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.

1. 2016Television production ends

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

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2. 2016LEGO theme discontinued

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

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3. 2015Second-season world expansion

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

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4. 2014Animated series debuts

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

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5. 2014LEGO product line begins

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

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6. 2014Calling All Mixels launches

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

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7. 2014Boomerang broadcasts Mixels interstitials

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

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

• Mixels animated television seriesAnimated television2014

  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.

• LEGO MixelsConstruction toys2014

  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.

• Calling All MixelsMobile application2014

  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.

• 2016Conclusion of the Mixels franchise cycleStrategy

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

  What changed. 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.

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• 2015Removal of controversial product-description languageOther

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

  What changed. 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.

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• 2014Launch of the LEGO Mixels themeProduct launch

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

  What changed. 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.

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• 2015Offensive wording in Turg set promotionControversy

  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.

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• 2016LEGO Mixels theme discontinued

  The LEGO product theme ended by the close of 2016, around the time the animated series concluded.

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• 2016Mixels television series concludes

  The two-season television run ended on October 1, 2016, following the completion of production in July.

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• 2014Mixels animated series premieres on Cartoon Network

  The Mixels television series debuted on Cartoon Network on February 12, introducing the Planet Mixel setting, its tribes, the combination mechanic, and the conflict with the Nixels.

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• 2014LEGO Mixels construction theme launches

  The LEGO collectible construction line went on sale on March 1, with small character sets designed to be combined into larger tribe-based figures.

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• 2014Calling All Mixels mobile application released

  A mobile application associated with the franchise was released on March 4, extending the property beyond television and physical construction sets.

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• 2014Mixels receives London Toy Fair Pocket Money award

  The Mixels toy line won the Pocket Money award at the London Toy Fair Best New Toy Awards.

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1. Mixels