Highlights

  • LEGO games are known for their family-friendly content, avoiding violence and harsh language.
  • LEGO Dimensions, a now discontinued game, did incorporate kids' animation properties like Scooby-Doo! and Adventure Time.
  • There is potential for LEGO to create more games based on beloved children's animations from Cartoon Network and Nickelodeon.

Though they've occasionally crossed over with some teen-themed franchises, LEGO games have always been family-friendly affairs. Even when the license itself gets a little more adult, the LEGO video game adaptation always keeps things tame, refraining from any real depictions of violence, gore, or harsh language. Even when a main character dies on-screen in a LEGO game, it's usually played for laughs in an attempt to keep things lighthearted.

With LEGO games maintaining such a family-friendly focus, it seems strange that LEGO hasn't adapted more family-friendly licenses. More specifically, it seems strange that LEGO has never really looked to the world of children's animation for one of its video games. There are a ton of really excellent kids' animation properties that would be perfectly suited for the LEGO game treatment.

LEGO Batman interrupting a Group shot from Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League
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The Next LEGO Game Should Look to Kids' Animation

LEGO Dimensions Already Dabbled in Kids' Animation

Back in 2015, LEGO tried to hop on the briefly successful toys-to-life train that Skylanders had started up a few years prior, and Disney Infinity was also riding high on. After a pretty successful starter pack, LEGO Dimensions cast a wide net over a variety of other franchises, and pulled some intriguing characters into the game. While this first wave of LEGO Dimensions characters mainly focused on DC, Lord of the Rings, The Simpsons, and Doctor Who, the game did dip its toes into the world of kids' animations with its Scooby-Doo! Team Pack, which included the titular talking dog, Shaggy, and a buildable Mystery Machine.

This Scooby-Doo! pack must have proven to be a bit of a success for LEGO Dimensions, as the game's second wave of DLC and toys included a few more packs based on kids' animation. Two separate Adventure TimeLEGO Dimensions sets were released, along with two separate Powerpuff Girls sets, and another two dedicated Teen Titans Go! sets, which would also give retroactive makeovers to any pre-purchased Robin and Cyborg LEGO Dimensions sets.

There's Limitless Potential with a LEGO Game Based on Kids' Animation

Of course, LEGO Dimensions was doomed to fail in retrospect, and it was officially discontinued back in October 2017. While eager fans can still track down a second-hand copy of LEGO Dimensions and all the kids' animation sets, it's not the easiest way to play through a LEGO adaptation of those beloved properties. LEGO shouldn't just leave all that promise lying in the dirt. There are so many great kids' animation properties just waiting to be adapted into great LEGO games, and LEGO Dimensions should only have been the start.

It's clear that LEGO already has a pretty good relationship with Cartoon Network, with Adventure Time, Teen Titans Go!, and Powerpuff Girls all being a part of LEGO Dimensions. It would be great if LEGO got back in touch with Cartoon Network, and created a video game based on a collection of its properties. There are still a ton of great Cartoon Network properties left to adapt in LEGO form, from The Amazing World of Gumball, to Samurai Jack, to Ben 10, to Steven Universe. And that's just Cartoon Network. LEGO could also hit up Nickelodeon for its own back catalogue of beloved animation IPs, from SpongeBob SquarePants, to Invader Zim, to Fairly OddParents, to Danny Phantom, and a whole slew of other worthy series in between.