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A History of Great LEGO Ideas (July 2020 update)

LEGO Ideas is hotter than ever, so we thought we'd take a look back at every LEGO Ideas and LEGO Cuusoo design review over the last 11 years.

by Gary Etzel
Comments 3

Last April, LEGO celebrated the sixth anniversary of the LEGO Ideas website. The first blog post, Welcome to LEGO Ideas!, was published on April 30, 2014. But LEGO Ideas was preceded by the LEGO Cuusoo platform, totaling nearly 11 years of LEGO Ideas and LEGO Cuusoo fan submissions.

Between LEGO Ideas and Lego Cuusoo, 30 official LEGO sets have been released. Seven additional sets have been announced; final design details and release dates will be announced soon.

In 2020, LEGO Ideas is hotter than ever. A record-shattering 26 LEGO Ideas projects qualified for the First 2020 LEGO Ideas review, and so far 18 sets have qualified for the Second LEGO Ideas review. The recently released Pirates of Barracuda Bay was perhaps one of the most highly anticipated LEGO Ideas sets in years. Other recent sets like Tree House and Dinosaur Fossils were praised for their creativity and for pushing new LEGO boundaries with their innovative designs.

We thought it would be fun to dedicate a blog post to the success of the LEGO Ideas platform. Many great ideas have been approved, and sadly many more have not. In reviewing these submissions, we found the following interesting statistics:

  • 189 projects have achieved the required supporters to reach the LEGO review (we’re only counting the review stages where results have been officially announced)
  • 37 of those projects (19.5%) were approved as official LEGO sets.
  • 152 projects (80.5%) were not approved.
  • 27,212 LEGO Ideas projects have expired without achieving the required number of supporters (as of July 18, 2020)
  • The largest released LEGO Ideas set is Tree House (21318), with 3036 pieces.
  • The smallest released LEGO Ideas set is Research Institute (21110), with 165 pieces.
  • 19 of the 37 approved projects (51%) are based licensed properties. Five additional projects are based on historical objects or events (such as the Apollo 11 Saturn-V rocket and Women of NASA)
  • The most expensive LEGO Ideas sets are Tree House (21318) and Pirates of Barracuda Bay (21322), both retailing for $199 USD.

Below you will find results and links for every completed LEGO Ideas review and LEGO Cuusoo review over the last 11 years. Which favorite sets have you added to your collection? Which projects were not approved that you really wish you could buy? Be sure to let us know in the comments below.

We’ll continue to update this blog post as the results are announced for future LEGO Ideas reviews.

Third 2019 Review

Second 2019 Review

First 2019 Review

Extraordinary 10 Year Anniversary Fan Vote

Third 2018 Review

Second 2018 Review

First 2018 Review

Third 2017 Review

Second 2017 Review

First 2017 Review

Third 2016 Review

Second 2016 Review

  1. Qualifying projects: 12
  2. Approved sets: 2 *
  3. LEGO Ideas blog article: LEGO Ideas Second 2016 Review Results

First 2016 Review

Third 2015 Review

Second 2015 Review

First 2015 Review

Third 2014 Review

Second 2014 Review

First 2014 Review

Winter 2014 Review

Fall 2013 Review

Winter 2012, Spring 2013, and Summer 2013 Review

Fall 2012 Review

Summer 2012 Review

Previously Approved LEGO Cuusoo Sets

(The initial 3 LEGO Cuusoo sets were released before formal review periods were announced.)

  • LEGO Minecraft (released as 21102-1 – Minecraft Micro World: The Forest)
  • Hayabusa (released as 21101 – Hayabusa)
  • Shinkai (released as 21100 – Shinkai 6500 Submarine)

3 comments on “A History of Great LEGO Ideas (July 2020 update)”

  1. Pingback: “Working Waterfall – with Continuous Flowing Water!” Achieves 10,000 Supporters on LEGO Ideas – BrickGeekz Blog

  2. Pingback: Who Will Win the Third 2019 LEGO Ideas Review? – BrickGeekz Blog

  3. Pingback: Retro-Review – Yellow Submarine (21306) – BrickGeekz Blog

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