Meet Monkie Kid – LEGO’s Newest Theme

Today LEGO has officially revealed details of their newest theme – Monkie Kid.

Inspired by the 500-year-old story of the Monkey King, LEGO Monkie Kid is a new, untold chapter of the legendary tale.

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LEGO is going all in on this one – There is eight initial sets, an animated mini movie and TV series. It’s a very deliberate attempt to appeal to the growing Chinese market. Just because these sets are inspired by Chinese culture doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy them though. The sets look crazy in a good way. Let me know what you think of this one.

There’s a lot to go through so lets get stuck in to it (click read more to see everything in detail). Here are the 8 initial Monkie Kid sets.

80006 White Dragon Horse Bike – $49.99 (259 pieces)

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80007 Iron Bull Tank – $79.99 (430 pieces)

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80008 Monkie Kid’s Cloud Jet – $79.99 (529 pieces)

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80009 Pigsy’s Food Truck – $99.99 (832 pieces)

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80010 Demon Bull King – $129.99 (1,051 pieces)

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80011 Red Son’s Inferno Truck – $169.99 (1,111 pieces)

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80012 Monkey King Warrior Mech – $229.99 (1,629 pieces)

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80013 Monkie Kid’s Team Secret HQ – $259.99 (1,959 pieces)

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Mini Movie Trailer

Here’s a quick look at the Monkie Kid mini movie

Monkie Kid Trailer A Hero Is Born from Michael Dolley on Vimeo.

Press Release

LEGO® Monkie Kid™ – a new hero is born,

a new story is waiting to unfold

The LEGO Group’s first ever Chinese inspired theme sees the legend of the Monkey King from the classic Journey to the West novel reimagined in LEGO sets and minifigures 

[May 15th, 2020] Inspired by the 500-year-old story of the Monkey King, LEGO Monkie Kid is the LEGO Group’s take on a new, untold chapter of the legendary tale. Featuring eight exciting sets, an animated mini movie and TV series, LEGO Monkie Kid is the first ever LEGO theme to be inspired by a Chinese legend and is rooted firmly in the country’s culture and values. The theme’s sets are packed with fun, excitement and an epic story just waiting to unfold…

The tale begins when an ordinary boy, Monkie Kid, finds Monkey King’s legendary staff and he becomes the chosen one. Together with his brave and loyal friends, Monkie Kid begins his quest to stop the Demon Bull King and his army of Bull Clones from taking over the city.

Paying tribute to stories known and admired by so many children and parents in China and Asia, this latest LEGO play theme brings new life to the iconic Monkey King fable and provides a common ground for children, parents and grandparents to build and play together.

“I am super excited about the launch of LEGO Monkie Kid. This fantastic new play theme is deeply inspired by Chinese culture and built on an esteemed story that is treasured by all generations. We know kids will be delighted by the world of LEGO Monkie Kid, and I can’t wait to see how they immerse themselves in building, role playing and creating new stories through this theme. This is a very exciting innovation for the LEGO brand and one that demonstrates our commitment to building a strong future in China,” says Julia Goldin, Chief Marketing Officer at the LEGO Group.

With a modern Chinese twist, LEGO Monkie Kid celebrates bravery and friendship and lets children engage in great building experiences whilst helping them to develop their imagination and creativity. Paul Huang, General Manager of LEGO China, says: “The launch of Monkie Kid is another important milestone in our journey to provide the creative LEGO play experience to many more Chinese children. Deeply rooted in Chinese culture, the new theme line is created with inspiration from China, for China, and at the same time empowers children around the world to be brave, resilient and optimistic through creative play with LEGO bricks.”

Children can look forward to eight action-packed sets with colourful characters, impressive vehicles with exciting new and hidden features – plus a blue cat with an orange mohawk! The sets are a result of two years of close collaboration with children and parents in China to ensure they are authentic to local culture. Never before has the LEGO Group launched a theme inspired by one culture and with so much attention to local details, values and traits.

“I have been touched and inspired by China’s rich history and culture, the passion and pride of the people and the incredible creativity of China. It has been an honour and privilege to be able to immerse myself in China’s culture of storytelling, in particular – Journey to the West and the Monkey King. The epic stories and incredible characters have been a huge inspiration to the LEGO design team and me. It is with deepest respect for Chinese culture and the 500-year-old legend that we have created the next chapter in the story of the Monkey King – The Monkie Kid,” says Simon Lucas, Senior Design Director at the LEGO Group.

LEGO Monkie Kid will launch worldwide on May 16th on LEGO.com, in LEGO Brand Retail Stores, LEGO Certified Stores, LEGOLAND and LEGOLAND Discovery Centers

 

11 thoughts on “Meet Monkie Kid – LEGO’s Newest Theme

  1. Nichole Reply

    Love the big red & gold mech, not so much the prices though, wow that last one is insane price wise. Overall not my cup of tea, will likely only get the big mech and even then will wait for it to be 25% off on sale somewhere!

  2. Taylor Reply

    Oh my god the prices are ridiculous . . really ruins what’s otherwise a super cool theme.

  3. Andrew Reply

    Wow, yet another new theme. Does Lego risk the same issue it had in the early 2000s that it’s just spreading itself too thin? The local warehouse seems permanently out of stock of desirable sets already, and each new release must add to logistic costs.

    Probably not high on my wish list, and especially at those prices. Presumably we are not a target market.

  4. Scott Reply

    Those prices are ridiculous. The Australia tax strikes again. Not having a single $10-$20 set seems very bad planning on legos part. They seem intent on pricing themselves out of impulse purchases. At this rate all the good will, nostalgia and hype they have created with the movies and LEGO masters will be destroyed by their lack of stock, price gouging and over reliance on huge, expensive sets.

    The theme itself is okay, some nice builds but overall mediocre sets when all parts are included. The theme doesn’t feel like it has its own personality, more a blend of nexo, Chima and ninjago.

    I hope trying to cozy up to China doesn’t back fire too badly. I’m sure Lepin and other scammers will be very happy to rip these sets off and make massive profits from them.

    • Andrew Reply

      Perhaps they’ll address the impulse market with a series of CMFs. The theme would seem to lend itself well to those, and they’re big business at the moment.

  5. thesquire12 Reply

    Are these expected to come to retail stores? I really don’t want to have to get them from Shop At Home, at least with retail there’s some chance of sales, and you don’t have to fight with delivery prices, long delivery schedules, and things going out of stock (hopefully)

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