Mixels

Mixels was a collaborative entertainment and toy franchise developed by The LEGO Group and Cartoon Network Studios. Its central television property was an American animated series about small, brightly colored creatures living on the fictional Planet Mixel. The creatures were organized into tribes associated with fantasy elements, occupations, environments, and distinctive abilities. A defining feature of the concept was their capacity to combine with one another through a magical object called a Cubit. Combinations of any characters were called Mixes, combinations of three members of one tribe were called Maxes, and uncontrolled combinations were known as Murps. The franchise combined short-form animated storytelling with collectible construction toys. The television series followed the Mixels as they solved problems, explored their world, and opposed the Nixels, antagonistic creatures led by Major Nixel and King Nixel. The first season emphasized the tribes' different personalities and approaches to conflict. The second season expanded the setting by introducing additional environments, including the city of Mixopolis and a lunar world inhabited by further Mixel tribes. The series premiered on Cartoon Network on February 12, 2014, alongside a new episode of Teen Titans Go!, and later appeared as an interstitial program on Boomerang. It ran for two seasons and concluded on October 1, 2016, after production ended in July of that year. Animation was initially produced at Atomic Cartoons using Toon Boom Harmony, with later work involving Digital eMation, Big Star Entertainment, and Saerom Animation. The program was presented as a Cartoon Network original, while LEGO handled the principal toy merchandise. The LEGO Mixels construction theme launched in 2014. Individual small sets represented members of the various tribes, with each tribe generally organized around three collectible figures that could be combined into a larger Max character. Nixels were also incorporated into the product assortment. Across nine series, the theme ultimately comprised approximately 90 sets according to BrickLink cataloguing, although the exact treatment of promotional and regional products can vary between databases. The toys were designed to be affordable, collectible, and combinable rather than large-scale display models, making character variety and repeated purchasing central to the proposition. Digital extensions included two promotional websites and the mobile application Calling All Mixels, released on March 4, 2014. The franchise also benefited from Cartoon Network's international broadcasting and promotional infrastructure. However, the television production and LEGO theme both ended in 2016. The franchise is therefore best understood as a completed, short-lived crossover between children's animation and collectible construction toys rather than an active entertainment brand.

Mixels emerged as a joint LEGO and Cartoon Network property designed to connect animated entertainment with small, collectible construction models. Early development used the working name Monsters and involved a simpler concept in which tribes contained five characters. The final design moved toward three-character tribes whose members could be assembled into a larger Max. This structure gave the toy line a clear collecting pattern while also supplying the television series with a repeatable narrative device. The concept was built around colorful creatures with exaggerated faces and highly differentiated personalities. On Planet Mixel, the characters belonged to tribes shaped by themes such as natural forces, fantasy concepts, and urban occupations. Their ability to combine through Cubits was central to both the fiction and the play pattern. A Mix could join characters from different tribes, a Max combined three members of one tribe, and a Murp represented an uncontrolled or comic fusion. The opposing Nixels provided the principal conflict, seeking to dismantle Mixel society, eliminate Cubits, and suppress color. Cartoon Network aired the series beginning February 12, 2014. Unlike several earlier LEGO-related television properties associated with CGI production, Mixels used 2D animation workflows. Early episodes were produced at Atomic Cartoons with Toon Boom Harmony, while later animation work was credited to Digital eMation, Big Star Entertainment, and Saerom Animation. The program used short episodes and a fast comedic structure suited to children's television and interstitial scheduling. Boomerang also began carrying the property as an interstitial program on February 19, 2014. The fictional setting broadened in the second season. In addition to the original planetary environments, the narrative introduced a lunar setting and Mixopolis, a city populated by further tribes and offering new locations for the characters' adventures. This expansion supported the introduction of additional toy characters and helped keep the franchise's world larger than any one group of figures. The LEGO product line launched on March 1, 2014. The sets were deliberately compact and relatively accessible, with each character sold as an individual build. A typical tribe consisted of three figures, and one set in each tribal assortment could include a Nixel. Later series added further tribes and characters. Nine series were released, and BrickLink records approximately 90 sets in the theme. LEGO designers treated the Max as an important design target, working back from the combined figure to ensure that parts from the larger model could also function effectively in the three smaller builds. Facial features, eyes, mouths, and eyebrows were emphasized as major carriers of personality. The franchise also received digital support. LEGO and Cartoon Network each launched websites containing information and activities, and the Calling All Mixels mobile application was released on March 4, 2014. These extensions reinforced the collectible and interactive aspects of the property. Mixels encountered a public-relations problem in 2015 when an online LEGO description for a Turg set included a derogatory term. LEGO issued an apology and removed the language. The event is the principal documented controversy associated with the brand. The television series finished production in July 2016 and aired its finale on October 1. The LEGO theme was discontinued by the end of that year, leaving Mixels as a completed franchise with a two-season broadcast legacy and a finite range of collectible construction sets.

• 2016

  Television production ends

  [1]Mixelsen.wikipedia.org

  Production concluded in July, with the final episode airing on October 1.

• 2016

  LEGO theme discontinued

  [1]Mixelsen.wikipedia.org

  The LEGO Mixels construction theme ended by the close of 2016.

• 2015

  Second-season world expansion

  [1]Mixelsen.wikipedia.org

  The second season expanded the setting with lunar environments and the city of Mixopolis.

• 2014

  Animated series debuts

  [1]Mixelsen.wikipedia.org

  Mixels premiered on Cartoon Network on February 12, establishing the Planet Mixel setting and the Mix, Max, and Murp combination concepts.

• 2014

  LEGO product line begins

  [1]Mixelsen.wikipedia.org

  The first LEGO Mixels construction figures went on sale on March 1.

• 2014

  Calling All Mixels launches

  [1]Mixelsen.wikipedia.org

  The franchise's mobile application was released on March 4.

• 2014

  Boomerang broadcasts Mixels interstitials

  [1]Mixelsen.wikipedia.org

  Boomerang began airing Mixels as an interstitial program on February 19.

A colorful, collectible children's franchise built around combinable characters, short-form animated comedy, and LEGO construction play.

• Animated television · 2014

  Mixels animated television series

  A Cartoon Network animated series produced with LEGO involvement, following colorful tribes of combinable creatures on Planet Mixel. The show used short comedic stories in which characters combined to address problems and oppose the Nixels. It ran for two seasons from 2014 to 2016 and expanded its setting in the second season with Mixopolis and lunar environments.

• Construction toys · 2014

  LEGO Mixels

  A collectible LEGO theme consisting of small buildable character sets. Tribes generally contained three individual Mixels whose parts could be combined into a larger Max, while Nixels appeared in selected assortments. Nine series were released, with approximately 90 sets catalogued by BrickLink, before the theme was discontinued in 2016.

• Mobile application · 2014

  Calling All Mixels

  A mobile application released as a digital extension of the Mixels franchise. It complemented the television and construction-toy properties by giving fans an additional interactive experience centered on the characters.

• 2015

  Offensive wording in Turg set promotion

  A LEGO promotional webpage for a Turg Mixels set used a derogatory expression. The wording attracted criticism, particularly in the United Kingdom. LEGO apologized and removed the phrase from the online product description.

  Source

Read more

• 2016

  Conclusion of the Mixels franchise cycleStrategy

  Background

  The television production ended in July and the series finale aired on October 1.

  Action taken

  The animated series concluded after two seasons, and LEGO ended the associated construction theme by the close of the year.

  Aftermath

  Mixels became a completed franchise rather than an active television and toy property.

  Source

• 2015

  Removal of controversial product-description languageOther

  Background

  A product description for a Turg set used wording criticized as derogatory.

  Action taken

  LEGO issued an apology and removed the wording from its promotional website.

  Aftermath

  The incident remained the principal documented controversy associated with the Mixels brand.

  Source

• 2014

  Launch of the LEGO Mixels themeProduct launch

  Background

  The franchise was designed to connect Cartoon Network animation with collectible LEGO construction figures and a repeatable combining play pattern.

  Action taken

  LEGO released individual character sets organized into tribes, with characters designed to combine into larger Max figures.

  Aftermath

  The theme continued through nine series and was later discontinued at the end of 2016.

  Source

1. 1Mixelsen.wikipedia.org