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Is Lego pandering to China?
Ever since Monkie Kid was released, many people seem to like it. At first, I was lukewarm towards it, but over time, I grew to appreciate it more. The sets are well designed, the story is decent, and the minifigures are very unique. In addition, I think the sets handle their Chinese setting very well. The architecture looks quite nice, and the fact that it’s based on Chinese architecture just adds to its uniqueness.
Plus, unlike some past Lego themes, Monkie Kid doesn’t seem to be disrespecting Chinese culture in any way. Like I said, it manages to accurately convey the feel of China. And the source material, Journey To The West, was written in the 16th century, which puts it well within the public domain.
But the thing that gets after me is the way this theme is being distributed.
Back when Monkie Kid first started, the reports were saying that it was meant to be a Chinese version of Ninjago. Apparently Ninjago doesn’t do very well in China, so Lego wanted to create another version of Ninjago that would appeal to Chinese audiences. And when Monkie Kid was actually released, it was a Lego store and Shop At Home exclusive. The only place where the sets were released in normal stores was in-you guessed it-China.
Which leads me to think that Lego made Monkie Kid, a theme that draws inspiration from Chinese culture, just to appeal to China. The theme itself isn’t offensive, but its reasons for existing and its distribution are kind of eyebrow-raising. Lego basically made another version of Ninjago that panders to Chinese audiences. And the fact that some younger fans are calling Ninjago and Monkie Kid ripoffs of each other just proves my point.