Blocks is digging through the attic to find some old and forgotten LEGO themes that deserve a little love.
Not every LEGO theme can be a smash hit year after year, capturing fans’ imaginations with every new release. Sometimes, a theme runs its course after a year or two, left to be a chapter in the long history of the LEGO line-up. Though not all retired themes are created equal. There are some that never go out of style — the likes of LEGO Adventures and LEGO Power Miners still get plenty of love from fans young and old.
But what about the themes that don’t get as much attention? It might be easy to write these themes off by saying that they just aren’t as good, but that’s often not the case (often, not always — looking at you, Belville). Sometimes a theme is released at the wrong time or without enough sets to build up enough of a fanbase. Join Blocks, the monthly LEGO magazine, on a trip back in time to rediscover the top five forgotten LEGO themes.
Time Cruisers (1996 – 1997)
Speaking of going back in time, LEGO Time Cruisers (or Time Twisters, depending on where in the world you are) was one of the LEGO Group’s first ‘wacky’ themes, releasing in 1996. By the late 1990s, the LEGO Group had comfortably expanded past its original three themes from 1978, but something like Time Cruisers was entirely fresh. To call its nine sets utterly bizarre would be a gross understatement. 6494 Mystic Mountain Time Lab, one of the theme’s larger offerings, not only contains the titular mountain, but also a giant laser canon, flaming watchtower and a rocket-powered rowboat, crewed by a monkey.
The concept of Time Cruisers is an interesting one — the heroic cast explores time and space with vehicles built from a mash-up of different eras, including Castle, Pirates and Space. Though in execution, it’s easy to see why the theme only lasted two years and has been largely forgotten. Limited by a small parts catalogue dominated by huge, specialised elements, the builds ended up looking more cluttered than cool.
Pharaoh’s Quest (2011)
The early 2010s were host to many one-off themes that have since flown under the radar of most fans. 2011’s LEGO Pharaoh’s Quest was one of the first of these themes and lasted one year with a total of nine sets, including two small polybags. A spiritual successor to the beloved LEGO Adventures theme, Pharaoh’s Quest saw explorer Jake Raines take a team into the desert, where they would have to battle against the monsters of the past.
The theme nails the aesthetics of Ancient Egypt very well — the Anubis Guard minifigure is one of the highlights. The builds are excellent, too, with 7327 Scorpion Pyramid being one of the best. A raised baseplate lays the foundation of what becomes a simple yet striking pyramid, filled with all sorts of traps and dangers. Oh, and the giant scorpion is awesome, too — as long as you’re not one of the unfortunate explorers who has to fend it off.
Alien Conquest (2011)
2011 was a good year for original LEGO themes. Not only did LEGO NINJAGO take the world by storm, but smaller themes were thriving as well. In addition to Pharaoh’s Quest, LEGO Alien Conquest also took to shelves with a total of ten sets. The theme saw aliens attack Earth for the first time, flipping the script on traditional LEGO Space themes. Earth luckily has the brave Alien Defence Unit (ADU) to fight back, clad in their futuristic blue armour. But the aliens are nothing to scoff at. They came with sets like 7052 UFO Abduction, determined to conquer Earth for themselves. Not only are the builds fun, but the minifigures are incredible. Every alien character has a specially moulded head to help them stand out from your typical LEGO minifigure.
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Ultra Agents (2014 – 2015)
Just like LEGO Pharaoh’s Quest, LEGO Ultra Agents was a modern take on a fan-favourite theme from the early 2000s — LEGO Agents. Ultra Agents aimed to capture the same over-the-top super spy vibe as the original theme, doing so with the benefit of a broader selection of parts. This meant the theme was able to create some truly remarkable sets, such as 70173 Ultra Agents Ocean HQ. The boat, while not actually able to float, is a gorgeous model, with its sleek black colour and highlights of white and trans-neon orange.
Ultra Agents did end up lasting for two years and fifteen sets, demonstrating longer legs than the previous themes on this list, but it wasn’t quite able to capture the same energy as the original LEGO Agents sets. Which is a shame, because many of these models are still genuinely great a decade later.
Elves (2015 – 2018)
To call LEGO Elves forgotten may seem a bit dramatic, considering the theme had a whopping 42 sets over the course of 4 years — many more than any other theme on this list. But Elves has fallen out of many fans’ memories, despite the huge number of sets released. This is partly due to the theme’s use of mini-dolls over minifigures, as a good chunk of adult fans will dismiss a set outright if it doesn’t include minifigures. And while there’s certainly nothing wrong with preferring minifigures over mini-dolls, overlooking Elves is an unfortunate side effect, because the theme has some beautiful sets.
LEGO Elves is pure fantasy fun, with magical colours and creative builds. Sets like 41180 Ragana’s Magic Shadow Castle may not compare to 10316 Rivendell, but still manage to be beautiful models, despite being designed for young children to be able to build. And the use of mini-dolls almost adds to the fantastical vibe of the theme, making it feel truly otherworldly.
Did your favourite forgotten LEGO theme make the list? Or does another capture your imagination? Let Blocks know on any of our social media channels.