Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Was a Lego set pulled because of the Route 91 shootings?

In November, it was rumored that Lego would soon add two new entries to its Architecture building kits series: one based on Shanghai’s skyline, the other on Las Vegas’. The box art for the Las Vegas set is online, and it looks legit, with a set number (21038) that conforms to other Architecture series entries. (Shanghai’s is 21039.) Yet Shanghai appeared on shelves in January, and Las Vegas didn’t. A call to Lego was met with a terse email statement: “We are unable to confirm details regarding potential future LEGO sets that have not been announced and cannot comment on rumors.”

That rumor is online, too: Fans say Lego pulled the set because Mandalay Bay is one of the buildings represented in the model, along with the Luxor, Stratosphere and Wynn Las Vegas.

If true, it’s a regrettable choice. Pretending Mandalay Bay doesn’t exist isn’t what we need to do; we need to confront the truths of the October 1 shootings and learn from them. Still, that may be too somber a message for a set that could find its way into kids’ hands—so if Lego decides to move ahead with a Mandalay-less Vegas set, we suggest adding one of two other architecturally dynamic MGM Resorts properties, Aria and Vdara. Or they could simply wait another year, leaving Mandalay Bay right where it is. The real one isn’t going anywhere.