Creator Creator , a continuing theme that started in 2001 , it is focused on the creative construction of System parts as opposed to playability functions of minifigures as in most other themes . As such , Creator set s are typically based on buildings ( such as houses and apartments ) , cars ( such as roadsters and trucks ) , or creatures ( such as dinosaurs and spiders ) . They at one point released small sets contained in plastic pods , similar to the way BIONICLE and Hero Factory used to be packaged , but most are in regular boxes . The Creator sets didn ' t include Minifigures until 2011 , although many of the older sets are minifigure - scaled . The Creator vehicles are said to have replaced the Model Team theme , which was discontinued for the final time in 1999 , two years before Creator was introduced . Most sets are based off contest winners . History . Although the name " Creator " was introduced with the video game of the same name and board game , the very first sets of the theme were introduced in 2001 . They were continued from the previous " Basic " and " FreeStyle " themes , both including buckets of bricks and a few simple models . " Creator " , " Basic " , and " Freestyle " each included 4 + Figure minifigures named Tina and Max . Max and Tina later became the names of two well - known LEGO Club Magazine ' s mascots . These minifigures were discontinued when the " Designer " theme was introduced . This theme focused on the more specialized models , while Creator became used for sets containing a variety of bricks and pieces that were designed to develop creativity . When the Designer theme was discontinued in 2006 , Creator took over its style of sets , including the X - Pod sub - theme . This produced more complex models and themes , including some animals and vehicles . Meanwhile , Creator ' s previous sets , such as buckets of bricks , were moved to the " Creative Building " theme , which later became known as " Bricks and More " . The complexity of the sets typically depends on the scale . Smaller models often make use of basic bricks , where as larger models make use of specialized elements and advanced building techniques . A majority of the sets released since 2006 are " 3 in 1 " sets , or sets that included bricks which could assemble into 3 different ways , with instructions for each assembly included with the set . The Creator theme also includes the " Modular Buildings " line ( with the exception of 10190 Market Street ) , which are a series of large , detailed buildings , with flat floors , and mostly have no more than one building . The Modular Buildings also include minifigures , unlike most Creator sets , and the sets are to the standard minifigure scale . Recently , quite a few Creator sets have been including minifigures , starting with 5766 Log Cabin . The theme also recently used Technic pieces into sets such as 7347 Highway Pickup ( for the base , the functional steering and part of the flatbed tray ) . Website . The Creator website is full of educational LEGO tips and tricks for adults and kids alike . There is also a gallery for users with a LEGO ID to upload their creations in the form of a snapshot . There is also a Designer ' s blog that one can read and learn about designing new sets and having fun with the LEGO sets . And there is a designers blog so you can see what the LEGO designers think of the LEGO sets .