Lego Vidiyo (stylized as ''LEGO VIDIYO'') is a discontinued Lego theme that allows children to create their own music videos and dance clips using a range of Lego toy sets and an associated app. It is licensed from

Universal Music Group Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as Universal Music Group or Universal Music) is a Netherlands, Dutch–United States, American multinational Music industry, music corporation under Law of the Netherlands, ...

. The theme was first introduced in March 2021, before being discontinued by the end of January 2022 after being deemed a commercial disaster.

Overview

Lego Vidiyo is a music video maker brand that combines music with Lego playsets. Users create their own music videos featuring

Lego minifigure A Lego minifigure, often simply referred to as a Lego figure or a minifig, is a small plastic Joint, articulated figurine made of special Lego bricks produced by Denmark, Danish building toy manufacturer The Lego Group. They were first produced ...

s by using an app named Vidiyo. The product line includes BeatBox toy sets that each contain a minifigure and connect to the app. The associated toy sets include Lego tiles called BeatBits that unlock digital and audio effects. The toy sets are marketed at children aged 7 to 10 years old.

Development

Lego Vidiyo was created in collaboration with Universal Music Group (UMG). The theme was developed with the aim of blending physical play with digital play. The associated app was designed to use

augmented reality Augmented reality (AR), also known as mixed reality (MR), is a technology that overlays real-time 3D computer graphics, 3D-rendered computer graphics onto a portion of the real world through a display, such as a handheld device or head-mounted ...

(AR) to create the illusion of Lego minifigures coming to life and moving to music. Early concept art for the app experience was created in February 2018 and a sketch design for the BeatBoxes was created in April 2018. As part of the collaboration with Universal Music Group, a record deal was signed with the Universal Music Group label,

Astralwerks Astralwerks (or Astralwerks Records) is an American record label primarily focused on electronic music that is now owned by Universal Music Group. Its material is distributed via Capitol Music Group in the United States. The label was founded in ...

. The deal involved the release of a single titled ''Shake''. On April 27, 2021, eight additions to Lego Vidiyo were unveiled, including two BeatBoxes, 12 Bandmates, and five Stage Models. On July 23, 2021, The Lego Group released a statement that confirmed that Lego Vidiyo would go on hiatus for 2022 following feedback relating to the play experience. The company stated that the theme would continue to be available and that The Lego Group and Universal Music Group were planning to, "pilot some new ideas in 2022, then release new play experiences in 2023 and beyond." However, after "extensive quantitative and qualitative research" was conducted, The Lego Group decided to discontinue the Vidiyo theme after January 31, 2022.

Launch

Lego Vidiyo was announced on January 26, 2021, with the first associated products released in March 2021. In addition,

The Lego Group Lego A/S, also known as the Lego Group, is a Danish construction toy production company based in Billund. It manufactures Lego-branded toys, consisting mostly of interlocking ABS plastic and rubber bricks. The Lego Group has also built severa ...

built a life-sized model of a Lego Vidiyo Beatbox in

Sydney Harbour Port Jackson, commonly known as Sydney Harbour, is a ria, natural harbour on the east coast of Australia, around which Sydney was built. It consists of the waters of Sydney Harbour, Middle Harbour, North Harbour and the Lane Cove River, Lane ...

. An event named Vidiyo Music Fest was planned to tour several

Legoland Legoland (, trademarked in uppercase as LEGOLAND) is a chain of family amusement parks focusing on the Lego building toy brand. They are owned and operated by the British theme park company Merlin Entertainments, which shares a common owner ...

resorts in August and September 2021 to promote the theme.

Toy line

According to

BrickLink BrickLink is the largest online marketplace for reselling Lego products. Its website also offers resources for Lego fans, including an extensive catalog of products and parts and community forums. History BrickLink was founded by Dan Jezek, who ...

, The Lego Group has released a total of 42 Lego Vidiyo sets. In September 2021, The Lego Group announced the sets were to be discontinued by the end of January 2022.

Bandmates

Bandmates - Series 1 was released on March 1, 2021, and included 12 characters. Each of the sets contains a Bandmates minifigure and three BeatBits. The twelve collectible minifigures are Ice Cream Saxophonist, Samurapper, Shark Singer, DJ Cheetah, Genie Dancer, Discowboy, Red Panda Dancer, Banshee Singer, Alien Keytarist, Cotton Candy Cheerleader, Bunny Dancer and Werewolf Drummer. Bandmates - Series 2 was released on October 1, 2021, and includes 12 characters. Each of the sets contains a Bandmates minifigure and three BeatBits. The twelve collectible minifigures are Zombie Dancer, DJ Beatbox, Slime Singer, DJ Captain, Alien Dancer, Karaoke Mermaid, Dragon Guitarist, Vampire Bassist, Puppy Singer, DJ Rasp-Beary, Discowgirl Guitarist and Carnival Dancer.

BeatBoxes

The first wave of BeatBoxes sets were released along with Bandmates. Each of the BeatBoxes contains a minifigure, fourteen random BeatBits and two special BeatBits. The Beatboxes can store the BeatBits and minifigure. The six BeatBoxes being released were Candy Mermaid, Punk Pirate, Alien DJ, Party Llama, Unicorn DJ and Robot Break-dancer. The second wave of BeatBoxes sets was released along with Stage Models on August 1, 2021. Each of the BeatBoxes contains a minifigure, fourteen random BeatBits and two special BeatBits. The two BeatBoxes being released are Metal Dragon and Folk Fairy.

Stage Models

Stage Models is a series of sets that were released in June 2021. Each of the sets contains a performance stage, minifigures with accessories, fourteen random BeatBits and four special BeatBits. The five Stage Models released were Candy Castle Stage, Robo HipHop Car, K-Pawp Concert, Punk Pirate Ship and The Boombox.

Web shorts

Two web shorts were released on

YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...

to promote the theme. * ''Shake'' is an official music video released on

. It is performed by L.L.A.M.A (Love, Laughter, And Music Always),

Ne-Yo Shaffer Chimere Smith (born October 18, 1979), known professionally as Ne-Yo ( ), is an American singer and songwriter. Regarded as a leading figure of Contemporary R&B#2000s, 2000s R&B music, he is the recipient of numerous accolades, includi ...

and Carmen DeLeon. * ''Building Working DJ Decks from LEGO Bricks'' is an official web short released on YouTube. It features Sam Battle building DJ Decks with Lego Bricks with a combination of

Lego Mindstorms Lego Mindstorms (sometimes stylized as ''LEGO MINDSTORMS'') is a discontinued line of educational kits for building programmable robots based on Lego bricks. It was introduced on 1 September 1998 and discontinued on 31 December 2022. Mindstor ...

Lego Technic Lego Technic (stylized as ''LEGO Technic'') is a line of Lego interconnecting plastic rods and parts. The purpose of this series is to create advanced models of working vehicles and machines, compared to the simpler brick-building properties of ...

and a Lego-compatible circuit board. L.L.A.M.A also made a special appearance.

App and game cameo

App

The Lego Vidiyo

mobile app A mobile application or app is a computer program or software application designed to run on a mobile device such as a smartphone, phone, tablet computer, tablet, or smartwatch, watch. Mobile applications often stand in contrast to desktop appli ...

was released on March 1, 2021 for

iOS Ios, Io or Nio (, ; ; locally Nios, Νιός) is a Greek island in the Cyclades group in the Aegean Sea. Ios is a hilly island with cliffs down to the sea on most sides. It is situated halfway between Naxos and Santorini. It is about long an ...

and Android. The app allowed the user to scan minifigures and BeatBits to perform music videos with. The music videos lasted for 60 seconds, and snippets lasting up to 20 seconds could be shared with other users. When the Vidiyo theme was discontinued in January 2022, The Lego Group said the app would be supported until 2024. It was discontinued on January 25, 2024.

Lego Brawls

''Lego Brawls'', a crossover mobile

fighting game The fighting game video game genre, genre involves combat between multiple characters, often (but not limited to) one-on-one battles. Fighting game combat often features mechanics such as Blocking (martial arts), blocking, grappling, counter- ...

, includes Punk Pirate as an unlockable character as well as other Vidiyo elements.

Other merchandise

The Vidiyo brand has also produced clothing and accessories for children and young adults, including collaborations with

Adidas Adidas AG (; stylized in all lowercase since 1949) is a German athletic apparel and footwear corporation headquartered in Herzogenaurach, Bavaria, Germany. It is the largest sportswear manufacturer in Europe, and the second largest in the ...

in 2021.

Awards and nominations

In May 2021, Lego Vidiyo was awarded "Smart Toy Awards 2021" and also "Innovation" by the

World Economic Forum The World Economic Forum (WEF) is an international non-governmental organization, international advocacy non-governmental organization and think tank, based in Cologny, Canton of Geneva, Switzerland. It was founded on 24 January 1971 by German ...

Notes

References

External links

* {{lego Vidiyo Products introduced in 2021 Universal Music Group Products and services discontinued in 2022