to eBay because I don't want to spend $300+ and never get certain figures.

[@TheRealmfc90125]

I would buy the entire set more often if I knew that I was getting them all.

[@LordShrub]

@@RobinHullBuilds Yes they do contain a full set, but those are meant as store racks not as separate SKUs that you can buy (i.e. they don't have bar codes). They aren't even sealed, so there is a risk that a tower that was partially emptied can be topped up with duplicate figures by store employees. I was lucky to order all the 24 pcs of stock that an online retailer had and they just sent me the whole 2 towers. I kept one and got a full set and returned the second one.

[@CysgodAstua]

Lego was told for a year that the packaging was not going to work. How they continue to act surprised is beyond me.

[@l0ll0able]

They want to make it random again, to expand the profit, that's the only reason. If they just would have wanted to make the packaging more environmental friendly, they could have just used paper bags. Definetely not less sturdy, as you just have to push the boxes a little bit, and they flip open on the sides.

[@CysgodAstua]

@l0ll0able so you can add back the surprise all in the guise of corporate environmentalism or listen to your fan base that literally said from the minute it was announced that they would just rip the boxes open to see what figures they wanted. This was a loose loose endeavor from the start because once the product is open the stores throw it away. Lego is incredibly clueless and out of touch with the customer base regularly. 🙄

[@CysgodAstua]

Stores for sure lost money on these figs as every store I went to they were ripped open and pieces were scattered everywhere except the first store that had them out about a week in advance. Since then every store they are opened. Some stores even clearance them out for a 1 dollar just to get rid of them and not have to pick the pieces up off the floor. Heck I think this lead to more people just ripping open the full size sets in my area and just taking the figs they wanted as well because it has been years since the last time I walked down the aisle and saw tons of sets opened with the figs missing like I'm seeing now. I have been picking up handfuls of mini fig parts out of the floor and under the shelves to save them from the trash bin. If lego don't reverse course and fast we are not going to get minifig sets at all as no store will carry a money loosing product.

[@bearostbear3006]

Source?

[@Bionickpunk]

It was so apparent ever since Vidyo and Mario done it and seeing sale drops cause of the move to boxes.

[@Seb94Argent]

They’ve moved towards cardboard boxes for CMFs but they’re still using plastic bags inside sets despite revealing paper bags two years ago…

[@NoahgotLEGO]

Some sets have had paper bags for exclusive elements such as the windscreen pieces for the C1 Corvette and the 3 head pieces for the Avatar way of water whale set. I wonder why Lego hasn’t implemented paper bags more widely. Perhaps getting rid of stock of plastic packaging or production issues with widespread adoption of paper packaging. Who knows.

[@ClicheProductions]

i mean im sure they could still do cmf bags if theyre still doing millions of plastic bags for every set still even tho everyone wants paper bags in sets

[@FabuBrik]

right? they rolled that out so fast when it benefited them and not the consumer.

[@richarddietz2659]

Corporation$ lie to us all the time , that's why this planet is so full of poop

[@Shroo26]

For real. I don’t think anyone is opposed to the paper bags in sets and yet it’s taken them years to full send it, yet this was done within a year. Very interesting lego

[@lukemackenzie3396]

Series 1 and 2 hold the solution. Unique barcodes for those who know/collect the lot. Blind buy for those who just want the suprise of a box. One day this kind of gambling/lucky dip will be frowned upon and outlawed.

[@joshuamcclain71]

Yes, I think that some legislation against encouraging children to gamble would be very appropriate.

[@BossBast1]

That is the simplest option. It clearly shows lego goal was to prevent this. Not being environmentally friendly, only the extra money from preventing feeling.

[@trentmking]

The blind buy is only useful if there is a limited one to find, like the Mr Gold.

[@miroslavbros5543]

Well I feel like this is LEGO version of pokemon cards. They created a market where the value is generated through rarity but at the same they did a nice thing and made the probability of finding minifigures the same. If it was like pokemon there would be 90% of basic lego city minifigures 9% of collectible ones and 1% of the really good ones. If you dont like to gamble, there are many people willing to sell you the minifigure you want on the aftermarket but for a higher price if it is a good one. You basicaly pay for no risk pick, which seems fair. So to sum it up I think this kind of product has its place on the market, especially when it comes to collectible products like LEGO.

[@teh_shaw4103]

I hope you are wrong and this day never comes.

[@aidianajones]

The idea of the blind bag / blind box was alright at first, I think they were £1.99 when they started and now the price has almost doubled to £3.49. When trying to get specific characters due to either already having several others in the wave or just not wanting other characters, that's much more money to basically gamble. Nowadays I tend to buy a few when they launch to try my luck and get the remaining ones I want secondhand off ebay. They can't make the characters harder to find by taking away the feeling, as well as make them more expensive so people are spending more money without knowing what they're getting in return.

[@ryleyw3684]

In Canada it used to be around $2.50 or $3 now it's almost $6, it's ridiculous, I'd like to continue to collect but its expensive

[@darbyohara]

It’s insane now that they’re $4

[@idogcow]

When a CMF and a Polybag set are the same price, TLG removed, for many, the reward is greater than the risk opportunity. Add in that these are individual MCU characters so doubles make no sense as 'army builders' and you've got a situation For what it's worth, I ordered Echo and a few others from BL but I'm reallyt😢

[@koloth5139]

I love that my local Lego Store solved the problem by just opening, numbering, and resealing the boxes. I won't buy CMFs anywhere but my Lego Store until they do make a change.

[@darthrevan4485]

I really wish the Lego higher ups had taken like 5 minutes to think about their customers and realized the only reason the “random” of the cmfs was tolerated up to this point because the charm was feeling it to try and figure out what it was. Without that, the randomness becomes a money grab and all the fun charm is gone. If the ability to feel and guess the fig is gone, the surprise also needs to go. Especially for the kids who buy these. I remember being a little kid and feeling the packaging and trying to see if it was the fig I wanted. When I got home and opened it, it usually wasn’t cuz I was exceptionally bad at it lol, but I couldn’t be mad at Lego for it, it was my own fault at that point. But I also didn’t have the money to keep going back and trying again. Now kids who obviously have very little money are going to be even less likely to get the one they want and won’t be able to afford trying again.

[@BDA1137]

Incorrect. What it just meant was that people who could would "feel out" the best figs and that left the kids with the rubbish... or worse yet a bunch of unsold stock of the figs that nobody wanted.

[@TFanPage101]

Interestingly enough, the Mega Construx line have codes for their blind bags that are specific for each figure produced. I don't know if LEGO would be up for it, but for collectors like me who would settle for one each, it's a win

[@internetjesus]

The first few series of CMF had a barcode on the back where you can find out what you got. Then they switched to bumps before people just went with feel.

[@davidgamble4086]

LEGO: "We need to get rid of these foil bags." Also LEGO: *Has over 100 plastic bags in the large sets*

[@AwesomeLaturn]

I enjoy the mystery aspect of them because that's what they are meant to be. What they should do is go back to putting the dot codes on the box, that way those that are completionists can look for the dots while people that actually enjoy fun can just grab them.

[@l.b.2392]

I used to successfully pick all my desired figures and more. Meaning I bought an average of 10 precise figures per series. This time I only purchased 2 blindly and called it a day. Surprised I can control my Lego addiction haha

[@l.b.2392]

@@melissacahill2801 see, now you have to pay extra anyways, I suppose. We should just boycott those kind of ripoff products in general.

[@Juleru]

Yes! I bought all 10 (?) of the last Marvel series because trying to find out what's inside was actually fun. With the recent one I bought 4 and managed to get the ones I wanted by weighing - not going to buy any more now because I don't feel like accidently buying duplicates.

[@l.b.2392]

@@Juleru great! So weighing worked for you perfectly? Congrats! Any tips?

[@michaelnewton6789]

I didn't buy any of them this time because I didn't want to get stuck with Echo or that stupid werewolf thing. Some of the figs are leaps and bounds better than others, and not being able to feel for the ones I wanted killed any desire for me to buy this series.

[@NinjaHelpdesk]

Disappointing response from Lego. Poor form by the company for leaving the poor packaging team to take the wrap for a corporate/finance decision. Thanks @Brickfanatics for the ongoing in-depth coverage of this incredibly frustrating issue ❤❤

[@jackyharuhiko]

Totally support your opinion about blind boxes. They are completely anti consumer.

[@Spaceman719]

I like the little boxes but it’s such a dumb decision to make! How about make it a surprise by giving a number without a picture of the mini figure 😄

[@Nio744]

Yes just put little numbers on the back from 1-12 that correspond with the checklist.

[@Juleru]

Even better: Make it a small puzzle! This creates fan involvement -> people work together -> people are happy -> people buy more.

[@rawwad]

or even better, put the f/cking picture of the minifig right on top of the box, customers seems to hate the whole mystery colelctible product idea, they lying to themeseves they do like it, but they don't, they just want whole collection asap and that's it, no excitment or anything, just give them the f*cking minifigs instantly. Also best would be to mark each minig which is the most valuable straight away, so the scalpers can imediately buy all of those and resell them for double price

[@RhysNelson-rw2mp]

Finally another reasonable comment but still seeing lunacy in the replies

[@rawwad]

@@RhysNelson-rw2mp how is that reasonable?, with number it's not mystery at all then, if shop order thousands of them, employ can easily check them in storage room before putting into shelves, see which is the least frequent number,so those would be the hardest one to get and most valuable naturally, he can buy them all and resell for higher price. Or they wouldn't care, put it all on the shelves and in first two days the scallpers would buy all the rare ones. Do you ppl even use brains? stupid numbers would make it even worse, its equal to showing the picture of minifig straight away

[@Leopardo_Bianco]

So Lego is promoting gambling. "Reward not guaranteed regardless of purchase amounts." I was in the gambling business for almost 10 years, and this is the definition. If they are going to continue with these boxes, they need to remove unappealing filler characters, and focus on more actual army builder figures. Example: releasing a entire line of solely "castle" figures where duplicates of a archer or an orc will not remorse customers from purchasing again. I don't blame the packaging designers, I blame the marketing team for poorly analyzing what the customer wants. If they don't change their think, the minifigure line will continue to poorly sell, and I'll continue purchasing the the ones I desire from bricklink.

[@outsider238]

It's ironic how a company whose entire business is making plastic is concerned about not using plastic for its packaging. Now with the decision to use these boxes, all they ended up doing is creating more trash in the world because the stores end up throwing away the open boxes and minifigures and pieces in the trash.

[@thegreenwig5026]

I love how the guy opens one box of these and then says, "I wouldn't have chosen to buy this one." Literally destroys any further argument he tries to make in favor of this stupid change. Sustainability is a pipe dream at best and a scam at worst. It's an excuse to give us an inferior product. "Maintaining the surprise" literally didn't even work on the FIRST package because he pulled a shitty character no one knows or cares about. Even if he pulled one that he wanted, the surprise only lasts until you start pulling unnecessary duplicates or unwanted minifigures. The LEGO company deserves to be torn to shreds over these changes.

[@steveterry2350]

Shops will just have to keep them behind the counter. If they want to keep the element of surprise they could include rare variations into the set as a collectors chase item. They have been doing the same with trading cards for over 40 years.

[@rawwad]

but customers don't want surprise as you can hear in the video, the lego fans start imemdiately criticizing the packaging, because product that meant to be surprise is working as, wait for it ......... surprise. Shocking!

[@koendecrock]

Did nobody ask the question whether they plan to roll out the tryout 12 minifig boxes with a full set of figs that they sold only in Denmark more globally? I do not really mind the boxes, and have had more success weighing them in store than others, but I would happily splurge on a box that guarantees to give you a full set, even at a premium price

[@M0torsagmannen]

i think buying a full set option makes sense.

[@Bionickpunk]

Dont care, dont want a complete set, just want one or two figures and I dont intend to buy numerous boxes on blind with no way to tell, just so I may have a chance to get what I want. Blind box method should die in a fire.

[@digitalfiction]

@@Bionickpunkjust buy the mini fig you want.

[@Bionickpunk]

@@digitalfiction You can't, that's the freaking point. You can't get the fig you want cause the boxes prevent people from feeling the pieces. Did you not pay attention, or do you really expect people to just accept the insane aftermarket prices for minifigs?

[@digitalfiction]

@@BionickpunkYes, I mean you can just go online and buy it.

[@lucapietrangeli270]

Surprise is awesome to value when all minifugres are all equally wanted and getting duplicates is appreciated by the customer. Ive gotten so many Goliaths trying to get 1 moonknight i just stopped buying them and decided to purchase the minifigure from Bricklink

[@l.b.2392]

Probably someone went through the box before with a weight.

[@GregOrCreg]

The good thing about the Echo minifig, apart from the prosthetic leg, is that her hair and duel-face head-piece are quite versatile and could be used for a customised character. She's not an alien or a robot or someone whose features don't translate easily to a customised/alternative character.

[@satansshadow218]

I also like the arms. I was going to try to use them for maybe an electra/ scarlet witch or skarlet from Mortal kombat

[@soniaholcombe7002]

The lesson in this video is…..vote with your wallet!!!!

[@ChrisParker-p6q]

We have been spoiled for many years with the ability to feel what was in the bag. I will miss them because there was still that element of risk and the feeling of smugness when your guess was correct. I think there is still a market for the individual boxes, for kids to spend their pocket money on, and if they get a double up, go and swap it in the playground. However, for the collectors, maybe they could also offer a boxed set.

[@Leah-yz4rj]

Do kids actually do that though? I don't have kids, so I don't know 😆. All I know are adult collectors.

[@JET9241]

I agree, it's a blind bag. Think of the stores if people picked through collector cards in the disgraceful way people have these boxes.

[@Multi476]

@@Leah-yz4rjI absolutely felt the bags as a kid for the Mega Bloks Halo mini fig blind bags.

[@Revenant7n]

Spoiled!? 😂 By knowing what we're buying. We have different standards I think.

[@emeraldninjalink6312]

If Lego makes every other product environmentally friendly, I think that keeping the minifigures in the foil packaging won’t ruin their goal fully(since Lego cmf is not as much as the large scale sets)

[@TheCrisses]

So they should compromise brick quality instead?

[@Bionickpunk]

@@TheCrisses They already did, Have you seen their minifig print quality, its absolutely dreadful on darker plastics

[@emeraldninjalink6312]

I’m thinking everything finally goes to paper bags(no more plastic bags, which for each set was so much more than one cmf bag), continue to paper instructions or go digital, and I believe that would be enough to satisfy being environmentally friendly-since we only get 1 or 2, with some times 3 cmf series each year while full fledged sets are over 100 every year.

[@scratchsketch1879]

CMFs are in boxes, meanwhile I have not yet seen a single wide release set with paper bags...

[@herringnjd]

The store had one pack of boxes, most had been opened by a previous checker, by the corner that came back together when put down, I was able to find the figures I wanted, complete paid full price. Ideal. A little trust nothing was missing. Only problem is the store these days gets one pack and dosn't get a 2nd. Weird to leave an empty shelf.

[@MBDyson829]

"Because we want people to buy as many as possible in pursuit of the ones they actually want."

[@kentslocum]

The problem isn't the packaging; the problem is the "blind" collectible aspect. LEGO shouldn't be supporting gambling. Honestly, I'm convinced that LEGO would sell far more collectible minifigures if they weren't "surprises". If LEGO thought mystery boxes was a good idea, why don't they sell regular sets in blind boxes (i.e., you might get a Star Wars set, or you might get a Friends set)? Because blind boxes are ridiculous!

[@sauronmrc13]

There’s a special place in hell for whoever decided on boxes instead of bags

[@tomasfavetto5040]

The fact that Lego continues to sell polybags and plastic bags inside normal sets shows that this has nothing to do with sustainability, they just wanted to make CMFs more of a gamble so we'd blindly buy more

[@SockieTheSockPuppet]

Cardboard boxes were such an abysmal failure that Wave 2 of the Vidiyo boosters never even showed up in my region of the US. Largely due to all of the opened boxes because people were so fed up with constantly getting duplicates. And now I'm certain that like with the Mario boosters, I'm only going to buy one box as is at this point, and get anything else secondhand.

[@Acidonia150reborn]

I think Vidyo Wave 2 a Full Box was 2 copys of each Fig. Only my Local UK Lego Store got them in I got all Figs but one that was from the only box they had left.All the sets including the last wave stuff was half price at the time.

[@ivi_bit]

They changed back the X-wing pilot minifig helmets for less backlash than this, I don't expect these to last long

[@jediknightjairinaiki560]

I've found all the CMFs in this series (and doubles for those with two sided heads. I've opened boxes in the store and found the ones I've wanted. I don't care. LEGO brought this on themselves, they can suffer the consequences. I thought about buying one of the micro scales and weighing each box but haven't yet. If the box option continues, I'll buy a micro scale.

[@rhuman8672]

Cardboard isn’t more environmentally friendly anyway. They take up more space during transport so more Lorrie’s will be needed. And cardboard needs to have new card added to it during recycling as the fibres degrade. More Trees will need to be chopped down. The solution is to have pictures on a box and have multiple figures in that box to be efficient. Not to mention that lots of people end up with plastic they don’t want. That then either ends up sat in a cupboard or transported to someone else by reselling (more carbon). There is nothing eco about this whole product.

[@Thatoneskymember]

“Lose-lose” except it’s a win for the people who actually get to tell what’s in the box.

[@Kertgaferg]

Also, what are you supposed to do with the duplicates? They're too specific. If you are buying more generic figures, sure getting another construction worker or another pirate is cool. You can add them to your workforce or your pirate crew. But what am I supposed to do with 3 Wolverines and 15 Echoes?

[@JustIceWasTaken]

Last month I went to the Lego isle at my Walmart and someone had torn open all of the minifigure boxes

[@PatriciaMaroney]

Maybe since mystery boxes are currently so popular in almost every other type of toy or collectible figures, they didn't expect to have such controversy over the packaging. Seems like LEGO collectors as a majority do not actually want to spend money on a surprise, so that's something their company should take into consideration.

[@unicron76]

LEGO needs to realize that they make plastic. They need to go back to bags.

[@mookie714]

why even make them blind boxes at all? there's no chase figures, so just print on the box what is inside.

[@whitneykelley3580]

Gambling is *illegal* for children in many countries LEGO sells in. LEGO *has* to know that a lot of kids will have their hearts set on a specific figure, and that it then becomes gambling to get the one they want. As a parent with a young child, I cannot tell you how angry and frustrated I am with LEGO over this. Because I know about Bricklink and eBay, but it’s not easy to explain to a small child that they have to wait for one to come in the mail when they can see the box at the store.

[@cbaker2102]

Is there any kind of identifier stamp on the box like how the bags used to have the bump codes?

[@ChrisChaos08]

I think it’s cruel for Lego to put them up in front of ppl like that to have someone to blame but how much hard work is really put into designing a cardboard box????

[@bernd-das-brot]

You may have felt sorry for the packaging designers at that moment, but if they had been following the topic, they would have expected such a reaction from the fans, because there had only been negative reactions to the new design beforehand. What I am critical of is the hope for customer-friendly packaging design in the future; unfortunately, in the past, Lego has too often completely ignored all criticism of their products. In the end, it's just a company that wants to sell with maximum profit, i.e. as many units as possible with as little product as possible at the highest possible price. The aim here is to maximize the number of units, much less product is hardly possible with the minifigures. Selling the whole thing as environmental protection is a positive side effect for the company in the current situation, because it was actually bad for Lego's business that you could feel the contents in the bag and get the figures you wanted in a targeted manner , double purchases were rather rare, now you are forced to buy until you have completed a series, but the fact that feeling the figures was also part of the shopping experience is of no interest to anyone at Lego, the fact that there are fewer plastic bags is just a justification just offered. Anyone who is only interested in the figures has already bought from a dealer who has unpacked the figures beforehand. For those for whom feeling them was part of the fun of shopping, the fun is now over.

[@pbosche]

I work a hard blue collar job for 60-70 hours a week. It’s both unhealthy and dangerous work. 1:43 imagine getting paid to work “really hard on and for an exceptionally long time..” and that thing is a cardboard box.

[@StacksOnBricks]

Why am I not surprised that the decision makers (management) weren’t there to take the fall? This lack of accountability is entirely consistent with much of large corporations.

[@Scrapy-ih7ob]

found THREE TORN boxes at Walmart the other day, when me my daughter bought some new builds, got the 90 yr galaxy, she got the horse ranch, great builds.

[@paconelious]

This feels like when companies think they know what people want and then completely ignore them😂. The first thing they should've done was observe HOW people were consuming the product, not just WHY. Dont get me worng, I get the intention of the product is to be a blind item, but the ones spending the most money consistently were not consuming it as a blind item. It sounds like they need to rework of the product maybe.

[@wyliebricks]

This is how most blind box products are, we were just spoiled to have so many years of the foil bags. What I would hope they would do is make them a little sturdier and add a bit more glue to make them a little harder to open. Might deter the dumb dumbs who open the packaging in the store. As a side note, Echo is in Hawkeye...really interesting character. I'm excited for the show.

[@GregOrCreg]

I'm 100% in favour of the new boxes. A win for the environment/sustainability is a win for us all. The problem is, fair-playing/law-abiding consumers are missing out because less conscientious consumers are ripping apart these boxes and grabbing their favourite CMF minifigs (not to mention, destroying the stock in the process). Some shops only supply these boxes to consumers behind the counter, so to speak, which, assuming each supply of CMF figs is randomly and equally distributed, is the best measure as far as I'm concerned. But some of the supermarkets place these minifigs on display stands at the ends of aisles/on shelves, which allows people to rip the boxes apart and ruin things for the rest of us.

[@wyliebricks]

@@GregOrCreg placing them near cash registers or high traffic areas would help with that. I wouldn't put them in the LEGO aisle at the back of the store. I hate the idea of stores putting LEGO in cabinets or always having them behind a counter because I love to look at the boxes.

[@GregOrCreg]

@@wyliebricks I don't mind having them behind counters/inside cabinets, now that we have boxes rather than packets because it's not as if I'm going to be feeling them anymore. And funnily enough, I've tended to have more luck in avoiding duplicates when I've left it to shop assistants to grab a box. The few times I tried the 'feel test' with the plastic packets, I failed miserably and ended up with duplicates. LOL.

[@studebricker2845]

​@@GregOrCregChanging from bags to cardboard will not make any difference in the environment. You have just been lied to, to think it will. Look up John Stossel's story on the green movement's myths if you dare to know the truth.

[@MonaroTravels]

They should put a very small window in them so you get to see a little bit of the contents as a clue.

[@ingridwinn9082]

Forget the surprise. We the people have said , we want the complete set. Period.

[@bradycicchini6994]

"Maintain the surprise" BS! I have been getting nothing but Agatha and Mr. Knight

[@sonicjhiq]

I don't like the blind bags or boxes, I got the same minifig 3 times in a row when I last got a few for series 24, 71037-5: Falconer

[@TheLegoJoker]

I got lucky and found a fresh set at my local Walmart. Bought 6 and got 3 She Hulks. Went back to get more a couple days later and what was left were all opened. Very disappointing. Ended up paying $10 per figure from a dealer to ensure I got the remaining figures I wanted from the wave.

[@DachnikU.]

F**k the surprise! I’m gonna damage as many of these boxes as needed to get all the minifigures I want without any doubles!

[@QuinnMallory-od1hw]

Well if lego won't go back to the foil bags for their customers then just wait until businesses refuse to sell the CMF due to damaged boxes! Maybe the loss of profits will change their minds

[@YouGoneMad]

"The Packaging MUST Maintain The Surprise!" I really hate that statement... Let me explain. It's quite clear that "The Surprise" isn't what LEGO gives a single damn about! "Surprise" is just a convenient word for "We sell more if they do not get the one they wanted!" Which I am sure sounds great to a CEO and Investors, as well as a Chair or Board for the business as a whole. However, I think it's fair to say that I have watched my child getting upset or having been disappointed far more than they have been excited for which Minifig they received. I can also speak the same for myself, as well as my wife who often grabs these from the store for both of us when she goes grocery shopping. In short it's gambling on whether or not you will have a good or a bad experience. Calling the experience anything other than BAD when you get the wrong one is just trying to call evil something other than what it is. LEGO is meant to be a FAMILY product, yet my child is literally gambling with their own hopes so that LEGO can get a few bucks more with extra package sold? This is exactly why our Family no longer purchases these "BLIND" bags/boxes. My Wife and I are willing to pay $1 or $2 dollars more per fig in order to get our Son the exact ones he truly wants or still needs. Myself though, I sell Lego Minifigs and Sets, so for myself, I do not mind as any extras end up getting sold for the same extra few bucks that I give for the minifigs I obtain for my boy. These are my feelings....How about you other good folks out there?

[@LeFaucheur]

I grabbed a bunch at random from a new box, and the "surprise" was quickly spoilt when I figured they were distributed in the box so as to maximize the number of duplicates you get. I think even grabbing foil bags without feeling, I didn't get that many duplicates.

[@dabraka681]

Don't feel sorry for them - they have to fix this!

[@JonUK4]

I buy the blind bags every more and again. This time round I’ve bought two. Both were echo. I’ll not buy more.

[@dylanw1491]

I think that the best middle ground is paper bags, like they use for some of the magazines. They're sustainable and you can feel inside them. They might be easier to rip, but people are ripping the boxes open to know what's inside anyway.

[@natbarmore]

Yeah, Lego has basically told me not to buy CMFs anymore. I’m not convinced the blind-bag presentation was _ever_ a good idea or brought _any_ value to Lego fans. The rumored “space” CMF series next year might be enough to get me to buy some opened boxes second-hand, extortion markup and all, but I didn’t even buy a single Marvel CMF, even though i bought the entire previous set - there’re 3 minifigs I might pay aftermarket prices for, 3-4 I might buy if I could feel them out [at retail price], and the rest I don’t care about. I don’t like those odds. Whereas with the Disney 100 series, even though there were only 4 that I “had to” have and 4 more that I was sorta interested in - which is slightly worse odds out of a set of 18 - I happily bought those (plus one more for my spouse) by taking the time to feel them out. Secretive packaging and unknown contents is a customer-hostile move, and an excellent way to tell me (and a lot of other customers) to go shop elsewhere, or at least to skip the mystery products. Stick to things like a single random-colored animal or other auxiliary parts if you _must_ do “collectible”.

[@BrickTsar]

Thank you Lego for finding more ways to save money

[@savatheaggie]

They had already slowed my purchases of the collectible minifigs when they increased the price, but they've lost me with this new packaging. It's far too much money to spend for me not to get exactly the minifig I want. Better on my wallet, I guess.

[@darbyohara]

If I’m paying $4 for a minifig, I wanna know what I get. I’m not taking a chance like when they were $2-3

[@rayhashman1579]

Using the weight guides that got released before launch, I was able to get exactly which figures I wanted by taking a mini scale along with me. Only Beast and She Hulk were too close for a scale determination, but with more parts in the Beast figure, a sound test by shaking was able to tell them apart. There is a way to tell without opening the boxes, and I was able to do so. Don't take this the wrong way, I prefer the bags for minifigs. But if they are going to switch to boxes, invest in a scale and do it that way. But there was a bigger issue for these particular figures. I just wished that they would hold stores accountable for not following street dates, as that was the bigger problem I saw. Scalpers went after everything well before official launch as stores ignored the street date. They were buying up the full boxes where they could to resell up to two weeks before launch in my area. Street dates are there to make it fair for people to find the product, not to give an unfair advantage to those who are lucky enough to find early.

[@Shroo26]

Very glad you said this and I totally agree! The honest lego fan who really cares, can get a scale. It’s worked perfectly for me. Really the only issue, like you said, is scalpers and/or people tearing open boxes to get what the want, however, this has always been an issue. The people mischievous enough to tear open each box, would also tear open the bags (I saw it quite a lot)

[@thes7274473]

I brought a scale to the Lego store (the only place around that sells them) and the employees wouldn't let me weigh them. They had the Minifigures behind the counter.

[@tomgames8616]

I did a sound test for basically all of the ones I got. I was successful in acquiring all of them in the marvel series. But, oh boy, repeats were many when trying to find the last one I needed.

[@rayhashman1579]

@@thes7274473 With all the posts on Lego forums and news sites from people before launch literally saying they just planned to open them up to get the ones they wanted, I'm not surprised they were behind counters.

[@wyrdcaboodle]

Just to clarify... they spent ages coming up with a packaging solution called... a "cardboard box"? 🧐🤔... I would be more impressed if they came up with a solution of a cardboard box that you could hold up to the light and saw shadows of the pieces therefore nobody would have a reason to break them open in the stores. The "packaging designers" are just pawns in the Corporate Machine, which will backfire. They are counting on people spending more money just to get a collection, but resellers will buy bulk loads, open them and sell on so you know what you're getting. Collectors (fans) will go there instead. Just one more question, is this contraption of a "cardboard box" been patented yet, or do I still have time? 🤪

[@Kertgaferg]

Here's the thing: I want to buy a specific figure. I bought 8 boxes the other day. I got 3 different figures. None of which I was interested in. If I'd spent the same amount on ebay, I'd have gotten exactly the figures I wanted. The whole concept should be scrapped. Nobody likes it. Nobody wants it. Imagine buying a Lego set with no idea what's inside.

[@hash181]

The pieces are loose in the boxes. I saw a few boxes with small rips from people peeping. There is the problem of pieces falling out of boxes during this process. Most retailers are keeping them behind the counter to prevent this.

[@VAULT-TEC_INC.]

Mega Construx (and My Little Pony back in the day) have codes on the back so you can tell what’s in there. It’s worked out fine for them.

[@ARMsMaster]

Kre-o did this as well. I remember using the codes to figure out which bag have which Transformers mini-figs so that I won't get any dupes, or found out which one I needed/missed if I didn't managed to get the entire wave in one trip.

[@legoman2313]

LEGO simply does not care. Once the sales drop and the retailers are telling them they have to stop selling their products because of deep discount that’s when we will get bags back. Happened with Hasbro with their action figures and “windowless” packaging

[@batsamd]

Thanks for this video, I hadn’t heard about this from other KZbinrs I watch. I wonder if LEGO’s view has changed any since Hasbro has gotten rid of their plastic free packaging, at least for Black Series Star Wars figures. If Hasbro can go back to using plastic in their packaging due to all of a sudden finding “environmentally friendly” plastics, wonder if LEGO could source similar plastic to make plastic bags for CMF lines.

[@momaw_C1-10P]

Even though I dislike the Black Series packaging without a window to see the figure at least I still know what figure I'm getting. As a consumer it's ok (putting aside the horror stories of people swapping figures). As a collector I'm not a fan. Yeah I know they are meant to be taken out and played with but it can't be ignored that the collector market is huge and collectors enjoy the mint and display in box factor. So not being able to admire the figure while in it's carbonite tomb greatly reduces the fun of those in my opinion.

[@Leah-yz4rj]

The only way to see what's in the boxes that I know of, is to buy a case, go through each one at home with a flashlight through the corner hole, then return what you don't want.

[@anamorphica6863]

Its extortion no doubts about it. You dont buy the bigger lego sets in boxes as a surprise. You know exactly what your buying. I bought 5 boxes of marvel before i got my first double. I lost interest after buying a double. I was somewhat fortunate in the fact that i got the chars i was after with blind luck. Lego will lose out on sales as i'm not interested in playing a lottery. Lego should man up and do the right thing and give us the minifigures we want. Otherwise, they risk killing the golden goose. The only benefit in having doubles is if i make a brick film, i have the option of mutilating the double. Bit macabre perhaps but that's life.

[@Chris_Ford]

4.44 - "I could only find this in Denmark its self" I got 2 of them 3 weeks ago in a Smyths toy store.

[@Accountnamehere1968]

Wasn't there something where the first CMF series had some code or combination of letters and numbers that could tell you which minifigure was which? Why don't they do that since most people will not be that observant?

[@bebopblue]

I pretty much gave up on boxes when they first showed up for Lego Mario series 5 sets after getting the same set three times. I still get them, but only maybe two, but also if I happen to find one open. It's funny how "they needed to maintain the surprise" when I went to a Lego store and the staff actually had some CMF bags that were numbered to whatever character was in it.

[@RachelChilds-r9g]

"I would not have chosen to purchase this minifigure." But you did. That right there is why they don't care about feel-ability.

[@AdriftLegend]

The problem with bag vs box is boiled down to getting what you want. What they should do, for the western market, is put a little window in the box so fans know exactly what they're getting when they buy one. Sure, it means there is no surprise, which is the point of it, & it means that all the most desirable minifigures will be bought out over the less desirable ones, but at least it won't ruin the surprise for any kid trying to buy one hoping for their favorite when all of the desirable minifigures have been pulled already by middle-aged men with bag fondling skills.

[@Zenlore6499]

It’s so annoying that “the point” of these is “the surprise” rather than “a collection of cool figures that customers want.” I don’t want a surprise, just let me buy a big box of the full collection!

[@shadowynne]

The moment they went to boxes i stopped buying. I dont need 6 of the same chracter i dont want. When it is actually much cheaper to buy the figure you want from scalpers then have to buy dozens of boxes of disappointing crap, then you as a manufacturer are failing.

[@thaddaeusrobinson4239]

Another problem with the whole environmentally friendly movement that the Lego group is doing ,is it is going to continue to raise the prices for Lego sets. In all honesty it’s a great PR move and it looks good on the social credit system for them as a business but It’s not a good business move. And it’s not good for the consumer but unfortunately, that’s the world we live in the consumer secondary and looking good socially is what’s first.

[@tarukthewolf]

It should be totally possible just to print a code at the box, which tell whats inside. At least for the second wave next year.

[@tarukthewolf]

Well with the current series this problem seems fixed!

[@richardblakely6854]

We tried the weight approach and still got four unwanted Goliaths and three unwanted Wolverines. Also, there was a misprint on Mr Knight’s head, but when I went to the site to get a replacement, all the unique MCU CMF s2 parts were out of stock, making me think maybe people were just getting them directly from there, which can’t be a good business strategy either.

[@anthonycalderon3039]

I wonder if it even matters. I wonder how much each set actually cost Lego to make.

[@myadultlegoworld5587]

Minifigures are no different than buying a set. I buy sets I want. I buy figures I want. I liked feeling the bags. That itself was fun. But now I won't buy any minifigures because I don't know what I'll get! Would I buy a plain box with the word Lego on it w/o knowing what I'm getting? NO!

[@zarlus8]

We know why the decision makers weren't in the room.

[@ThyGreenKnight]

If the change needs to occur for what ever environmental marketing campaign Lego wants to implement then perhaps it's also time to just make the packaging indicate which figure you get like all other Lego products, or sell full sets as an option (or even multiple partial sets). Lots of options there thinking either inside or outside the box.

[@ooshiemaniac5188]

It is 100% corporate greed. They could use the braille code they used previously. Kids and casuals wouldn't check. And it allows collectors to grab the set. At $5.00 each its not worth it. And I hope these boxes fail hard.

[@OptimalJai]

i guess the issue with knowing the contents of each blind box, is that you end up with excess of the less popular minifigs. CMF 'shelf warmers'. Adult collectors are still likely the minority of the CMF customers. These are for kids, who are used to the blind bag product style, and trade their duplicates with friends at school. Just like we did with panini stickers, pogs, or ccgs. And whether you agree with blind bags or not, tearing open the boxes on the shelves is just ruining it for everyone. Personally I got all the ones I wanted by heading to my local Lego store, buying 8, and trading my 2 duplicates with others who were in the store buying CMFs too.

[@jthom0027]

100% agree with you. Most of these people complaining must not live in the areas that have people feeling the bags and buying ALL of the sought after figures. How is that fun for anyone? I never found a falconer, orc, or space baby because of the army builder neckbeards in this area. I love that the boxes stop that stupid crap from happening. Of course those same neckbeards would just open the boxes like mongoloids instead of just taking the L and buying them as they are intended. They simply can't do that because their Lion Knight Castle just must have 27 falconers fighting off an army of 1098 orcs. It would be funny if it wasn't so embarrassing.

[@marknieuwstad2504]

So far I haven't had a set with paper bags, these are still plastic. And this is probably easier to implement, and would reduce the plastic waste more. As for the surprise, this you can still get when feeling the foil bags, to find the one you really want. And in some countries it might be illegal to sell something unknown (ie gambling) to children. So that's another problem to fix.

[@l.b.2392]

Lego just wants to make more money.

[@BoyFromBelgium99]

*My solution & why:* Paper bags like in the LEGO Magazines instead of cardboard boxes with glue. - It's still sustainable so there is no need of plastic for the bags. The paper bags can easily be recycled. - They already use paper bags for the LEGO Magazines and they also have microfighters in them so accessoires aren't an issue. - You can still feel the bags and although it's not what they want, that way you prevent items getting stolen or empty cardboard boxes. - There is no glue used and they are sealed within the factory so they can't be easily ripped open. - There are no known issues with paper bags with those LEGO magazines as far as I know here in Belgium. - You keep the surprise factor. You can use the pictures of the series on the front of the paper bag with information on the back. - People can't look through those paper bags and weighting them down also won't work probably. - Children ask their parents to buy these minifigures in local stores more than there are adults hunting them down. Some things I would also like to add to this series: - LEGO should do more to stores where the boxes or bags are ripped open and don't sell them there anymore because it's a loss. - LEGO should make larger boxes than 36 so when a popular series like Marvel or Disney get one, there are enough in stores. - Collectors should buy the whole set of minifigures from somewhere, many people buy a large box of 36 and sell them that way. - Please do never try to open a cardboard box in a store. It's theft. If you want to collect them, buy some and trade them or sell them.

[@DeannaEarley]

They addressed why not in the video.

[@BoyFromBelgium99]

@@DeannaEarley I don't see him explaining why paper bags would be an issue. He only explained that LEGO wants to use cardboard boxes because it's sustainable and they want to keep the surprise factor. If they decide that the cardboard boxes are an issue, I can really them thinking about paper bags because they use them already for other LEGO products.

[@DeannaEarley]

@@BoyFromBelgium99 I think you missed the bit where they said they fall apart..

[@BoyFromBelgium99]

@@DeannaEarley Can you please give me a timestamp?

[@DeannaEarley]

​​​@@BoyFromBelgium99 2:25.

[@thedeadpoolwhochuckles.6852]

Someone opened and stole every minifig except for the wolfman one.

[@Mike-uz7zv]

Not seen any open boxes on shelves personlly. However, with the brick search app, I got exactlly what i wanted quickly without having to spend hours feeling up every bag in the shop. Hope the barcode id works going forward.

[@tensaikashikoi]

The gambling aspect for a toy aimed at children produced by a company that claims they have high standards on these things has always bothered me. And I bet it doesn’t take 3-4 waves to print on the packaging what figure is inside. If only it’s a stamped code or name… LEGO, stop this sham and don’t teach kids to gamble on (sur)prizes. Everyone is a loser.

[@GenoppteFliese]

I hope governments are more strict on restricting gambling for kids, so we finally see that these boxes and similar products will be gone forever. Check out how ridiculous big the new boxes with 36 of these paper boxes are. The new packaging is worse for the environment, as a kilogramm fresh paper needs 320 kg raw materials, while you need less plastic and a kilogramm plastic only needs 180 kg raw materials and the opened boxes are so small they will be dumped in the normal waste bin, not being recycled. For many collectors Lego could save 80% of the packaging by providing a full series without their greedy gambling scheme ...

[@keiyakins]

It seems like they could solve this by printing whats in it on the front, like they do for their normal sets.

[@Caosespacial257]

"Cardboard boxes are good for the environment" *Opens the box and there is a plastic bag with the pieces inside it *

[@Qui-GonJohn]

If people used to feel the bags to see what was inside means that Lego wanting to surprise people is nonsense. Collectors want to know what they’re getting.

I saw them in a supermarket.Reduced to £2.50.Each one was in a,transparent,plastic security box!! Mind boggling!

[@jespergdahl]

This is a really easy fix. Lego packing division please hire me. Pick 4 colors and use each color as a group color. Put 3 mini figs in each group, and put a little strip of color on one of the corners of the box. So just as an example, if you see a red strip in the corner, you would know you would get Wolverine or She Hulk or Moonknight. Or if you see a yellow strip, you would know you would get Storm or Hawkeye or Agatha. If people care enough to feel the packs for the right one, they would also care enough to research color coding. Also offer all 12 mini figs. with some bricks for small landscape builds for a slightly higher price, so collectors can have a chance to be sure to get them all.