In 2019, Lego’s big-swing original horror concept abandoned the 30s iconography of Pharaoh’s Quest and Monster Fighters in favor of a decidedly modern approach. In Hidden Side, contemporary tweens have determined that there’s a… concealed… facet of Newbury, the town they live in. Various buildings around town actually harbored malevolent genii locorum that wanted to do evil stuff. This… tenebrous… exteriority could only be uncovered through the power of APPS!
Lego has constantly been trying to integrate the digital with the physical for the last twenty years, and this was their latest attempt: every set featured AR targets that, when viewed through an AR phone app, would reveal virtual ghosts ‘haunting’ the physical playset. The characters within the sets themselves also had smartphone tiles through which they could see the ghosts. But also, the sets did physically transform into evil buildings or vehicles as well. And the teens were helped in their quest by benevolent Ms. Frizzle-like teachers who had kitted out a school bus to fight ghosts that haunt porta-potties.
Are you with me so far? Because kids weren’t. Hidden Side sets were notorious shelf-warmers, and while the theme did last two years, its AR experiments have never really been repeated since. Despite this, it did have a certain creative charm. Where else will you find a haunted Shrimp Shack?
The flagship of the first Hidden Side Wave was Newbury Haunted High School, which very cleverly transforms from an ordinary brick building into a Monster House-esque abomination complete with a slavering maw. It’s a really fun and creative design that’s a huge departure from anything else Lego has ever done.
The next ill-fated big swing original horror concept wouldn’t come until 2023. But first, we’ll take a brief detour back into the land of IP licenses.