The Monkey King is a beloved trickster figure in Chinese culture, even heading to DOTA 2 in the form of a playable hero. The story of his origins, Journey to the West, has also grown to great popularity, sparking one big-screen adaptation after another. LEGO‘s new Monkie Kid sets pay tribute to the folklore, although the slight name alteration does suggest some creative liberty at play.
Previously, LEGO Ninjago Creative Director Simon Lucas took to Twitter to tease the project, revealing an image showing a bandana-wearing character, and a sentence that roughly translates into “Meet the Hero on 15 May”.
The teaser was accompanied by four character posters, each with a Chinese proverb hinting at the identity of the silhouettes. The first, Shang Tian Ru Di (上天入地) is likely a nod to the Monkey King himself, Sun Wukong, while the second, Yi Shi Wei Tian (以食为天) points to the half-human, half-pig Zhu Bajie, who views food as the most important entity. Meanwhile, Wei Meng Qiang Han (威猛强悍) fits the mighty and fierce Demon Bull King down to the tee, with Zhi Yong Shuang Quan (智勇双全) describing a warrior of the fairer sex who’s both courageous and wise.
It’s always nice seeing Chinese traditions and lore being adapted by Western brands, which makes for a refreshing breath of air. The Warrior Mech is what we will be gunning for!
The LEGO Monkie Kid sets are out in LEGO stores from 15 May with the following in tow:
LEGO 80006 White Dragon Horse Bike
LEGO 80007 Iron Bull Tank
LEGO 80008 Monkie Kid’s Cloud Jet
LEGO 80009 Piggy’s Food Truck
LEGO 80010 Demon Bull King
LEGO 80011 Red Son’s Inferno Truck
LEGO 80012 Monkey King Warrior Mech
LEGO 80013 Monkie Kid’s Team Secret HQ
Si Jia is a casual geek at heart – or as casual as someone with Sephiroth’s theme on her Spotify playlist can get. A fan of movies, games, and Japanese culture, Si Jia’s greatest weakness is the Steam Summer Sale. Or any Steam sale, really.
Trinity Sun
Yonk
Ryan Michael Chin
