LEGO Ultimate Fan Vote: A Discussion
The results are in on the LEGO Ultimate Fan Vote, which will determine which Classic Theme will return for a limited release of one set. The top three will now go into the finalist phase, with Bionicle garnering the top tier slot, followed by Classic Space and Pirates. We're going to begin by giving you the facts, starting with the results of the Fan Vote, then followed by the percentage breakdown of all votes from the IDEAS site, and then lastly followed by a look at the number of subthemes each contending theme has, versus the number of subthemes included in the Fan Vote. You can review the top 10 results below:
Results:
Bionicle
Classic Space
Pirates
Trains
Adventurers
Classic Castle
Forestmen
Imperials
Lion Knights
Model Team
Discussion
Based on the graph below, provided by aggregating all the data from the LEGO Ideas website (credit to: Stonewars.de), you can get a better overall look at where and how votes were calculated. The graph illustrates a commanding lead by Bionicle, so it's very likely that this will be the new Classic set, which will certainly disappoint many fans. We're going to take a look at how this data may be skewed by the inclusion of several Subthemes for certain Classic Themes, versus the exclusion of other Subthemes. (Note: All of this data is based on the article from Stonewars, and may not reflect the actual results; all information is theoretical based on their data).
If you take into account the number of Subthemes included in the vote for each theme, versus the number of Subthemes that were not included, it seems as though the vote was fairly skewed. Below is a quick breakdown comparing the top 6 contenders in terms of overall number of Subthemes (excluding Accessories, Collections, and Seasonal Sets):
Bionicle — 17,111 Votes | 31% Share of Total Users
Agori
Barraki
Bionicle ——— | 17.111 Votes | 31% Total Users
Bohrok
Bohrok Va
Bohrok-Kal
Companions
Glatorian
Glatorian Legends
Matoran
Mistika
Phantoka
Piraka
Rahaga
Rahi
Rahkshi
Reboot Villains
Stars
Toa
Toa Hagah
Toa Hordika
Toa Inika
Toa Mahri
Toa Mata
Toa Metru
Toa Nuva
Turaga
Vahki
Visorak
Warriors
Space — 28,688 Votes | 51.9% Share of Total Users
Alien Conquest
Blacktron 1/2 ——| 3.822 Votes | 6.9% Total Users
Classic —————| 13.012 Votes | 23.6% Total Users
Exploriens ————| 1.206 Votes | 2.2% Total Users
Futuron
Galaxy Squad
Ice Planet ————| 3.336 Votes | 6% Total Users
Insectoids
Life On Mars
Mars Mission
M-Tron —————| 2.616 Votes | 4.7% Total Users
RoboForce
Space Police 1-3 —| 4.127 Votes | 7.5% Total Users
Spyrius —————| 569 Votes | 1% Total Users
UFO
Unitron
Pirates — 15,814 Votes | 28.7% Share of Total Users
Classic —————————| 10.760 Votes | 19.5% Total Users
Imperial Armada/Guards —| 5.054 Votes | 9.2% Total Users
Islanders
Trains — 10,646 Votes | 19.3% Share of Total Users
12V
4.5/12V
4.5V
9V
Adventurers — 10,477 Votes | 19% Share of Total Users
Desert
Dino Island
Jungle
Orient Expedition
Castle — 33,216 Votes | 52.3% Share of Total Users
Black Falcons — | 2.959 Votes | 5.4% of Total Users
Black Knights — | 4.456 Votes | 8.1% of Total Users
Classic ———— | 8,853 Votes | 16% of Total Users
Crusaders
Dark Forest
Dragon Knights—| 4.398 Votes | 8% of Total Users
Fantasy Era
Forestman ———| 5.936 Votes | 10.8% of Total Users
Fright Knights
Kingdoms
Knights' Kingdom I
Knights' Kingdom II
Lion Knights ——| 5.000 Votes | 9.1% of Total Users
Ninja
Royal Knights
Wolfpack ———| 1.614 Votes | 2.9% of Total Users
Summary — Change in Results
After comparing the total number of votes and the percentage share of total users, it looks like we have a new breakdown—if sensibly, all Subthemes were combined under one header, as was the case with Bionicle in the initial Fan Vote. Since in total you could vote for a total number of 3 different Themes/Subthemes, it's not certain the total number of votes that were cast for each category, but the number of users that votes for the theme is discernible, as is the percentage of total users that voted.
Rank Theme Users Share of Total Users
1. Castle 23,738 52.3%
2. Space 23,396 51.9%
3. Bionicle 17,111 31%
4. Pirates 13,927 28.7%
5. Trains 10,646 19.3%
Conclusion
Based on the fact that the Bionicle Theme has a total of 29 Subthemes ranging from the years 2001-2016, compared to Castle Theme that has only 16 Subthemes ranging from the years 1978-2016—it seems a bit uneven that the competition included Bionicle as on overall Theme versus Castle, which was divided into 7 separate categories that each received their own individual vote. Not surprisingly, Castle received the overall maximum percentage of Users when every Subtheme was combined appropriately and calculated as one. It's no surprise that many in the LEGO Community are upset about the results, and are left wondering why the vote was arranged in the way that it was.
At the end of the day, this Fan Vote is meant to gauge the interest of the community, and give back to the community what fans are asking for. If you're a member of any LEGO Community, you'll see often a call to arms for a return of the Castle Theme, and while Bionicle undoubtedly has its following (as represented by the Fan Vote), it is inevitably a Subtheme in-and-of-itself of the Technic Theme—which many consider something separate from the LEGO System we all know and love.
It's certainly possible that considering The LEGO Group was saved by the Bionicle Theme back in the early 2000s when the company was on the verge of going under, that perhaps they intentionally consolidated Bionicle and split up its most ardent competitors, in an effort to encourage the results in the favor of a Bionicle return. It's a highly profitable theme that requires very minimal parts and components, and I'm assuming due to its success in their time of need, has a very high profit margin. Perhaps that's why it was not broken up into Subthemes like many of the other Major Themes.
It's not over yet! There's still time to vote for the top three finalists, which will begin on February 3rd 2021 until February 10th 2021. One of these three themes will be what the 90th Anniversary Set will be based on.
Your Thoughts
We want to know what you think about the results, who you voted for, and which of the remaining three themes you're most interested in having return! Subscribe and comment below, or visit our Facebook page to state your opinions there.
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