Seeing as how I’ve written a LEGO news site for the past four years, it’s pretty obvious that I love LEGO. But every once in a long while, despite all that adoration, they do something that really irks me. And unfortunately, that time has come again today. Anticipation has turned to massive disappointment, as the sole 2015 LEGO Winter Village set has been officially revealed to be… a near-identical refresh of the 10199 Winter Toy Shop from five years ago?! Yeah, this release is going to divide fandom quite a bit…
UPDATE: The LEGO Winter Toy Shop 10249 is now available for order online! Make sure you log into your VIP account so that you can see it in the shop!
But when a list leaked of the 2015 exclusives last winter and I saw a “Winter Toy Shop” on the list, I had a bad feeling. And today my bad feeling was confirmed: the Winter Toy Shop 10249 is in fact a blatant rehash of the previous set.
Now, I appreciate that this set is a refresh and not a straight-up reissue. The set has a few new and changed elements, so it may preserve a little of the value of the older version of the Winter Toy Shop 10199 that many folks paid hundreds of dollars for on the aftermarket.
That said, the minor differences between this new 10249 Winter Toy Shop and the old version are almost farcical. A printed toy shop sign? A jack-in-the-box in orange and blue instead of red and blue? A cat with a face print, and new face prints on the carolers?
I feel really bad for the poor designer in the official reveal video who had to try to play up the trivial differences between this and the original Winter Toy Shop and pretend that this is actually a meaningful update to that set.
Now don’t get me wrong–I don’t necessarily mind a new entry-point into the Winter Village for new collectors. But making this slightly-updated set the only new Winter Village set for 2015 is a major disappointment to long-time collectors.
If TLG wanted so badly to accommodate those who missed out on the 2009 Winter Village Toy Shop, then they could have designed an all-new Toy Shop or at least massively overhauled it. Instead, we’re getting what is a near-reissue of a six-year-old set.
As much as I love the Winter Village, there’s literally no way I’m going to plunk down $79.99 for the handful of updated pieces included in this new iteration of the set, and I imagine many collectors with the original Winter Village Toy Shop won’t either. It’s entirely possible that the LEGO Group may be in for a rude awakening with much lower sales than they’re expecting for this set.
The 2015 Winter Toy Shop LEGO set goes up for sale exclusively online and in branded LEGO Stores on September 16th 2015 for VIP Members, and will be available for the general public to purchase on October 1st. The sales for this particular near-total-reissue set will definitely be fascinating to watch.
What do you think of this refreshed version of the Winter Toy Shop, brick fans? Are you excited to see an extremely expensive older set getting an updated release, or as devastated as I am that we won’t get a true new Winter Village set at all in 2015?
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Well said. I look forward to the reveal of the Winter Village set at the end of every summer. This is such a disappointment. It is nice for those that don’t have the original Toy Shop. But my family (with young children) has a tradition of building these sets on Thanksgiving Day when the wife is cooking the turkey. I guess we can build something else this year. But building the Winter Village sets became one of my favorite new traditions. I guess we’ll have to skip this year.
I wouldn’t mind if they re-released the old toy shop, but they should have released a new Winter Village model too.
Very disappointed Lego!
Hi James! I totally understand your frustration and I feel the same way. I also look forward to putting together these Winter Village sets with my youngest son, and since we already have the original toy shop this “updated” version was kind of a bummer. I hope you don’t mind a suggestion that might work for you and your kiddos–we are going to buy and build the winter cottage from the Changing Seasons set (31038) this year and add it to our collection–maybe that would work for you guys too as your wife is making the turkey? 🙂
Alison, I have been fuming over this since the news broke. I even emailed Lego customer service to complain. They offered some half-baked idea of rebuilding the Toy Shop that I already have as a ‘fun alternative to building a new set’. Very lame.
But your suggestion is outstanding! I never thought about the Changing Seasons set. This is really the best idea I’ve heard. Thanks!
You are most welcome James! I’m so glad you like my suggestion. Plus, this is a set that you can truly rebuild to different things–unlike the suggestion to rebuild your Toy Shop. I’m with you–that was one lame-o idea! I think I’ll email customer service at LEGO as well to see what they say. Happy building with your kids and may I be the first to wish you Happy Thanksgiving! 🙂 Alison
Well, with all the new Star Wars sets to be coming out with the new movie to be released, maybe they just didn’t have the bandwidth for Christmas creativity? Personally, I was hoping for a “part 2” of the Santa’s Workshop as I was disappointed in the “workshop” part of the set. Or maybe a Santa’s house, or …….
However, that being said, I will most likely will buy the above. I only really got “into” Lego last year, and there was no way I was going to pay the astronomical prices on the secondary market for this set. But…if they would have had released a Winter Village Town Square, or Train Station, those would have been welcomed by me as well.
I agree, though, that they probably could have released a brand new set along with this one. Maybe not the Town Square, but perhaps another “smaller” one. That way not only could they please their current Village customers, but those new to the Winter Village sets may have bought both of them.
Major disappointment! I look forward every year to expanding my holiday village, now I have to wait 2 years! What are is Lego offering new to all the folks that have this set? A few new elements, really?!? I definitely will not buy this set!
Completely understand the frustration here as your explained it perfectly.
I am going to buy this, however, as I don’t have the old one. But I also would have bought the other set if they had made two different ones.
I hope the price is reasonable on this one.. the joker’s fun-house (#76035) is ridiculous @119.00 before taxes.
Disappointed to say the least – there has to be more in Lego creative braintrust than this. A re-release of the Holiday Train with a “new” station would have made more sense — something “old” and “new” to keep everyone happy
Very much a disappointment. Looks like I won’t be buying a set this winter. How LEGO could have thought this was a good idea is beyond me.
the only ones who are disappointed are those who already have the original set, which is probably a small percentage compared to those who don’t have it. I suspect that although the new set won’t sell as well as if it were a brand new design, it will still sell very well considering how many people don’t have the original set. It will still be very profitable for the Lego Group considering it skipped the cost of designing a new set.
I’m kind of thrilled! We don’t have the toy shop and I don’t want to pay a fortune on ebay. So now my family can have it! I can see it would be disappointing to those who have a tradition of buying the set every year, though.
This is very disappointing. This is the only LEGO collection that I have, so I look forward to a new set every year. I wish they would release something else for the Winter Village for those of us who already on the Toy Shop. There are so many other great buildings that can and should be made to go with the village, why would they “recreate” a set that a lot of people already own? I definitely agree that it is laziness on their end. Oh well, guess I’ll just have to wait until next year and spend my $80 somewhere else.
Will be skipping this set even though I have been building these every year with my son (even have the train to run around the village) After 3 disappointing sets, he may have outgrown the tradition even if they come up with a good set for next year (train station, sporting goods store, family house, farm, church….) Market was too girly looking for my son–seemed more like it belonged with friends than with creator series. (We left the oversized carousel out of the village and took out the white bricks to use it with the fairground instead) Santa’s house had to be banished to the other side of the dining room (the village is not at the north pole). And this repeat is coming too soon after the original release. Only thing that might have been worse would have been if they had made an all new toy shop. Wouldn’t have wanted two different toy shops in this village, and skipping an entirely new set would have been very hard. At least they added the much needed printed sign over the door, but couldn’t they have also redesigned the snow man so that the carrot could actually be a nose? Suggestions to use the changing seasons set instead is a good idea–and also more reasonably priced.
It will save me some money this year, I already have the original. (Got it for free, actually – had no idea at the time that it was worth a small fortune on eBay.) But I’m happy for everyone that can get it this year.
Love the re-release. Wasn’t looking forward to having to bricklink this. My kids will really like this set.
I’m excited for this set since I just started collecting the winter sets last year with Santa’s Workshop and the Winter Village Market.
Plus, over the summer I answered a craiglist ad for free legos. When I went to pick them up they handed me the Winter Village Bakery, and the Winter Village Post Office. I couldn’t believe it.
it’s irritating that Lego does this after so many people paid three or more times that cost on the secondary market, thinking their investment is safe (even if you do actually build the set and take it out of the box). Thanks a lot Lego! sheesh