Lego fans, I hope you have your orders in, especially if you’re based in the UK or Europe. Because according to Sky News, there may be a shortage.
Toy shortages at Christmas are something of a regular feature of the holiday, as sudden skyrocketing demand for a random choice of the season takes a manufacturer by surprise, and parents to the toy store in hysterics. But Lego knew this demand was coming, and they thought they had accounted for it. Apparently they didn’t account enough. The demand for Star Wars sets exceeded their estimates by 18%.
“We will not be able to deliver all of the orders coming from customers in the remainder of the year,” spokesman Roar Trangbaek said.
Mr Trangbaek said the company would be able to deliver the orders it had already received but may have trouble filling new orders later this year.
“We are running our factories at maximum capacity and will do everything we can to meet demand,” Mr Trangbaek said.
Sky News also talked with Toy World Magazine publisher John Baulch to see if this was something fans should be genuinely worried about, or if Lego was just being overcautious due to the surge.
“I can be sceptical (sic) of stories circulating in the run-up to Christmas talking about product shortages but I think this is absolutely genuine. Lego has had a hugely successful couple of years. Demand for products globally has really taken off and the simple fact is that it can put huge pressure on the production process.”
In the last decade Lego has increased the number of franchise specific sets they make every year, due to the immense popularity of both their Lord of the Rings line and their Harry Potter sets. The Lego video game series has also been a huge factor in the visibility of the company and their toys, not to mention the smash box office success of The Lego Movie. In the last few years, they’ve also added several new licenses to their arsenal, including Doctor Who sets, which are available this year for the first time ever.
Let’s hope they manage to meet demand, and everyone find that Millennium Falcon wrapped up and waiting for them this holiday season.
Next: Trevor Noah Talks Star Wars Controversies on The Daily Show