Lego Monkie Kid


Lego Monkie Kid is a Lego theme inspired by the 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 the 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 revealed that researching Chinese stories and testing with children were important in the development of the 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... 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+.

Characters

Monkie Kids

  • Monkie Kid : 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 : The descendant of the legendary White Horse Dragon and MK's best friend, she is gifted with a dragon aura and her family's jade dragon blade to fight against foes, she would later inherit Red Son's Samadhi Fire in season 3.
  • Pigsy : The stern owner and head chef of Pigsy's Noodles who acts as a fatherly figure to MK. His weapon of choice is a rake.
  • Sandy : A river ogre who was formerly a rage-filled soldier, but became peaceful after going to therapy for his anger. When enraged, his eyes glow purple while his pearl necklace turns into orbs of fire. His weapon of choice is a crescent staff. He was also made into a minifigure since the Season 3 sets.
  • * Mo : Sandy's pet therapy cat who is seen along with him when going on missions. He is reduced into a kitten named "Baby Mo" in later sets to follow up with Sandy becoming a minifigure.
  • Tang : A regular customer at Pigsy's Noodles, often telling MK stories about Monkey King in exchange for free noodles, it is revealed in season 3 that he has the power of chi manipulation, his weapon of choice is a khakkhara. He is believed to be another reincarnation of the Golden Cicada, who previously became Tang Sanzang.
  • Monkey King : The legendary hero who famously went on the Journey to the West and battled various demons, 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 : 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 1. 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 : Demon Bull King's celestial wife and Red Son's mother. She was once a member of the royal Celestial Court, but later defected after falling in love with Demon Bull King and giving birth to Red Son, thus forming the Demon Bull Family who want to conquer Megapolis, the Celestial Realm and then the world. She is portrayed as cold-hearted and cruel who would do anything to please her husband, but despite that is also shown to actually care about her family. She wields a giant magic fan that can summon whirlwinds while also the power of aerokinesis.
  • Red Son : 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 would occasionally join MK's team briefly to help them stop much bigger threats. 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 : An army of bull robots created by Red Son to serve the Demon Bull Family who are led by General Ironclad, there are also five Bull Clones that are named, Bob, Snort, Grunt, Roar and Growl in the toy line.
  • Gold and Silver Demons : Twin demon brothers Jin and Yin 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 their influence goes awry which made the hero escape.
  • * The Demon Accountant : A female demon who works for Jin and Yin as their accountant when they had owned Speedy Panda.
  • Spider Queen : She is the leader of the Spider Demons and the main antagonist of season 2. 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 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. At the end of season 2, she is betrayed by Lady Bone Demon, revealing that she was the final ingredient to her plan, and is dragged into the Trigram Furnace, killing her. Her ghost is later used by the Bone Mech in season 3 against Pigsy, Sandy and Tang before it was eventually destroyed. She also appears in season 4 as one of the forms the Ink Demons take to taunt Monkey King of his past.
  • Syntax : 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. He is the first of the spider demons to be killed by the Mayor near the end of season 2, with his ghost being used by the Bone Mech in season 3 against Pigsy, Sandy and Tang before it was eventually destroyed.
  • * Spider-Bots : Robots created by Syntax to aid in the Spider Queen's takeover of Megapolis by injecting civilians with her venom to mind control them.
  • Huntsman : 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. He also ends up growing a fascination with Sandy, who he becomes obsessed with fighting. He and Strong Spider are killed by the Mayor near the end of season 2, with his ghost being used by the Bone Mech in season 3 against Pigsy, Sandy and Tang before it was eventually destroyed.
  • Strong Spider : 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 also doesn't appear in the toy line. He and Huntsman are killed by the Mayor near the end of season 2, with his ghost being used by the Bone Mech in season 3 against Pigsy, Sandy and Tang before it was eventually destroyed.
  • Spindrax : 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.
  • Lady Bone Demon : A ghostly spiritual demon that was sealed within a tomb by Monkey King and the main antagonist of season 3, she believes that the mortal realm has suffered far too long and that the only way to save itself is to reshape the realms in her image as a way to end all flaws. 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 claim Monkey King's staff.
  • * Bone Spirits : Ghostly warriors who serve Lady Bone Demon, they don't appear in the series but were only released in "The Bone Demon" set.
  • Macaque : Monkey King's doppelgänger who shares his powers and the secondary antagonist of season 3. 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. After being killed by his former friend during the Journey to the West, he was resurrected by Lady Bone Demon who offers him to join her cause to destroy Monkey King, however he eventually redeems himself and help MK to defeat her, thus becoming an ally to his team. He has a scarred blind eye on the right side of his face, which he hides 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 through terrain, teleporting through shadows, creating copies of himself called Shadow Monkeys and Rumble and summon a gigantic smoke monster.
  • The Mayor : The supposed "mayor" of Megapolis who turns out to be a former chief of war who assisted Lady Bone Demon in betraying and executing his emperor before her entrapment. It is implied that a lot of Lady Bone Demon's power has been channeled into him, possibly being the reason for his inhuman qualities such as his white eyes and his weird movements. He is betrayed and drained of his power by Lady Bone Demon and captured by a newly reformed Macaque in season 3, who forces him to tell the heroes about Lady Bone Demon's plan. He is presumably left in their custody. He appears via the Memory Scroll in season 4, showing a glimpse into Lady Bone Demon and his past serving under their emperor.
  • Scorpion Queen : A scorpion demoness that can cast illusions to appear like an attractive woman, she once kidnapped Tang in an attempt to have a friend, but later persuaded to form one with Tudi. Her true form is that of a woman with both scorpion claws, legs and a stinger for a tail.
  • Goldfish Demon : 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 along thanks to MK regaining his Golden Eyes of Truth, thus winning the game, regaining their belongings and won the new engine.
  • Azure Lion : A blue lion who is the leader of The Brotherhood and is the main antagonist of season 4. His goal is to free his brothers from the Scroll of Memory and rid the world of the supposed suffering from the Jade Emperor and replace him as the new ruler, however his rule almost severely damages the other realms due to his self-righteous views. He uses a bronze saber as a weapon.
  • *Ink Demons : Demons made of ink who serve The Brotherhood created from the Scroll of Memory. They have the ability to shape-shift into the forms of others, which they use to take the form of those from Monkey King's troubled past in order to taunt him.
  • Yellowtusk : A large white elephant with yellow tusks who is a member of The Brotherhood that uses a mallet as a weapon. Being wiser than his brothers, he sees the error of the Brotherhood's ways and know that Azure Lion's goal was only for his selfish gain to the point where he helps MK's team and turn himself over to the Celestial Army. He is designed into a big-fig within the show but made into a minifigure in the toy line.
  • Peng : A bird with golden wings who is a member of The Brotherhood that uses a Ji spear as a weapon, they are shown to care about their brothers, but cares mostly about themselves and own safety. They and their brothers have the ability to create structures in any size and can materialize their wings for flight.
  • Kui Mulang : A celestial member of the 28 Mansions who fell in love with one of the Jade Maidens, however the Celestial Realm did not accept their love to which they sacrificed their immortality in hopes of being reincarnated, but in the process lost the love of his life. Because of this he turns into a demon and consumes the souls of anyone who enters his domain to prolong his mortality. He has the ability to transform into a monstrous giant wolf.
  • The Nine-Headed Demon : A demon that shapeshifts into a flying nine-headed beast. He is the main antagonist in season 5. He is a secret villain whose main mission is to explore the chaos realm. Trapped in the mortal realm for eons, his long-term plan to get back in was to wake up MK and disguise as an Underworld King.
  • The 100-Eyed Demon : A centipede demon with multiple eyes who is a brief antagonist in season 5. His main power is manipulating the memories of others.