LEGO ADVENTURERS

Niels Milan Pedersen reveals the origins of LEGO Adventurers, the late 1990s theme that followed archaeologist Johnny Thunder on his escapades around the world

Words: Graham E. Hancock and Daniel Konstanski

5988 The Temple of Anubis.

Pics: Graham E. Hancock, Daniel Konstanski, the LEGO Group

WHO NEEDS INDIANA Jones? In 1998, the LEGO Group introduced archaeologist-adventurer Johnny Thunder in the Adventurers theme. Five years of exploring saw him visit the deserts of Ancient Egypt, overgrown temples in the jungle, a forgotten island of dinosaurs and the heights of Mount Everest. To find out where else Johnny Thunder could have gone – and to put to rest whether or not the character is based on his creator – legendary LEGO designer Niels Milan Pedersen, who has worked at the company for 43 years, is taking Blocks down memory lane to discuss Adventurers.

Early discussions around the theme took place in the 1980s. ‘The Indiana Jones movies were out, but we didn’t have any IPs [intellectual properties] yet,’ Niels says. ‘We hadn't tried that and the company was not big enough at that point to actually get the licence.’

The LEGO Group was cautious back then; not only was the company not acquiring licences, but the company was actively avoiding themes that could look as if they were copying existing material. There was concern that children might buy a set based on Ancient Rome, thinking it was tied to the popular Asterix comic books and animated films – so such themes were avoided altogether.

Given the era Niels had grown up in, his influences went back much further than Raiders of the Lost Ark, to old films, serials and pulp novels – the same stories that had inspired George Lucas and Steven Spielberg when they came up with their new film franchise.