LEGO Ideas 21357 Luxo Jr. inspired the parking lot program

The new LEGO Ideas parking lot program was inspired by the wait for 21357 Luxo Jr., as the team remains partially 'at the mercy of IPs'.

LEGO Ideas creative lead Jordan Scott has explained why we waited so long for 21357 Luxo Jr. to be approved, as well as how that unfortunate wait gave us the new parking lot program. The LEGO Ideas parking lot is a way for the team to give some projects more time under review, giving them more of a chance to become real sets.

Currently, Tintin - Space Rocket by Alexis Dos Santos and Downton Abbey: Highclere Castle by Sebastian Veselka are the only two projects in the parking lot, but this feature was inspired by the lengthy wait for 21357 Luxo Jr. to be approved, as the lamp has paved the way for the promising program.

"It's typically with our IP partners that things have to take longer, and that's just because when you have a non-IP, we can go through the process quickly, but we have to do agreements, contracts and more with IPs," explained Jordan. "So sometimes it does take longer, and we're waiting for people higher up to talk.

"Unfortunately, it just took a long time, and we felt bad because we left fans waiting for two review rounds. In a way, it did inspire the parking lot. There are a couple of reviews that were delayed a bit, and that led to this parking lot idea.

"From what I can see, the parking lot is being well-received, because it gives more opportunities for more ideas to come through. Sometimes it just happens with partners that we have to wait and agree on terms and conditions before we can announce it, because we don't want to announce something and then share that we actually can't do it. That's not a good feeling for the community or the fans."

The first two projects picked for the parking lot (as well as 21357 Luxo Jr.) are all based on intellectual property, adding weight to Jordan's comments about the parking lot being useful to give IP partners more time to discuss a partnership with the LEGO Group. This ultimately leaves the LEGO Ideas team in a position where they are waiting on these partners to move forward with review rounds, but at least the parking lot will make this easier.

"We are at the mercy of IPs sometimes," continued Jordan. "Maybe people don't think about this, but not everyone wants to work with the LEGO Group. You know, you know, we are a huge company, and very well respected. But sometimes people decide it's not for them, and that's unfortunate.

"There could be some popular IPs that everyone wants to do, but sometimes we just can't make it. That's just a deal with the IP partner, unfortunately. It's funny when we put out the review, and there are 57 or something projects, and people question why we didn't pick some projects. It's not because we don't want to sometimes, but ultimately, just how things work out."

LEGO Ideas 21357 Luxo Jr. will be launched on June 1, 2025, for £59.99 / $69.99 / €69.99. You can read our recent review of the upcoming set by clicking here.

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