Citations › Citation ID: 144

C144. BOOK: Daniel Konstanski, The Secret Life of LEGO Bricks: The Inside Story of a Design Icon (Unbound, 2022), p. 270.

All [new themes] involve new components or, in the case of roadways, new families of elements. The goal is simple: to bring novelty to a familiar context. ... This can be accomplished in two ways using parts: either by generating a range of new components or by effecting extensive colour changes on large
swathes of existing elements. LEGO Legends of Chima chose the most extreme version of option two: creating a whole new colour.

New element colours are, in some ways, more complicated than original elements. The LEGO colour palette has a set total number of entries that does not change, so the addition of a new colour requires the deletion of an existing one. This can be a monumental logistical effort, as the entire company must be canvassed to make sure no team needs the colour up for deletion.

Introducing a new color (usually) involves retiring a color which will no longer be available.