The Lord of the Rings is a licensed LEGO theme based on the books by J.R.R. Tolkien and the film trilogy by Peter Jackson. The theme was introduced in 2012 and contained 12 sets based on the three films in the series which include The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers and The Return of the King. The theme's first wave was released in May 2012 and consists of seven sets, based on the whole trilogy of films, The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King. While the second wave of sets was released in June 2013 with 5 new sets. In between the first and the second wave of sets, the video game LEGO The Lord of the Rings: The Video Game was released in 2012.
2013 LEGO Sets
2013 introduced Legends of Chima, a heavily promoted fantasy line positioned as Ninjago’s successor, complete with a companion TV series. Licensed debuts included Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, The Lone Ranger, and new DUPLO tie-ins for Jake and the Never Land Pirates and Mickey Mouse. Collectors pursued the ultra-rare Mr. Gold minifigure from Series 10, limited to just 5,000 worldwide. This year also marked LEGO’s shift from 4-digit to 5-digit set numbering as Monster Fighters, SpongeBob SquarePants, Cars, and Dino concluded.