LEGO Fan’s Prince-Inspired Set Needs 10K Votes for Production
A LEGO fan's Prince-inspired LEGO set idea has passed the first milestone towards becoming reality.
There's something timeless about LEGOs. I loved playing with them as a kid, and -- to be honest -- I still love tinkering with them as an adult. One of my earliest sets was Indiana Jones' Temple Escape; I still remember how cool all the set's booby traps were, like the falling boulder that chased down Harrison Ford's character in the movie. My favorite LEGO sets were Star Wars sets; I had several space craft -- including an X-wing, A-wing and Jango Fett's Slave I bounty hunting ship -- that, once assembled, sat like trophies on my childhood desk, collecting dust but too valuable to take apart and rebuild or give away. There's just something special about LEGOs that gets the creative juices flowing no matter your age.
LEGO has added countless sets over the decades, thanks in part to ideas submitted by fans. LEGO Ideas is LEGO's creative program that invites amateur LEGO builders to submit a set design or idea that -- with enough public support -- may just become LEGO's next big set. "The journey of becoming a LEGO Fan designer is incredibly challenging," reads LEGO Ideas' website, "and requires a unique brick-built concept, solid planning, a boatload of determination, as well as a healthy amount of patience. It can take up to several years and you will have to work hard to build awareness of your project until it gains the necessary 10,000 supporters. But, oh, the fame and fantastic sense of achievement that awaits you if your idea goes all the way!"
One LEGO idea recently submitted and now in need of public support is a tribute to a Minnesota icon and legend -- the Prince symbol. A three-in-one wall art, concert stage and symbol guitar, "this set represents three forms of Prince's symbol, affording a multitude of display and play opportunities," reads the set's description. "A Prince symbol LEGO set will allow fans around the world to honor the music and legacy of Prince while finding inspiration and drive for their own creative passions." The proposed set includes a Prince character and several band-mates; instruments including guitars, a piano, saxophone and drum set; and a dove. The set can also be adjusted to look like Prince's signature guitar complete with "strings" and "tuners." In its third form, it can be simplified to look like wall art.
In order to be considered by LEGO experts, a submission must achieve certain numbers of votes from supporters in certain periods of time, starting with 500 votes within the first 60 days of submission and ultimately reaching 10,000 votes within two years. As of writing, the Prince symbol LEGO set had acquired 538 votes in its first 6 days -- a strong start but a long ways yet to go.