The LOST Potential of LEGO SpongeBob - Brick Failures 

Do you own any of the Construction Spongebob sets?

The Lego sets were really good. I wish they still had it. Sure, they may not be great by today's standards, but I still like a lot of them.

I really love these commentary vids. I learn a lot from them. You the man!

Hypothesis: The 2011 and 2012 sets didn’t sell well and it’s because of unnecessary deviations from the source material. Heroic Heroes of the Deep would’ve been way better as a Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy set (even if we just got SpongeBob and Patrick in the costumes) and Bikini Bottom Undersea Party uses a concept that never existed in the series (party at SpongeBob and Squidward’s houses with everyone and everything decked out in party gear). If we got an Invisible Boatmobile (even if “invisible” was just blue or white with a few translucent pieces) and just another SpongeBob and Squidward house (it’s unambitious and samey but we don’t get party-themed Luke’s Landspeeders or anything) than I think they could’ve sold better. Even as a 7-year-old when these sets first released I had this take. Side note: Mega Construx only gave four Sponge out of Water sets and one if not two 100% couldn’t have been done by LEGO given their “no war” rule- the tank and possibly the plane.

I think comparing lego Patrick to mega bloks patrick demonstrates pretty clearly why a lot of licensed themes just aren’t suited for lego or atleast early 2000s lego.

I think Lego Spongebob was always doomed to fail, the focus on cheap price point doesnt mesh well with a property where all the characters are so diverse in size, shape and design. Spongebob himself is the only character who turned out alright being crammed into the typical Lego mould, but everyone else is just various levels of fail. (That 2006 Squidward wasn't even good for the time)

No clue why you'd dislike competitor brands at all, Lego needs competition to force them to make better quality sets to compete with those other companies...

Does anyone remember those based stop motion animations using these figures to recreate og epsodes

10:58 that's mega blocks issue with every IP they have. Their products typically have more figures than lego sets. They are more interested in figures than the blocks. I think that's why they re-branded to get the bloks out of their name.

I remember my brother had the Ferris wheel set with Patrick and sandy. I was always scared of touching Patrick because he had chocolate ice cream stains on him, but I thought they were shit stains

the area x playsets look incredible tbh

Man, I really, REALLY miss the Lego SpongeBob line. The Lego Ideas Krusty Krab set would’ve at least filled the void for me if it actually got accepted, but unfortunately, no…

This was a very well made documentary, I've always felt that Lego SpongeBob was super underrated. It's one of my favorite Lego themes.

I remember getting the Krusty Krab set in around 2011, I got into Legos because of it, I loved Spongebob, so being able to build and play with the characters and places was fun for me, but I do remember finding out about the old Krusty Krab and really wanting it because it was bigger, and I also remember the Glove World set being really small, I had to add stuff to it to make up new stories

More about Area-X : The company actually started out in 2012 as a brand called “Sheng Yuan”. The brand was straight up a Lego knockoff. Making DC-Marvel and occasionally Star Wars minifig. It took them a few years to establish the “Sembo” line which is a clean brand with mostly original design. As someone who grew up with these knockoffs, Sembo is actually one of the closest brands to Lego in terms of quality. So close to the point you can’t tell the difference if you mix them up with official Lego parts. Currently in 2023, it seems like the comany has already shut down the Sheng Yuan brand and now putting their focus on Sembo and Area-X making original sets. Good for them i guess but doesn’t change their morally questionable (and striaght up illegal) history.

I really wish Lego would revisit more of their old licensed lines (Avatar, Spongebob, Speed Racer, etc) Hopefully with the reintroduction of Indiana Jones

Having watched Nick Anderson's LEGO Rewind Batman Holiday Special and your previous video about McFarlane Toys' _FNAF_ Construction Sets, I think that *the biggest mistake a lot of construction toy companies keep making when it comes to making licensed products is that they often go with the mentality of "I want to see this series in the style of a building block toy!" instead of thinking, "What can we do with this series using the art of a building block toy?"* Take a look at LEGO _Super Mario_ and _Sonic the Hedgehog._ In my opinion, those two themes are some of the best licensed LEGO themes we have had in years because they adapt their games into a building block toy. _LEGO Super Mario_ works because it focuses on the play pattern of building courses and then having an electronic Mario figure react to each step of the course with lights and sounds, which feels like playing a _Super Mario_ game in a physical space! The same also applies to _LEGO Sonic the Hedgehog;_ one can build obstacles, Badniks, and boss robots to roll Sonic through and into. Again, it feels like building and playing a _Sonic_ game in a physical space! That is a great way to handle a licensed theme, and probably the best way to adapt video game franchises into building block form: incorporate elements from the games and have them tie in with the act of building. Meanwhile, things like _The LEGO Batman Movie_ and _Monkie Kid_ work because it ends up being LEGO's own take on something like _Batman_ or _Journey to the West._ _The LEGO Batman Movie_ allowed for LEGO to go all-out with creating their own unique takes on Batman and his rogues gallery, which is something I wish to see for other licensed themes like _Star Wars_ or _Spider-Man._ Meanwhile, _Monkie Kid_ works because it isn't just a sequel to _Journey to the West,_ it's LEGO's own take on the original mythos. If anything, a licensed theme works best when it feels like a crossover between the building block toy brand and the licensed series in question. Now, when it comes to LEGO making licensed sets based on franchises that appeal to older audiences like _Stranger Things,_ _Horizon Zero Dawn,_ or any of their sit-com sets, they usually end up being one-off, intricate display pieces that include Minifigures of the main cast from those series. It's likely that these types of franchises do not have a lot of room for creativity to make interesting building toys in the same way that other franchises like _Super Mario,_ _Sonic the Hedgehog,_ and _Batman_ do. And in a way, McFarlane Toys' _Five Nights at Freddy's_ Construction Sets prove this point; McFarlane Toys launched the line with game-accurate sets based on the first game that a lot of people loved. Over time, the franchise began to drag out by tying in with upcoming and divisive games, and that the line simply had no room for creativity in its focus for accuracy, which ultimately led its demise. McFarlane Toys had made that grave mistake that I mentioned; they wanted to see something in the art style of a building block toy instead of thinking about what can be done with building block toys. At the end of the day, while I do hope that The LEGO Group can create new original themes these days, I also hope they don't keep making this same mistake of wanting to see a popular franchise in LEGO form, as that mistake is what killed the _LEGO SpongeBob SquarePants_ theme. Their licensed products deserve to feel like crossovers between a building block toy and the licensed franchise.

Lego SpongeBob is literally so underrated and I feel like it deserves more love. I've always loved these things to death since I was really young and I just couldn't get enough of them. Yes they were cheap, and some of the minifigures looked bad, but they were so charming. There's just something about the sets, the characters, and the gimmicks that has always mesmerized me growing up. Thank you for making this video as I feel this run needs more attention.

Pretty sure Area X kind of stole the official version of the LEGO Ideas Krusty Krab project, I guess.

It's really sad when a product is not well received in its time, and that now a lot of people would like to have em back in stores

It sounds like the key to success would have been to focus on both locations/vehicles AND characters. Area X gets that understood very well. I love that Krusty Krab and which it could be sold outside of China, but oh well.

Being transparent the SpongeBob Krusty Krab set is what got me into brick films & stop motion animation.. literally changed my life

I love the dedication and the research you have done in these videos keep it up

I actually have a lot of nostalgia for mega blocks SpongeBob, i remember having all the sets from sponge out of water, I think the only one I didn’t get was planktons plane but I had the rest tho.

Please make more of these ❤ spent all day binging them 😂 super cool videos!

I personally think the Pineapple peaked with the second release (most of the furniture from the show included this time) but the third release at least had a better build for Squidward's house even if they never got the color right. I own most of the SpongeBob sets or bits of them and love them dearly, so it pains me that they squandered the potential of this theme so badly. I think if they didn't keep re-releasing the Pineapple and Krusty Krab and did stuff like the Treedome and Jellyfish Fields then we'd have a much better theme on our hands

Personally my stance on alternative lego brands is that i don't like them, BUT, that if they offer what lego for absolutely no reason refuses to offer? These brands are in the right and are doing good to do so. If lego refuses to make decent, quality sets for the lego Spongebob lineup, refuses bigger more accurate builds, then its really on them if another company does better. That chinese Krusty Krab set is infinitely better than anything lego made for the IP. Lego is no stranger to making adult focused sets like the massive Millenium Falcon or the Super Star Destroyer sets for their Star Wars lineup. But they dropped the ball here. Same with military focused sets, lego with their purist "nooo, no military nooo" nonsense refuses to make military stuff, well those are in demand so its not other companies fault lego drops the ball on these things.

Here’s my pitch for a revival of LEGO SpongeBob: Squidward’s Recumbent Bike ($9.99): Main build is Squidward’s bike. Includes SpongeBob (with printed jellyfishing glasses) and Squidward (with bike helmet) Robo-SpongeBob Attack ($19.99): Main build is Plankton’s robot SpongeBob from “It’s a SpongeBob Christmas!” Includes SpongeBob (scared expression), Sandy (with hat) and Plankton (still just a 1x1 cylinder). Rock Bottom Bus Trouble ($24.99): main build is the bus; side builds are the bus station and the vending machine. Includes SpongeBob (Glove World hat), Patrick (Glove World hat), and Bus Driver. Patrick’s Rock ($24.99): Main build is Patrick’s rock with a show-inaccurate opening feature (it opens by splitting down the middle rather than flipping up) so that it’s not elevated compared to Squidward and SpongeBob’s houses. Includes Patrick (with Goofy Goober hat) and SpongeBob (with Goofy Goober hat). Chum Bucket ($29.99): main build is the Chum Bucket; side builds are the robot customer and Krabby Patty analyzation device. Includes SpongeBob, Plankton, Karen, Spot, and Imitation Krabs Squidward’s House and Studio ($34.99): main build is Squidward’s house; side builds are some of his art pieces. Includes Squidward (w/toupee), SpongeBob (Squidward disguise), Patrick (Squidward disguise), and Real Estate Agent. SpongeBob’s House ($39.99): Main build is SpongeBob’s house; side builds are his bed, TV, weight set and Gary’s bed. Includes SpongeBob, Gary, and DoodleBob. Krusty Krab ($44.99): Main build is the Krusty Krab restaurant with somewhat more detailed interior than the first two versions. Includes Mr. Krabs, Squidward, SpongeBob, Pearl and Fred (aka MY LEG). Treedome ($49.99): main build is the Treedome itself; side builds are some science and karate things. Includes Sandy, Master Fuzzy, SpongeBob and Patrick. Mrs. Puff’s Boating School ($59.99): Main build is the lighthouse; side builds are a boat and some of the obstacles. Includes SpongeBob, Mrs. Puff, the “Hey, I doubt it!” Fish and the documentarian/French Narrator.

I really want Lego Spongebob to come back. Every Lego Ideas submission day where Spongebob isn't approved, is a bad day for me. However, I will always remain hopeful.

If brick failures is or will be a series, i think you should definitely look into the mega bloks lines that used to be huge and have went extinct. pirates of the caribbean was done by both mega bloks and lego, just like spongebob. mega bloks even had marvel for a time

still all mini figures look really cute. tbh, i love them all.

That’s what I call quality content! Great video, keep it up! I really wish Lego will acquire the rights back and make some SpongeBob sets. I don’t have any of those which were released because of huge prices. But I’d definitely bought some new ones if they were released.

I can’t express how much I hate not keeping these sets as a kid. I remember building these sets on my bedroom floor and honestly they were some of the neatest mini figs I’ve seen

My first Lego set was the 2004 Krusty Krab. Though it has since been destroyed and lost to time, I still find the little krabby patties everywhere

I just realized how similar this is to lego rewind, I guess that means we're getting MBO comics lol 😂.

Kind of a downer that we didn’t get Lego Danny Phantom sets.

bro! Your channel is was AMAZING!

man times have really changed, i feel like if this theme ever comes back it’ll be a really big pricey krusty krab marketed towards adults since spongebob has been on long enough for it to be a nostalgic thing for older people i doubt we will ever get this as theme again i’m not sure it has the same staying power it used to i think lego really found their main money makers with young audiences with sonic and mario those are gonna be around for a long time same can be said for a lot of old themes like tmnt or indiana jones i think we only got indiana because disney was expecting big things from that movie even then it was sorta a nostalgia wave i think if we ever get a lot of this stuff back it’ll be one off 100 dollar sets

i know a lot about lego spongebobs history and i’m glad someone made a good video about all of the 4 brands

Great video Ace!

Thank you for making this video.

Ive been binge watching this guys youtube videos for a while and im addicted now

the area x spongebob sets are DOPE

I have just bought the Area-X blocks sets, all 4, and are amazing! Great quality! The Box, the instruction manual, the pieces are the finest!

I'm not gonna lie, a full $200+ Krusty Krab set chalk full of references and details would actually be an ideal way to revive Spongebob

I remember having almost all of the OG sets released before 2009 as a kid. I loved them. It was like having my own little Bikini Bottom. The Mega Blocks ones came out when I was a teenager and I remember thinking how cheap they looked and being thankful I got to grow up with the real deal lol

I got the Heroic Heroes of the Deep Set on my 6th birthday. I can't believe it's been 13 years since. Time goes by too fast.

i really enjoyed the spongebob sets back in the day. i always liked the white tires on the bus

Embarassing how each brand holder fumbled the spongebob brand so hard. Area X sets look amazing thought

Oh I had the original SpongeBob Patrick squidward houses from 2006 and absolutely loved them. My cousin and I had a lot of fun with them. I remember the pink jellyfish pieces would end up all over the place. It’s a shame the line was so short lived. I honestly barely remembered it till watching this video.

I know there is no official sales of Area X outside of China, but I need it in my life 😩

I’m here because I wanted to relish in the nostalgia of SpongeBob and see what happened And now I’m astonished at how awesome this video was produced, and the info was perfect, thanks man 💙 I was always curious, but I knew it had to do with Lego and Nickelodeon deciding to not be contracted/licensed anymore

I remember getting the Heroic Heroes Of The Deep set in 2018, and I didn't know that lego stopped producing these sets

Got a lot of the tiles and parts for the Glove World and Krusty Krab sets, I’m now in the process of getting the rest of the pieces needed to rebuild them.

grew up playing w the 2006 sets + i don’t remember being disappointed by any of the bricks’ designs (then again, i probably wasn’t thinking too hard about it). i do remember liking the detachable ‘krusty krab’ faceplate a lot, finding it unique due to the print

That Area X set looks incredible and I love the packaging for those dioramas

When I first discovered RU-vid, the first thing I looked for were videos of people building Legos, I loved them and SpongeBobs were my favorites! Sadly when I wanted to buy them in a Lego store they had already discontinued them :(

8:46 Yo what ? That ain't right. They should've given them away or donated them to a thrift store. That's wasting money.

My first lego set i had ever gotten was the flying Dutchman set. I still have some of the parts. Loved that set and thats what got me into lego. Id like to get a new copy of the set again.

I wish they were still making these. Bought a bunch of the Lego sets off eBay for a project me and my brother are working on. It was with it

I had a few of these growing up,they were neat.

The fact that I now really want the area-X krusty krab

Fuuuck. I had that original Krusty Krab set as a tiny kid. Memory unlocked.

I kinda hope Lego eventually get's the license back from Well Played and returns with great builds

Excelente vídeo!!! Não sabia dessa história!

Those AreaX sets look like a dream come true. I hope the instructions release so I can order LEGO pieces for it

Haven't even finished watching yet n I'm already SCREAMING for a resurgence of this theme. THEY'RE MAKING A TWILIGHT THEME FFS

I just remembered that I owned one of the mega block sets a long time ago. I broke it and now I really want a Lego SpongeBob set

That Chinese Krusty Krab set is something I would've desperately wanted as a kid. I literally made my own Krusty Krab out of a shoe box.

Feels like Lego bet on the wrong horse and Avatar actually had more potential. But in the early 2000s, SpongeBob was obviously the safest bet imaginable.

I had most of these sets and to this day I still have my lego SpongeBob minifigures

Never seen these before!! The first LEGO ones are so cool and I'd eat them up today. Tbh Mega did such a better job with the random characters but I meaaan. Weird to see how everyone eventually tank the IP tho.

I’M READY!

Oh my god, I had four of these from 2007 and 2008 and i lovvped the !

I got the Krusty Crab and the houses back in 2006, and I have no idea why, I'd never seen the show.

I had that original Lego Krusty Krab as a kid. I’ve lost 99% of the pieces to it though. All I have left of it is the original Squidward minifigure and the base plate that held the whole thing (I now use it to display all of my minifigures).

It’s like Scooby Doo…..I always wished we had more

I have the 2005 Krusty Krab, probably my favorite lego spongebob set ever.

As much as I’m glad SpongeBob was able to continue after the first wave. I personally disappointed that they didn’t give The Last Airbender a chance with Legos I mean imagine an alternate timeline where we coulda gotten Lego sets of not just avatar but also Legend of Korra.

Can you imagine if LEGO continued with the SpongeBob theme? We would have double-mold plastic on the arms of many characters, better head molds and impressions; a piece of tail for Sandy, tongs for Mr. Krabs, a unique mold for Gary. The constructions would be varied and would have references from many seasons and other possibilities; Yes, like the Last Airbender theme, the SpongeBob theme was greatly wasted by LEGO and unfortunately they were at a time when the toy company barely understood what kind of Licenses they were receiving (Google Translate).

I remember having the second Krusty krab and the heros set. I got into Lego around alien conquest and I got my Krusty krab when I got my heros set, can't believe that second Krusty krab lasted that many years. Either Lego had overstock or manufactured them long. I think I remember seeing the party set and wanted it badly? I was not even 10 yet I think so my parents didn't want me having a lot of sets Edit: after watching more I forgot I had the burger mobile showdown but I don't remember if I was interested in mega blocks.

Seeing that the main demographic that grew up with SpongeBob are now adults. It would be key to release like 3-4 sets based on pure nostalgia.

Great vid

Those look like some great lego sets!

I remember when I was younger I would watch Lego remakes of SpongeBob episodes

Im waiting for those 2 companies to fail so I can get actual LEGO. Either that or LEGO buying them off.

one of the best lines ever i own a couple myself

These were my first LEGO sets

7:54 scary

I saw some of these at my Lego store as a kid, and asked my mom if we could get one. She said when I’m older. I never got that Lego set 😢

I had the pineapple house and krusty krab house i remember loving them

I had the Krusty Krab set. Unfortunately, the only minifigure I still have is Mr Krabs.

Area X is nailing it with the new Krusty Krab. They know their market and what needs done. I think LEGO's learned a lot about playsets VS collector's sets, but I also doubt Nick executives understand the appeal of collector's sets.

It's so sad how such amazing and creative Lego got inspired on Spongebob just to fail..

Lego should’ve stick to their gears and still continue the series or just wait it out until megablocks stoped producing them

I hope for the return of Lego Spongebob Sets every day, they would appeal to everyone!

Are you going to test out the area X Krusty Krab set? There aren't many videos covering it physically.

Man, finding the Well Played Bikini Bottom Bus is tricky. I've been trying to find that specific thing and it seems to be gone.

Interesting Vídeo,Congrats!! Suggestion to a new Brick Failure video: LEGO Angry Birds

I used to have all the 2nd line of legp spongebob and i got rid of them now i regret that so i got some on ebay and man the nostalgia hits