KRE-O is a line of
construction toy
A construction set is a set of standardized pieces that allow for the construction of a variety of different models. The pieces avoid the lead-time of manufacturing custom pieces, and of requiring special training or design time to constr ...
s (similar to
Lego
Lego ( , ; stylized as LEGO) is a line of plastic construction toys that are manufactured by The Lego Group, a privately held company based in Billund, Denmark. The company's flagship product, Lego, consists of variously colored interlocki ...
and
Mega Bloks
Mega Brands Inc. (formerly Mega Bloks Inc. and Ritvik Holdings) is a Canadian children's toy company currently owned by Mattel. Mega Bloks, a line of construction set toys, is its most popular product. Its other brands include Mega Construx, Meg ...
) manufactured by
South Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...
-based
Oxford
Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
and marketed by
Hasbro
Hasbro, Inc. (; a syllabic abbreviation of its original name, Hassenfeld Brothers) is an American multinational conglomerate holding company incorporated and headquartered in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. Hasbro owns the trademarks and products of K ...
. Kre-O was released in stores in Fall 2011.
The name ''Kre-O'' comes from the Latin word ''creo'', which means "I create".
Kre-O toys feature highly articulated humanoid figures called "Kreons". Kre-O blocks are compatible with
Lego
Lego ( , ; stylized as LEGO) is a line of plastic construction toys that are manufactured by The Lego Group, a privately held company based in Billund, Denmark. The company's flagship product, Lego, consists of variously colored interlocki ...
bricks, hence also compatible with
Mega Bloks
Mega Brands Inc. (formerly Mega Bloks Inc. and Ritvik Holdings) is a Canadian children's toy company currently owned by Mattel. Mega Bloks, a line of construction set toys, is its most popular product. Its other brands include Mega Construx, Meg ...
and other
building block brands.
Toy lines
Kre-O ''
Transformers
''Transformers'' is a media franchise produced by American toy company Hasbro and Japanese toy company Takara Tomy. It primarily follows the Autobots and the Decepticons, two alien robot factions at war that can transform into other forms, ...
'' is the first line of the Kre-O series. They were first shown in February 2011 at the American International Toy Fair trade show in New York.
Transformers Kre-O figures include homages to their live action film, Timelines, Transformers: Prime and Beast Hunters sub-lines.
Kre-O ''
G.I. Joe'' was released as the third Kre-O line in February 2013 as a
Toys "R" Us
Toys "R" Us is an American toy, clothing, and baby product retailer owned by Tru Kids (doing business as Tru Kids Brands) and various others. The company was founded in 1957; its first store was built in April 1948, with its headquarters loca ...
exclusive. This collection is based primarily on Hasbro's G.I.Joe: A Real American Hero
toy line
A toy or plaything is an object that is used primarily to provide entertainment. Simple examples include Toy block, toy blocks, Board game, board games, and Doll, dolls. Toys are often designed for use by children, although many are designed sp ...
,
cartoons
A cartoon is a type of visual art that is typically drawn, frequently animated, in an unrealistic or semi-realistic style. The specific meaning has evolved over time, but the modern usage usually refers to either: an image or series of images ...
, and
comic book series
a medium used to express ideas with images, often combined with text or other visual information. It typically the form of a sequence of panels of images. Textual devices such as speech balloons, captions, and onomatopoeia can indicate ...
, but includes some
Adventure Team Kreons as well.
Kre-O ''Star Trek'' was released as the fourth line of Kre-O sets in April 2013. The initial sets and Kreons are based on the
2009 reboot and its sequel ''
Star Trek Into Darkness
''Star Trek Into Darkness'' is a 2013 American science fiction action film directed by J. J. Abrams and written by Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman, and Damon Lindelof. It is the 12th installment in the ''Star Trek'' franchise and the sequel to t ...
''. A preview trailer was posted by Hasbro, first on
Facebook
Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dust ...
, then later on
YouTube
YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...
. The trailer re-enacts the original "teaser trailer" for the first film, showing the construction of the
U.S.S. Enterprise in Kre-O form and by Kreon construction workers. A press release made at the 2012
New York Toy Fair showed the completed Enterprise model (complete with flip-up "saucer" showing the ship's Bridge) and Kreons of
Kirk
Kirk is a Scottish and former Northern English word meaning "church". It is often used specifically of the Church of Scotland. Many place names and personal names are also derived from it.
Basic meaning and etymology
As a common noun, ''kirk' ...
,
Spock
Spock is a fictional character in the ''Star Trek'' media franchise. He first appeared in the original ''Star Trek'' series serving aboard the starship USS ''Enterprise'' as science officer and first officer (and Kirk's Second-in-command) and ...
and
Sulu
Sulu (), officially the Province of Sulu ( Tausūg: ''Wilāya sin Lupa' Sūg''; tl, Lalawigan ng Sulu), is a province of the Philippines in the Sulu Archipelago and part of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).
Its cap ...
.
At ComiCon International 2013, Hasbro announced new brand lines for Dungeons & Dragons and Cityville Invasion plus additional building sets for Star Trek, GI Joe and Transformers brand lines.
Kre-O ''Cityville Invasion'' is the fifth line of Kre-O sets, based on the popular ''
CityVille
''CityVille'' is a defunct casual social city-building game developed by Zynga, and released in December 2010.
A sequel, '' CityVille 2'', was released in December 2012. It was closed down on February, 2013 just three months after the game's ...
'' online game series. This line introduces "Sonic Motion Technology", which triggers specific movements in special Kre-O bricks.
Kre-O ''
Dungeons & Dragons
''Dungeons & Dragons'' (commonly abbreviated as ''D&D'' or ''DnD'') is a fantasy tabletop role-playing game (RPG) originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson. The game was first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. (TS ...
'' is the sixth Kre-O line, released in January 2014. It is based on the popular
role-playing game
A role-playing game (sometimes spelled roleplaying game, RPG) is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal ac ...
series of the same name.
In early 2017, Hasbro debuted a new line of product based on the ''
Trolls'' movie.
References
External links
Official Website
Kreosite- An independent wiki with details of all the Kre-O sets released
{{Hasbro
2000s toys
2010s toys
Construction toys
Hasbro products
Products introduced in 2011
Transformers (toy line)