Why Lego Pokemon Sets Don’t Exist And How To Search For The Best Alternatives

For years, LEGO and Pokémon fans have searched the phrase “official LEGO Pokémon sets” in hopes that a collaboration was in the works. Collaboration between brands brings new and exciting experiences to their customers. Both brands leverage their strengths and expertise to create something unique and exciting.

Some collaborations look like a perfect fit! Star Wars and LEGO. Pepsi and Doritos. Marvel and Funko. Just like they were made for each other. However, despite LEGO and Pokémon seeming like a perfect fit, there are no official LEGO Pokémon sets.

We shall review why LEGO doesn’t produce any Pokémon sets and the best alternative for Pokémon fans.

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Why LEGO Pokémon aren’t made

Created as a video game in the late 90s, the Pokémon brand is a global brand with millions of fans. Aside from its video games, there are so many facets of the Pokémon world that caters to everyone.

Similarly, the. LEGO brand, best known for its interlocking plastic bricks, sits atop the building blocks industry. Their high-quality and durable toys across several themes have guaranteed their immense success.

Throughout its history, LEGO has collaborated with various famous brands and created a range of sets and themes with characters from these universes. Their long list of collaborations includes all popular franchises such as Star Wars, Harry Potter, Marvel, Lord Of The Rings, Disney, Ninjago, etc.

These collaborations have been an enormous success and helped LEGO expand its reach and appeal to an even wider audience. One strange exclusion from this line-up is an official Pokémon LEGO set. Despite being a worldwide sensation, Pokémon has never received LEGO consideration.

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As expected, the reason for this is due to copyright issues. Mattel’s MEGA Bloks brand owns the rights to producing buildable characters, building blocks, and sets featuring Pokémon characters since 2018. While this was common knowledge, some Pokémon fans hoped for a special LEGO Pokémon set.

The Pokémon LEGO Ideas set

LEGO Ideas lets users submit ideas for LEGO sets that can be turned into potential sets. Once an idea gets up to 10,000 supporters, your set idea will be reviewed by the LEGO Review Board and, if successful, be made into an actual LEGO set. Several popular LEGO sets, such as Apollo Saturn 5, Home Alone, and Sonic Green Hill Zone, are products of the LEGO Ideas page.

A user, Savath_Bunny, submitted a LEGO Pokémon set idea on the LEGO idea page.

While the LEGO Pokémon set idea generated enough supporters, LEGO quickly released a statement explaining why they couldn’t make Pokémon sets.

“We’ve looked into the possibility of producing a set based on this licensed property (Pokemon). Since the property is owned by a competitor, we’ve decided it’s neither a brand fit nor a strategic fit for the Lego Group to pursue a license, and so we will not consider Pokemon projects on Lego Ideas further. We’re sorry to be the bearers of this disappointing news.”

Mattel renews licensing agreement with Pokémon

While this news was disappointing to fans hoping for a LEGO and Pokémon collaboration, few held onto hopes. However, the news that MEGA Blocks renewed their licensing agreement with Pokémon on October 24, 2022, effectively killed the dream.

Mattel is set to continue producing its line of MEGA Bloks brand Pokémon toys and building sets for “multiple years.”

“Mattel continues to be an ideal partner in helping us deliver fun and innovative ways for fans to engage with Pokémon through construction play,” said Amy Sachtleben, Senior Director of Licensing and Promotions at The Pokémon Company International. “Toys play an integral role in the Pokémon brand’s goal of bringing the joy of the brand to all types of Trainers, and we look forward to our renewed collaboration in supporting this mission.”

Mattel’s MEGA Bloks brand is a staunch LEGO rival and has had several legal tussles. The MEGA brands won 14 cases launched by LEGO regarding its MEGA Blocks. While a Pokémon LEGO set sounds like a match made in heaven, we wouldn’t be getting it for at least another five years.

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LEGO Pokémon alternatives

While Pokémon’s licensing deal with the MEGA brand has made official LEGO Pokémon sets impossible, there’s hope for builders. Mattel’s MEGA Construx is the obvious and easy choice for anyone looking to build Pokémon sets. While true experts can build Pokémon’s using LEGO blocks, it’s a long and tedious process.

Additionally, the lack of action figures takes away almost all the fun. However, if you’re a LEGO loyalist who wouldn’t be caught touching a MEGA brick, Bricker Builds has a step-by-step guide to building LEGO Pokémon sculptures.

While the Pokémon model has been removed from the Builder Brick’s website, you could fill out a form and have support help you get started.

Mega Construx Pokémon

The Pokemon brand has had millions of fans obsessed with everything they put out since the early 90s. However, one toy line was strangely lacking – building block sets.

Before 2017, Ionix had the license to produce Pokémon themed building block sets. I’d love to believe they gave it their best shot. However, the result was subpar and did little to attract Pokemon enthusiasts.

Shop for Mega Construx Pokemon sets on eBay

After Ionix’s shot at creating Pokémon building block set, MEGA Construx signed the licensing deal to produce Pokémon building block sets in 2017. Mega Construx is a brand under Mega Bloks. They make a more realistic and rounder series than LEGO toys and come with completely posable limbs.

Mega Construx is a new construction toy brand in the MEGA brands portfolio, made to immerse and connect kids and collectors with worlds they love. Mega Construx aims to challenge the status quo with authentic details and unexpected play experiences with highly detailed micro-figures, authentic translation of properties, and unique build-to-play features for each consumer.

While there are tons of building block companies, MEGA is the closest to LEGO in terms of quality, reach, and catalog range. A lot can be said about the differences between MEGA and LEGO. However, if you’re looking for an official Pokémon themed building set, MEGA are your only chance of getting one.

They have an impressive selection of popular and exciting bundles to choose from. Despite what LEGO loyalists would tell you, MEGA’s Pokémon sets are lots of fun to build and play with. The range consists of various sets that cater to all age grades. Pokémon’s immense popularity has all but ensured that MEGA bricks are sturdy, solid and do not fall too far short of LEGO legendary quality.

Types Of MEGA Construx Pokémon sets

Mega Construx has an impressive array of Pokémon-themed building sets with numerous Pokémon. It offers a range of different categories for different ages and block sizes. They’re divided into a few categories. These sets range from small, simple sets that feature a single Pokémon character to large, complex sets that depict entire scenes from the Pokémon universe.

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Single Pokémon sets

Single sets generally feature an individual Pokémon with greater detail and higher piece count. There’s always an accompanying scenery, unique dioramas, and effect parts.

Pokémon Versus sets

The Versus sets feature two Pokémon, each with moving parts that depict various battle effects. It comes with some scenery, a buildable environment, and action elements.

Mega Construx Pokémon Versus set

Pokémon Detective Pikachu sets

These sets are based on Pokémon and locations from the live-action Detective Pikachu movie released in 2019.

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Poké Ball series

These sets consist of an individual Pokémon and an accompanying Poké Ball where you can display the Pokémon.

Series 1

Released in 2017, each Pokémon comes with a Poké Ball display stand.

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Series 2

Released in 2017, each Pokémon comes with a Poké Ball display stand.

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Series 3

Released in 2017, each Pokémon comes with a Premier Ball display stand.

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Series 4

Released in 2018, each Pokémon comes with a Poké Ball display stand.

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Series 5

Released in 2018, each Pokémon comes with either a Premier Ball or Great Ball display stand.

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There are 16 Pokeball series, with the last coming out a few months ago in 2022.

Multi-Packs

These sets include multiple Pokémon outside the Versus series dueling aspect.

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Other series include:

• Jumbo Series
• Build & Show Series
• Holiday Sets
• One-offs.

Mega Pokémon sets are under Mega Construx, the sibling brand of Mega Bloks. This distinction is essential as series under Mega Construx are sturdier, more detailed, and more realistic. While the series under Mega Bloks are targeted at preschoolers aged 1-5, Mega Construx is for collectors and builders.

Mega Construx aims to challenge the status quo with authentic details and unexpected play experiences with highly detailed micro-figures, authentic translation of properties, and unique build-to-play features for each consumer.

Additionally, Mega Bloks, the brand, had taken a lot of criticism in the past for having low-quality bricks. According to reports, their elements didn’t hold together well, and the bricks were prone to breaking.

However, they’ve worked a lot on improving their quality in recent years and now produce high-quality bricks. The Mega Construx rebrand was necessary to indicate higher quality sets with incredible detailing.

Value

Few can argue with the quality Mattel put into the Pokémon series released under their Mega Construx brand. Some common descriptions you’ll hear describing the brand include:

• Highly detailed printing
• Great variety of facial expression
• Vibrant colors
• Articulated joints for a much more comprehensive range of posing

However, they do not have an outstanding collectability value, especially compared to other Pokémon collectibles franchises. Construx does not appeal to the general audience that grew up with Lego blocks. This ensures there’s not much demand for these Mega Pokémon sets. This lack of demand is evident in the aftermarket value of the Pokémon Construx series.

You can find even series not available on the official Mattel stores on Amazon or eBay for only a few dollars more. If you’re a builder looking to have a fantastic time building Pokémon themed blocks, you can’t go wrong with Mega Construx. However, if you’re looking for a ROI, you’d be better served looking at Pokémon cards.

Conclusion

The Pokémon franchise has a wide variety of characters and worlds, which makes it a perfect fit for building sets and toys. While some Lego enthusiasts find the lack of any official Lego Pokémon sets a disappointment, Mega can offer an exciting alternative for some collectors.

These sets allow fans of the Pokémon franchise to build and create their own scenes and stories using interlocking blocks or other building materials.

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