The LEGO Ideas theme, which started in 2008 as an offshoot of the Japanese website Cuusoo, then formally known as LEGO Cuusoo, is based around a website which allows users to submit ideas for LEGO products to be turned into potential sets available commercially. If fellow users in the LEGO Ideas community up vote the project to 10000 then LEGO Group has a committee which votes on whether to build the set and release it. If the project is approved and cleared for production, it is developed and later released as an official set under the "LEGO Ideas" banner and the original designer receives 1% of the royalties and a number of free sets. Typically, a few projects are approved a year and most are rejected due to various restrictions.
2014 LEGO Sets
In 2014, LEGO reached a new level of mainstream success with the theatrical release of The LEGO Movie on February 7, introducing LEGO to a new generation of fans, collectors, and investors. The film’s popularity not only boosted LEGO’s brand but also led to the launch of The LEGO Movie theme, featuring sets based on key locations, vehicles, and characters from the film.