Lego Monkie Kid

''LEGO Monkie Kid'' () is a LEGO theme inspired by ''Monkey King'' and ''Journey to the West''. It is licensed from the LEGO Group. The theme was first introduced in May 2020. The toy line is also accompanied by an animated television series that premiered in China on May 29, 2020, with the special ''LEGO Monkie Kid: A Hero Is Born''.

Overview

''LEGO Monkie Kid'' is inspired by ''Monkey King'' and ''Journey to the West'', which focuses on Monkie Kid and his friends, battling against a variety of demons who are trying to take over Megapolis.

Development

''LEGO Monkie Kid'' is The Lego Group's first product line based on Chinese culture. Although The LEGO Group had previously released LEGO Chinese New Year sets, it was the first time that the company had released an entire product line based on a Chinese theme. Following research in China, The Lego Group discovered that the classic Chinese story of the Monkey King and ''Journey to the West'' is widely known within Chinese culture. As a result, the story was chosen as the main inspiration for ''LEGO Monkie Kid''. Simon Lucas, senior creative director commented, "It feels like it was in the DNA of everybody there. So we thought it was a great starting point to tell a new story that's rooted in Chinese culture". The LEGO theme was developed over the course of two years and interpreted the story in a different way to the original. Lucas explained, "The people we spoke to have grown up with these stories, and we wanted to find out what's important to them, and how to interpret that in a new way...So, being 100% accurate to the original was not necessary, really, because we were picking up the key ingredients". The product line does, however, include recognizable characters from ''Journey to the West.''

The designers behind ''LEGO Monkie Kid'' had revealed that researching Chinese stories and testing with children were important in the development of the brand new theme. Lego Senior Design Manager Dennis Fong explained, “We felt that we hit something really big when we had this concept of the Monkey King,” and continued, “Seeing all the energy from the kids, the parents, how they could instantly recognize it because we had a lot of key iconic elements in there. And, you know, we didn't need to tell a new story. We had the old story as a foundation for us to build upon."

The initial concept for the theme originated in a rough sketch created by Ned Rogers in December 2021. The sketch depicted several construction sets are transformed into animated vehicles and which parts of the design remain. Featured the concept art are Monkie Kid's Cloud Jet, Pigsy's Food Truck and the Tuk Tuk from Iron Bull Tank. With Lego Monkie Kid theme from The Lego Group was developed as an animated television series, the images showcase how the early set designs were taken and turned into animated models on screens.

Launch

The ''LEGO Monkie Kid'' theme was launched on 16 May 2020. As part of the marketing campaign, The Lego Group released the eight sets inspired by ''Monkey King'' and ''Journey to the West''. Each set featured different giant mecha, buildings and vehicles. Minifigures including Monkie Kid, Mei, Monkey King, Mo the cat, Sandy, Mr. Tang and Pigsy were released as well. The sets were designed primarily for children 6+.

In September 2021, Matthew Ashton, The Lego Group's Vice President of Design announced the Monkie Kid alongside City, Friends, Creator, Classic, Technic, Speed Champions, Ninjago, Collectible Minifigures and DOTS themes will continue until at least 2023.

Characters

MK's Team

* Monkie Kid ("MK" for short, 悟空小侠/齐小天): The main protagonist of the series. A young noodle delivery boy chosen by Monkey King as his new successor to battle against the forces of evil, he wields Monkey King's golden staff and given almost all of his powers.
* Mei (龙小娇): The descendant of the legendary White Dragon Horse and MK's best friend, she is gifted with a dragon aura and her family's jade dragon blade to fight against foes.
* Pigsy (朱大廚): The owner and head chef of Pigsy's Noodles, his weapon of choice is a pitchfork in the toy line with an attachable sausage cannon.
* Sandy (沙大力): A river ogre who was formerly a rage-filled soldier that became peaceful after going to therapy for his anger. When enraged, his eyes glow purple while his pearl necklace turns into orbs of fire. He uses a crescent staff as a weapon in the toy line. He was also made into a minifigure within the "Evil Macaque's Mech", "Monkie Kid's Galactic Explorer" and "Monkie Kid's Team Van" sets.
* Tang (唐師傅): A regular customer at Pigsy's Noodles, often telling MK stories about Monkey King in exchange for free noodles (which angers Pigsy for being cheap), it is revealed in season 3 that he has the power of chi manipulation.
* Mo (毛): Sandy's pet cat who is seen along with him when going on missions.
* Monkey King (孫悟空): The legendary hero who fought the Demon Bull King centuries ago by using his staff to trap him inside a mountain, he then decided to retire on Flower Fruit Mountain and train MK as his new successor to fight against evil demons while also helping the team on occasions.

Demons

* Demon Bull King ("DBK" for short, 牛魔王): Princess Iron Fan's husband and Red Son's father, he is the leader of the Demon Bull Family and the main antagonist of season one. Demon Bull King was defeated by Monkey King centuries ago and trapped inside a mountain for 500 years until he was freed by his family and plans to takeover Megapolis, his weapon is a battle axe, while also cannons and a flamethrower when transformed into a giant, he is made into a brick-built figure in "The Flaming Foundry" set.
* Princess Iron Fan (鐵扇公主): Demon Bull King's celestial wife and Red Son's mother. A cold and ruthless villainess who would do anything for her family to achieve their goals and to please her love, like her husband they both enjoy taunting Red Son whenever he fails at something which makes him try to do better. Even though she acts cold-hearted she does hold a softer side towards her husband and son. She wields a giant magic fan that can summon whirlwinds while also the power of aerokinesis.
* Red Son (紅孩兒): Demon Bull King and Princess Iron Fan's half-demon, half-celestial son. He is an egotistical mad scientist who builds diabolical weapons and has a literal hot temper when humiliated in front of his father, whom he seeks his affection. He later join MK's team briefly to retrieve celestial artifacts to defeat the Spider Queen. It turns out he is responsible for the creation of the three Samadhi Rings due to his power being unstable when he was born. He has Pyrokinesis to conjure fire and uses a gauntlet as a weapon for both combat and to wield Monkey King's staff.
* Bull Clones (牛雜兵): An army of bull robots created by Red Son to serve the Demon Bull Family who are led by General Ironclad (牛將軍), there are also five Bull Clones that are named, Bob (鮑勃), Snort (打鼾), Grunt (咕嚕聲), Roar (怒吼) and Growl (咆哮) in the toy line.
* Gold and Silver Demons (金銀惡魔): Twin demon brothers Jin (金角大王) and Yin (銀角大王) are a duo of troublemakers who like to create mischief. One time MK got sucked inside an enchanted Calabash by the twins which they make him believe he has a perfect life, but there influence goes awry which made the hero escape (one example being Mei loves him).
* Spider Queen (蜘蛛精): She is the leader of the Spider Demons and the main antagonist of season two. She was once a powerful queen a long time ago but not before her empire was buried underground, she then rises to the surface with the help of Syntax and a little girl (possessed by Lady Bone Demon) to conquer Megapolis by spreading her venom to mind control every citizen. She is carried by a robotic spider that acts as her chariot which makes her appear to have spider legs and an abdomen.
* Syntax (黯網): A human scientist that was turned by the Spider Queen's venom to help her conquer Megapolis, he wears goggles and has retractable robotic spider legs on his back he uses for mobility.
* Huntsman (獵剎): A skilled hunter who serves the Spider Queen that is ordered to track down MK and his team, he has mechanical legs that can transform from regular legs to spider limbs.
* Strong Spider (壮漢蛛): A brute who acts as the brawns of the Spider Queen's army, he has a muscular build with robotic spider limbs for legs, he is the only character never released in the toy line.
* Spindrax (姬影): A female biker who works for the Spider Queen, she doesn't appear in the series but was only released in the "Monkie Kid's Cloud Bike" set.
* Spider-Bots (蜘蛛機器人): Robots created by Syntax to aid in the Spider Queen's takeover of Megapolis.
* Lady Bone Demon (白骨夫人): A spiritual demon that was sealed within a tomb by Monkey King and the main antagonist of season three. After being freed by the Demon Bull King she took over his body and tried to destroy MK, only for the hero to defeat her and free Demon Bull King of her possession, Unbeknownst to them she roams the city and possessed a little girl. She then helped the Spider Queen rule over Megapolis but only to betray the monarch by placing her and other 4 ingredients in the Trigram Furnace to create her bone mech, MK tried to defeat her again but every blow just made her stronger which drained him of his powers and destroyed Monkey King's staff. Her name is written as "White Bone Demon" (白骨魔) in the toy line.
* Macaque (六耳獼猴): Monkey King's doppelgänger who shares his powers and the secondary antagonist of season three. He and Monkey King were once allies centuries ago, but as he grew more powerful, Macaque was left behind and grew jealous to his opposite which makes him desire to steal his staff, his power and his title. He later joins forces with Lady Bone Demon to complete her goal to destroy MK and Monkey King. As his name implies he has six ears attached to his head along with a scarred blind eye on the right side of his face, but he can easily hide them both with magic to appear normal, he can generate a staff similar to Monkey King's except it has mace spikes at the end of each tip. Unlike his rival he possesses dark magic such as power absorption, phase though terrain, teleporting through shadows, creating copies of himself called Shadow Monkeys (影猴, two which are named Savage (野蠻的) and Rumble (隆隆) in the toy line) and summoning a gigantic smoke monster.
* The Mayor (市长): The "mayor" of Megapolis who turns out to be created by Lady Bone Demon before her entrapment to continue her plan to destroy Monkey King, the obvious notion of him being inhuman is that he has white eyes and has weird movements, his true form is revealed to be a hulking behemoth.
* Bone Spirits (白骨兵): Ghostly warriors who serve Lady Bone Demon, they don't appear in the series but were only released in "The Bone Demon" set.
* Scorpion Queen (蠍子精): A scorpion demoness that can cast illusions to appear like an attractive woman, she once tried to woo Tang to fall in love with her but later decided that it wasn't meant to be. Her true form is that of a woman with both scorpion claws, legs and a stinger for a tail.
* Goldfish Demon (金魚惡魔): A small fish demon whose only source of mobility is a glass bubble with two robotic arms, he challenges MK and his team to a game where he has to give them a new engine for the T.E.A., the team kept losing their valuable items with every loss but found out he's been cheating all a long thanks to MK regaining his Golden Eyes of Truth, thus winning the game, regaining their belongings and won the new engine.
* Azure Lion (青毛獅子): A blue lion who is one of the Three Demon Kings that uses a bronze saber as a weapon.
* Gold Winged Eagle (金翅大鵬雕): A eagle with golden wings who is one of the Three Demon Kings that uses a spear as a weapon
* Yellow Tusk Elephant (黃牙老象): A white elephant with yellow tusk who is one of the Three Demon Kings that uses two maces as weapons

Others

* Ne Zha (哪吒): The young warrior prince of the celestial army who once fought off Monkey King a long time ago who now helps his successor MK and his team to fight against Lady Bone Demon, he wields a spear as a weapon and is carried by two flaming rings under his feet for mobility.
* Chang'e (嫦娥): A celestial lunar deity who resides on the moon, she is assisted by Lunar Rabbit Robots (月兔機器人) to help her make mooncakes in her factory.
* Dragon of the East (東海龍王敖廣): The ruler of the Eastern Sea and great-uncle of Mei who was the original owner of the golden staff before Monkey King took it as a weapon.
* Erlang (二郎神): A member of the celestial army that is also the nephew of the Jade Emperor, he is accompanied by a dog and has a mystical third eye. He appears in "The Heavenly Realms" set.
* Lao Tzu (太上老君): A celestial being who was the original owner of the Trigram Furnace, which he used to contain Monkey King for causing a ruckus in the Celestial Realm. He appears in "The Heavenly Realms" set.
* Tudi (土地公): A small tutelary mountain celestial being who resides underground.
* Mr. Dragon (龙先生) and Mrs. Dragon (龙太太): Mei's wealthy parents who are the descendants of the Dragon of the West.
* The Shoe Store Assistant (鞋店助理): An employee of Megapolis' shoe store who first encounters Red Son and DBK who are searching for rare item's to absorb, one of which is the beelzebub shoes, he told the two to get back in line which made Demon Bull King take them by force and terrified the worker. He later appears again during the Spider Queen's takeover where he complains to Red Son (who was a cook at a food stand) about the food he made was too hot and burned his tastebuds, he demanded to see his manager who in turn was DBK and once again scares him off.
* The Commentator (評論員): A citizen of Megapolis who announces most of the cities competitions like the Great Wall Race and Food Wars.
* The Guardians of Knowledge (知識的守護者): Two large red and blue guards who protect " The Cloud", a place where it connects the world of all its technology and knowledge.
* The Demon Accountant (惡魔會計): A female demon who works for Jin and Yin as there Accountant when they owned Speedy Panda.
* Ai (到): A businesswoman, she appears in the "Monkie Kid's Cloud Jet" set.
* Uncle Qiao (喬叔叔): A businessman, he appears in the "Pigsy's Food Truck" set.
* Lee (小李): The owner of Speedy Panda then later became its mascot, he appears in the "Red Son's Inferno Truck" and "Pigsy's Noodle Tank" sets.
* An (一個): A tourist, she appears in the "Monkey King Warrior Mech" set.
* Jia (賈): A tourist, he appears in the "Monkey King Warrior Mech" and "Spider Queen's Arachnoid Base" sets.
* Chen (陳): A photographer, he appears in the "Monkie Kid's Cloud Roadster" set.
* Wang (王): A jogger, she appears in the "Monkie Kid's Cloud Roadster" set.
* Uncle Zhang (張叔): A construction worker, he appears in "The Flaming Foundry" set.
* Rui (睿): A civilian, she appears in the "Monkie Kid's Cloud Bike" set.
* Si (矽): A civilian, he appears in the "White Dragon Horse Jet" set.
* Lu (魯): A gamer, she appears in the "Monkie Kid's Lion Guardian" set.
* Fei (费): A civilian, she appears in the "Monkie Kid's Team Dronecopter" set.
* Brother Monkey (猴哥) and Sister Monkey (猴子姐姐): Two monkey siblings who live in Flower Fruit Mountain, they appear in "The Legendary Flower Fruit Mountain" set.
* Pan (平底鍋): The new owner of Speedy Panda, he appears in the "Pigsy's Noodle Tank" set.
* Huang (黃): A civilian, she appears in "The City of Lanterns" set.
* Han (他們有): A store shopper, she appears in "The City of Lanterns" set.
* Train Driver (火車司機): A train conductor, he appears in "The City of Lanterns" set.
* Citybots (城市機器人): The robots who help out civilians in the city of Megapolis, they appear in "The City of Lanterns" set.
* Heaven Fairies (天堂仙女): Female servants who reside in the Celestial Realm to garden the Peaches of Immortality, they are also known as Jade Maidens (玉女), one appears in "The Heavenly Realms" set.

This series also reference other characters from Journey to the West such as Tang Sanzang (唐三藏), Zhu Bajie (豬八戒), Sha Wujing (沙悟淨), the White Dragon Horse (白龍馬), the Buddha (如來佛), Guanyin (觀音), the Jade Emperor (玉皇大帝), the Dragon of the West (西海龍王敖閏), the Rhino King (犀牛王) and the Four Heavenly Kings (四大天王).

Toy line

Construction sets

According to Bricklink, The Lego Group has released 37 playsets and promotional packs based on the ''Lego Monkie Kid'' theme.

A Hero is Born sets

In 2020, eight sets were released on 16 May 2020 and were based on the TV special titled ''A Hero is Born''. A total of eight sets including the Monkey King Warrior Mech, Demon Bull King and Monkie Kid's Team Secret HQ were released. Senior Design Director of Lego Simon Lucas discussed about the Demon Bull King set and explained, “The Demon Bull is such an iconic demon and kept coming up in our conversation. So we wanted to include him as the main demon in this season,” and continued, “Then we wanted to reinvent him in a brand new way, because LEGO is the perfect way to do that. So now we heard from the kids, ‘That's definitely the Bull Demon, but I’ve never seen him like that before.” ’ He's now half cyborg and half bull, and that's really cool.” In addition, two promotional polybags namely the Monkie Kid's Delivery Bike and Build Your Own Monkey King were released. On December 31, 2021, A Hero is Born sets got retired in the Lego stores at the end of 2021

Season 1 sets

In 2020, three sets were released on 1 August 2020 and were based on the first season. A total of three sets including the Monkie Kid's Cloud Roadster were released. On December 31, 2021, the first season sets got retired in the Lego stores at the end of 2021.

Season 2 sets

In 2021, six sets were released on 1 March 2021 and were based on the second season. A total of six sets including the Monkie Kid's Team Dronecopter and The Legendary Flower Fruit Mountain were released. In addition, Monkie Kid's RC Race and Mini Monkey King Warrior Mech were released as an exclusive set and a promotional polybag respectively. On December 31, 2021, the second season sets got retired in the Lego stores at the end of 2021.

Later, three sets were released on 1 July 2021. A total of three sets including The Bone Demon were released. Senior Creative Director Simon Lucas revealed how the design team took cues from a video game to put together The Bone Demon set and explained, “Lego designer Justin Ramsden and I really tried to make the building journey part of the play,” and continued, “Like a video game, there's a battle at each level, and in the end you face the big boss.” In addition, a two key chains with a key chain attached to the minifigures of Monkie Kid and Red Son. On December 31, 2021, the second season sets got retired in the Lego stores at the end of 2021.

Season 3 sets

In 2022, seven sets were released on 1 January 2022 and were based on the third season. A total of seven sets including Monkie Kid's Staff Creations, Monkie Kid's Galactic Explorer and The City of Lanterns were released as well. The Lego Group revealed at the China International Import Expo a brand new set titled the "Monkie Kid's Galactic Explorer" where MK and his team have built a rocket to launch into space, but Macaque's shadow clones try to stop them. The Minifigures are Monkie Kid, Mei, Mr. Tang, Sandy (minifig), a Mo space robot, and two of Macaque's shadow clones named Rumble and Savage. In addition, a promotional polybag set namely Monkie Kid's Underwater Journey was released as well. The Lego Group designer Justin Ramsden discussed about The City of Lanterns set and explained, "What's this extra part of track that's included at the back of the Lego model?! If you're lucky enough to get your hands on multiple copies of this set, then with a very small amount of rebuilding, you can actually combine them to make a much larger City!" and explained, "Finally… to some, this may be the luxurious Lotus Hotel however, don't be fooled! This is actually a candle to celebrate my seventh anniversary of working at The Lego Group. Cheers and hope you enjoy the set!"

Later, three sets were released on 1 June 2022. A total of three new sets named the Dragon of the East, Monkie Kid’s Team Van and The Heavenly Realms were released.

Season 4 sets

In November 2022, The Lego Group revealed at the China International Import Expo a brand new set titled the "Monkey King Ultra Mech" will be released in January 2023. The set consists of 1705 pieces with 6 minifigures. The set included Lego minifigures of Monkey King, Monkie Kid, Mr Tang, Golden-Winged Eagle, Azure Lion and Yellow Tusk Elephant. In addition, five new sets including Monkey King Marketplace, Monkie Kid’s Combi Mech, Mei’s Dragon Jet, Yellow Tusk Elephant and Monkie Kid’s Team Hideout were released as well.

BrickHeadz

A Monkey King set was released as part of ''Lego BrickHeadz'' theme on 1 August 2020. The set consists of 175 pieces and a baseplate. The set included a Golden Staff. On December 31, 2021, the set got retired in the Lego stores at the end of 2021.

Television series

''Lego Monkie Kid'' is an animated television series series inspired by ''Monkey King'' and ''Journey to the West'' and produced by Flying Bark Productions to coincide with the release of the theme's Lego sets. The series premiered on TV3 in Malaysia on 13 September 2020, debuted on Channel 9 in Australia on 13 March 2021 and debuted on CITV in the United Kingdom on 9 May 2022.

Episodes

Series overview

''Monkie Kid: A Hero is Born'' (2020)

''Monkie Kid: A Hero is Born'' is a 45-minute television special that premiered on RTM TV2 and TV3 in Malaysia on 13 June 2020, debuted on Mediacorp in Singapore on 27 June 2020, premiered on 9Go! in Australia on 13 March 2021, and premiered internationally on Amazon Kids+ on September 9, 2021. It also debuted on CITV in the United Kingdom on 9 May 2022.

Season 1 (2020)

''Revenge of the Spider Queen'' (2021)

''Revenge of the Spider Queen'' is a 43-minute television special that premiered on TV3 in Malaysia on 27 March 2021, premiered on 9Go! in Australia on 24 April 2021, and premiered internationally on Amazon Kids+ on September 30, 2021. It also debuted on CITV in the United Kingdom on 17 May 2022.

Season 2 (2021)

Season 3 (2022)

''Embrace Your Destiny'' (2022)

''Embrace Your Destiny'' is a four-part television special/mini-series that premiered on CITV in the United Kingdom on 1 June 2022.

Theme park attractions

In November 2021, a Lego Monkie Kid themed land was announced for the upcoming launch of Legoland Shanghai Resort in 2024.

Publications

A quarterly Lego Monkie Kid limited edition magazine published by CoroCoro was launched from 2021 to accompany the toy line only available in Japan.

Video game

Lego Brawls

A crossover mobile fighting game named ''Lego Brawls'' was developed by RED Games. ''Lego Brawls'' was released exclusively for Apple Arcade on September 19, 2019, for iOS devices, and will be available for PC and Consoles in June 2022. It includes Monkie Kid, Mei, Pigsy, Mr. Tang, Monkey King, Princess Iron Fan, Red Son, a Bull Clone, Gold and Silver Horn Demons, and the Spider Queen as playable characters.

Other media

Lego Masters China has started its first season of the regional show, with a trailer showcasing an upcoming episode based on Lego Monkie Kid.

Awards and nominations

In October 2021, Lego Monkie Kid was nominated for "Animated Series Production of the Year" by the 20th Screen Producers Australia Awards. It was also nominated for the Animation Ages 11–17 category in the 2022 Banff Rockie Awards.

In December 2022, Lego Monkie Kid Director Sarah Harper was awarded for "Best Direction in Animation" by the 2022 Australian Directors’ Guild Awards.

See also

* Lego Ninjago
* Lego Legends of Chima
* Lego Ninja
* Nexo Knights
* Lego Overwatch

References

External links

Official website

Lego Monkie Kid
at IMDb

{{Lego

Monkie Kid
Products introduced in 2020
Lego television series
Anime-influenced Western animated television series
2020s Australian animated television series
Australian children's animated comedy television series
Australian children's animated action television series
Chinese children's animated action television series
Danish children's animated action television series
Works based on Journey to the West