The soap opera continues, with this press release issued today by LEGO in reaction to the publication by various media of the scheduled withdrawal for 2014 of the set. 9516 Jabba's Palace.

LEGO therefore specifies that the product will not be withdrawn in reaction to the criticisms that have been leveled by the Turkish community in Austria: "... A few media have reported that the product is being discontinued due to the mentioned criticism. This is, however, not correct ..."

LEGO specifies that the marketing of the set concerned was from the start planned to last two years, ie until the end of 2013: "... As a normal process products in the LEGO Star WarsTM assortment usually have a life-cycle of one to three years after which they leave the assortment and may be renewed after some years. The LEGO Star Wars product Jabba's Palace 9516 was planned from the beginning to be in the assortment only until the end of 2013 as new exiting models from the Star Wars universe will follow ..."

If there was a discussion between the two parties, there was obviously a slight misunderstanding on certain points ... The representative of the Turkish community in Austria, Birol Killic, did not hesitate to communicate to the media the result of his interview with the leaders of the LEGO group and, either he interpreted the result of this meeting in his own way by claiming a theoretical victory over the manufacturer, or LEGO holds a double discourse in order to minimize the media impact of this history.

The LEGO press release: The LEGO Group's reaction to criticism of LEGO Star Wars product: “Jabba´s Palace”.

And it's not April Fool's Day.

Following the complaint of the Turkish cultural community in Austria led by its president Birol Killic regarding the set 9516 Jabba's Palace released in 2012 (see these two articles: LEGO sued for incitement to hatred et 9516 Jabba's Palace and Istanbul Mosque: LEGO officially reacts), LEGO first reacted officially to accusations of equating Jabba Palace with a reproduction of a mosque by relying on Star Wars mythology and its fictional character.

But this was apparently an official response meant to appease the spirits while allowing LEGO not to follow through on the Turkish Cultural Association's fanciful requests.

In the background, it seems that the representatives of LEGO somehow gave in under the pressure during a meeting with the representatives of the Turkish community in Munich after which Birol Killic declared himself satisfied that LEGO had agreed to stop the production of the set 9516 Jabba's Palace 2014 soon.

LEGO would have in any case stopped the production of this set by 2014, that is to say after two years of marketing, and this "agreement" which seems to satisfy the complainant does not require LEGO to really call into question its commercial policy.

That being said, the set 9516 Jabba's Palace won't make old bones in the manufacturer's catalog and if you want to get it at a reasonable price, don't wait until next year ...

This set, whose retail price is € 144.99, is currently sold for less than € 100 on amazon.de for example. You will find all the offers offered by the various European Amazon sites on pricevortex.com.

source: The racist threat? Muslims declare victory in fight over 'anti-Islamic' Lego (The Independent)

If you follow the blog, you have undoubtedly read my article about the incitement and discrimination lawsuit against LEGO  by representatives of the Turkish cultural community in Austria. 

If you haven't read this article which has earned me some rather insulting emails and caused many reactions here and elsewhere, do so before reading the information below.

LEGO therefore reacts today officially on its website to the accusations formulated by the representatives of the Turkish cultural community in Austria and provides answers to the problems of interpretation of the contents of the box set 9516 Jabba's Palace.

In essence, LEGO therefore asserts that:

- The representation of Jabba's Palace from set 9516 is not based on any existing building, and therefore is not inspired by the mosque Hagia Sophia from Istanbul.

- This palace is exclusively inspired by the building seen in Episode VI of the Star Wars saga.

- All products in the LEGO Star Wars range, including buildings and characters, are also exclusively taken from the universe developed in the various films of the Star Wars saga.

- LEGO regrets that the complainant misinterpreted the contents of the set. 

Below is the official response in English from LEGO:

Comments are open but will be moderated to avoid any slippage.

Today we take a quick tour of the content of the LEGO Star Wars set 75326 Boba Fett's Throne Room. In this box of 732 pieces inspired by the series The Book of Boba Fett whose broadcast has just ended on the Disney + platform, enough to assemble a modular palace and seven minifigs: Boba Fett, Fennec Shand, Bib Fortuna, a Theelin dancer, a Quarren, a Gamorrean guard and a Weequay guard. You will have to pay €99.99 from March 1st to buy this derivative product.

Looking closer, this set is actually directly based on the post-credits scene from the last episode of the series' second season. The Mandalorian, both by its casting and by the features built into the product. Fennec Shand and Boba Fett storm the palace there, the Gamorrean guard falls under the bullets and rolls down the stairs, Fennec Shand cleans up and knocks out a handful of extras, Boba then finally settles his account at Bib Fortuna and s sit on the throne. Those who hoped to obtain the kitchen of the premises or the bacta tank of Boba can therefore make up their minds.

The latest interpretation of Jabba / Bib Fortuna / Boba Fett's palace at LEGO dates from 2012 with the reference 9516 Jabba's Palace joined in 2013 by the extension of the set 75005 Rancor Pit. We especially remember the drama around set 9516 which, according to the complaint of representatives of the Turkish cultural community in Austria, was a perfect reproduction of the Hagia Sophia mosque in Istanbul or the Jami al-Kabir mosque located in Beirut (Lebanon) (1st blog post here, 2nd blog post here).

No risk with this new reference, LEGO no longer even alludes to the fact that it is a palace and the overall aesthetics of the product have been cleverly adjusted to slightly erase the central nave / minaret effect with a flat roof and a slightly flattened tower. Even if the construction plays on two scales with an exterior appearance that symbolizes the palace as it appears on the screen, we are therefore presented with this derivative product as Boba Fett's throne room.

This is a children's toy and this minimalist playset does not forget young fans who would like to have a little fun. Several features are at their disposal with an opening palace entrance door that even incorporates the electronic peephole, a tilting staircase that allows the Gamorrean guard to fall when Boba Fett and Fennec Shand arrive, a removable throne that reveals a hiding place with two weapons and two Beskar blocks and a simple but effective system that allows the infamous and opportunistic Bib Fortuna to be ejected from his throne.

And that's not counting with all the modularity of the construction which can be arranged in different ways to either obtain a linear diorama or a set closed on three sides. The different modules are integral with each other, they can be clipped onto the base so that the construction presented in linear mode can be manipulated without breaking everything. The sheet of stickers remains reasonable for a construction of this scale even if I think that the two ends of the armrests of the throne deserved better than simple stickers.

The future commercialization of an extension with the Rancor pit is in my opinion beyond doubt. The support of the palace seems to me to be designed specifically to be fixed on an additional construction and the grid a little lost in the middle of the diorama would then find its raison d'être. The set would evolve on the way to the version present in the series The Book of Boba Fett and would no longer be a mere derivative of a post-credits scene.

The endowment in minifigs is substantial with seven characters with generally successful elements and pads. The Boba Fett figure is logically the one that already appears in the set 75312 Boba Fett's Starship marketed since last year. LEGO didn't skimp on the pad printing to stick as close as possible to the outfit seen on screen, even if the green jetpack is probably missing a little color.

The Fennec Shand figurine is identical to that of the set 75315 Imperial Light Cruiser, also marketed since 2021, but the character does not have his usual helmet in this new box. You have to make do with hair that pretty much does the job, it's the accessory already seen last year in a set from the CITY range and on Makkari's head in the Marvel range. Fennec Shand arrives well without his helmet during the attack on Bib Fortuna's palace, it's fitting.

These two minifigs are therefore not new, but the rest of the cast is made up of five new figurines: Bib Fortuna, a Theelin dancer, a Quarren, a Gamorrean guard and a Weequay guard. Bib Fortuna's last appearance at LEGO dates back to 2012, the Twi'lek promoted from butler to crime lord after Jabba's death is frankly modernized here with a nice pad print and a slightly less bumpy headdress.

Many fans are wondering what dancer Theelin is doing here. She is present in the background during the party organized by Bib Fortuna in the post-credits scene of the last episode of the second season of the series The Mandalorian. From what we see of the character on screen, the figure will do.

The chained Twi'lek prisoner present in this scene is missing, it's a bit of a shame. LEGO could have gone to the end of the concept and added a figurine for this character freed from his chains by Fennec Shand or more simply replaced the Quarren or Weequay extras provided.

We are not going to be choosy, a new version of the palace of Jabba / Bib Fortuna / Boba Fett is always welcome. This new interpretation is a little minimalist as it is, but we can hope for a future extension that will give it a little more consistency.

The cast delivered is convincing with a large handful of original and very well executed creatures and the playability is frankly there even if it is only a question here of reproducing a scene of a few minutes. The sets of the LEGO Star Wars range that meet all these criteria are not commonplace, so in my opinion this one deserves all your attention knowing that it could eventually evolve into a more elaborate product and that it will not then be necessary regret having skipped it.

Note: The set presented here, provided by LEGO, is as usual involved. Deadline fixed at March 7, 2022 next at 23pm.

Update : The winner was drawn and notified by email, his nickname is indicated below.

After mosques on Tatooine, the Friends range accused of reductive sexism by some feminist activist groups, here is a study that tries to show that the aggressive faces of certain minifigs can influence the development of our children.

LEGO is no exception in the field of recurring attacks: Apple, Sony, TF1, Microsoft and other large groups with a virtual monopoly in their respective markets are regularly the subject of more or less serious attacks.

This time, it is researchers from New Zealand who are trying to prove that the proliferation of faces with facial expressions oriented towards anger and aggression influence the way children play.

And LEGO is obviously in direct line of sight with these recent productions in which abound the superheroes frowning, the threatening pirates, the frightened bandits or the bloodthirsty skeletons.

The researchers in question argue that children playing with these nervous or frightened minifigs suffer a significant intellectual and emotional impact and that this can directly influence their development.  

These same researchers also find that LEGO themes are increasingly centered on the conflict between good and evil, but that the characters who are supposed to belong to the "good" faction of this conflict are also often decked out with faces which do not necessarily reflect their positivity.

This is not a first in the world of toys: For example, several studies have shown the negative impact of anorexic Barbie dolls on the perception of their own body by growing girls.

In short, you will understand, this is once again a study that we will not talk about much on the sites of fans of LEGO, where it will certainly, perhaps a little quickly, considered as wacky and unnecessary.

On the parents' side, the thing will no doubt be taken a little more seriously. There are many who refuse to let their children play with plastic replica guns or games featuring armed conflict, and these same parents will be able to form their own opinion on the evolution of minifig faces over the years. time towards ever more realistic and varied expressions.

You can read the content of this study presented in the document below in PDF format: Agents With Faces - What Can We Learn From LEGO Mini fi gures?.