I’m not sure Lego fully intended that its new advertising campaign elicit a reaction that is pretty much just “uh, what?” but if it was? Mission accomplished.
Tuesday, Lego announced “Rebuild the World,” a new marketing initiative that is, well, actually intentionally vague and esoteric. According to press material from the company, the nebulous idea that you can do anything you want with Lego is its greatest strength.
And so the new focus on creativity and inventive mashing up of the company’s original products — note how it very specifically skirts around Lego’s litany of licensed themes like Star Wars and Marvel/DC Superheroes — means all number of crazy things can happen.
Citing the need to nurture critical thinking and problem solving as part of every child’s development, the new initiative will see in-store events and campaigns to promote kids using Lego bricks to express their creativity beyond simply following sets of instructions:
The LEGO Group believes that every child is born with incredible creative problem-solving capabilities, but we need to act now to nurture that creativity so that it can become a lifelong skill, as the future depends on it.
Inspiring creativity is more critical and urgent than ever. The World Economic Forum Future of Jobs Report places creative problem solving in the top three skills the job market will require from 2020. Imaginative play helps children learn how to innovate, problem solve and think critically throughout their lives.
Which why I guess you actually get this zany live-action advertisement for it all, about a hunter chasing a poor rabbit with a Lego bow and arrow, only for the madcap skirmish between predator and prey to become, well, the existentialist body horror you see in the gif above. Don’t worry, they’re all actually Lego people, so it’s all right in the end!
There’s a lot of peculiarity beyond the Rabbit-Human hybrid though, from spinning heads to fire-decal-breathing dragons. It’s completely nonsensical, but also very fun; it’s kind of like someone crossed The Good Place with The Lego Movie and just happened to make it live action instead.
Which… honestly, as good as The Lego Movie and its follow up were, sounds like it’d be kind of great? And insane? But still great? I dunno, maybe I’ve just been momentarily befuddled by all this weirdness.