One of the most popular questions we get asked here at Belle-Ve Bricks is “Why does LEGO retire sets?” It’s a good question and one that doesn’t have a straightforward answer. In this blog post, we’ll explore the various reasons why LEGO might choose to retire a set, as well as the implications for LEGO fans and collectors.
Reasons LEGO Retires LEGO Sets
There are a number of reasons why LEGO might choose to retire a set. The most common reason is that the set is no longer selling well. This might be because it’s no longer popular with kids, or because it’s too expensive for the average consumer. Sometimes, LEGO will also retire a set because it’s no longer cost-effective to produce. For example, if a set contains a lot of small pieces that are expensive to manufacture, LEGO might decide to discontinue the set in order to save money.
Another reason why LEGO might retire a set is that it’s simply too old. Over time, sets can become dated and no longer appeal to modern consumers. This is especially true for licensed sets, which often tie in with movies, TV shows, or video games that are no longer popular. For example, when the Harry Potter franchise ended in 2011, LEGO retired many of its Harry Potter-themed sets.
So what does this mean for you? If you’re a fan of LEGO, it’s important to be aware that sets can and do get retired on a regular basis. This means that if there’s a particular set that you’re hoping to buy, you should do so sooner rather than later. Once a set is retired by LEGO, it will likely become much more expensive on the secondary market (i.e. eBay, BrickLink). So if you’re looking to add a particular set to your collection, it’s best to buy it before it gets retired!
Conclusion
In conclusion, there are many reasons why LEGO might choose to retire a set. The most common reason is poor sales, but other factors can include the age of the set or high production costs. If you’re hoping to add a particular set to your collection, it’s best to buy it before it gets retired!
<div class="badge-base LI-profile-badge" data-locale="en_US" data-size="large" data-theme="dark" data-type="HORIZONTAL" data-vanity="ferdi-vol" data-version="v1"><a class="badge-base__link LI-simple-link" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/%E2%9C%85-ferdi-vol-corporate-gifts/?trk=profile-badge"></a></div>
/* Auto generated, hash = 5dceu9kevqjdyuy2uw1atqrsu */
//TODO: Break this file down so that we can actually unit test it.
(function(window) {
/**
* Renders all unrendred LinkedIn Badges on the page
*/
window.LIRenderAll = function () {
var CALLBACK_NAME = 'LIBadgeCallback', //Must match callback on helpers.js
BADGE_NAMES = '.LI-profile-badge, .LI-entity-badge',
// TODO -- tracking param for other badge types
TRACKING_PARAM = 'profile-badge',
responsesReceived = 0, //Keeps track of number of responses recieved for proper cleanup when finished
expectedResponses = 0, //Keeps track of number of responses to expect
scripts = [ ], //Keeps track of scripts added for proper cleanup when finished
childScripts = {}, //Keeps track of child scripts to render
badges = Array.prototype.slice.call(document.querySelectorAll(BADGE_NAMES));
var i, len, badge, rendered;
for (i = 0, len = badges.length; i < len; i++) {
badge = badges[i];
rendered = badge.getAttribute('data-rendered');
if (!rendered) {
expectedResponses++;
badge.setAttribute('data-rendered', true);
renderBadge(badge);
}
}
function isCNDomain() {
if (typeof window !== "undefined") {
var hostName = window.location && window.location.hostname || '';
return (/linkedin(-ei)?.cn$/).test(hostName);
}
return false;
}
function generateUrl(isEI) {
var domainPrefix = isEI ? 'https://badges.linkedin-ei' : 'https://badges.linkedin';
if (isCNDomain()) {
return domainPrefix + ".cn/";
}
return domainPrefix + ".com/";
}
function getBadgeKeyQueryParams(badge) {
return Array.prototype.slice.call(badge.attributes).filter(function (attr) {
return attr.name.lastIndexOf('data-key-', 0) !== -1;
}).map(function (attr) {
// Most browsers automatically lowercase the attribute name when its being read
// We are calling lowercase on it again to ensure consistency for any browsers that are lagging behind.
return encodeURIComponent(attr.name.replace('data-', '').toLowerCase()) + '=' + encodeURIComponent(attr.value);
});
}
/*
* Renders a single badge on the page
* @param badge: div element of badge to render
*/
function renderBadge(badge) {
var size = badge.getAttribute('data-size'),
locale = badge.getAttribute('data-locale'),
type = badge.getAttribute('data-type'),
theme = badge.getAttribute('data-theme'),
vanity = badge.getAttribute('data-vanity'),
version = badge.getAttribute('data-version'),
isEI = badge.hasAttribute('data-ei'),
entity = badge.getAttribute('data-entity'),
isCreatePage = badge.hasAttribute('data-iscreate'),
uid = Math.round(1000000 * Math.random()),
baseUrl = generateUrl(isEI),
queryParams = [
'locale=' + encodeURIComponent(locale),
'badgetype=' + encodeURIComponent(type),
'badgetheme=' + encodeURIComponent(theme),
'uid=' + encodeURIComponent(uid),
'version=' + encodeURIComponent(version)
],
url;
if (version === 'v2') {
baseUrl += 'view';
queryParams.push('badgesize=' + encodeURIComponent(size));
queryParams.push('entity=' + encodeURIComponent(entity));
queryParams = queryParams.concat(getBadgeKeyQueryParams(badge));
} else {
baseUrl += 'profile';
queryParams.push('maxsize=' + encodeURIComponent(size));
queryParams.push('trk=' + encodeURIComponent(TRACKING_PARAM));
queryParams.push('vanityname=' + encodeURIComponent(vanity));
}
if (isCreatePage) {
queryParams.push('fromCreate=true');
}
url = baseUrl + '?' + queryParams.join('&');
badge.setAttribute('data-uid' , uid);
jsonp(url); //Calls responseHandler when done
}
/**
* Handles a response from the server. Finds badge matching badgeUid and inserts badgeHtml there
* @param badgeHtml: String representing contents of the badge
* @param badgeUid: UID of the badge to target
**/
function responseHandler(badgeHtml, badgeUid) {
responsesReceived ++;
var i, badge, uid, isCreate;
var defaultWidth = 330 // max possible width
var defaultHeight = 300 // max possible height
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badge = badges[i];
// isCreate needed to prevent reloading artdeco script tag
isCreate = badge.getAttribute('data-iscreate');
uid = parseInt(badge.getAttribute('data-uid'), 10);
if (uid === badgeUid) {
var badgeMarkup = `<body>${badgeHtml}</body>`
var iframe = document.createElement('iframe');
iframe.onload = function() {
var iframeBody = iframe.contentWindow.document.body;
// 5 px buffer to avoid the badge border being cut off.
iframe.setAttribute('height', (iframeBody.scrollHeight || defaultHeight) + 5);
iframe.setAttribute('width', (iframeBody.scrollWidth || defaultWidth) + 5);
};
iframe.setAttribute('frameBorder', '0');
iframe.style.display = 'block';
badge.appendChild(iframe);
iframe.contentWindow.document.open();
iframe.contentWindow.document.write(badgeMarkup);
iframe.contentWindow.document.close();
replaceScriptTags(badge, isCreate);
}
}
tryClean();
}
// These functions are needed because badge markup is added via innerHtml property which does not run script tags
function replaceScriptTags(node, isCreate) {
if (shouldReplaceNode(node, isCreate)) {
node.parentNode.replaceChild(cloneScriptNode(node), node);
childScripts[node.src] = true;
} else {
var i = 0,
children = node.childNodes;
while (i < children.length) {
replaceScriptTags(children[i++], isCreate);
}
}
return node;
}
function shouldReplaceNode(node, isCreate) {
return isScriptNode(node) && !childScripts[node.src] && (!isCreate || (isCreate && !node.getAttribute('data-isartdeco')));
}
function isScriptNode(node) {
return node.tagName === 'SCRIPT';
}
function cloneScriptNode(node){
var script = document.createElement("script");
for( var i = node.attributes.length-1; i >= 0; i-- ) {
script.setAttribute( node.attributes[i].name, node.attributes[i].value );
}
return script;
}
// Gets all incoming responses
window[CALLBACK_NAME] = responseHandler;
/**
* Tries to clean added tags
**/
function tryClean() {
//Clean up after all requests are done..
//Accounts for people including script more than once
var done = (responsesReceived >= expectedResponses && expectedResponses > 0) || responsesReceived >= badges.length;
if (done) {
delete window[CALLBACK_NAME];
// remove all script tags
scripts.map(function(script){
document.body.removeChild(script);
});
}
}
/*
* Makes Jsonp request, responses handles by CALLBACK_NAME
* @param url String: url of server to make request to
*/
function jsonp(url) {
var script = document.createElement('script');
script.src = url;
scripts.push(script);
document.body.appendChild(script);
}
};
if (document.readyState === 'complete') {
window.LIRenderAll();
} else {
window.addEventListener('load', window.LIRenderAll, false);
}
})(window);