Arctic

Arctic is a Town subtheme that was centered around arctic exploration. Most of the original sets were released in 2000 and discontinued during 2001. The theme comprised a total of ten sets. It briefly returned in 2003 and 2004 with a few gear sets. This subtheme was revived in 2014 through the City theme. However, instead of the word Arctic in the logo, there is a seal with the continent of Antarctica. The subtheme was revived again in 2018, this time referred to as Arctic Expedition in product descriptions.
== Description ==
This is the first Town subtheme that involved arctic explorers. Although the basic subject had already been touched before by a Technic theme (Arctic Action) and a Space subtheme (Ice Planet 2002), this was the most realistic take on the subject in the LEGO universe. The sets featured several snow vehicles and a research station. The release of the theme fell directly into an era wherein LEGO sets showed an especially high intention for younger audiences, and thus many of the models had a very simplistic design. They tended to have larger parts, but less total parts. The Arctic sets were used extensively on the Arctic level of the video game LEGO Racers 2, which has several bases, and almost all of the vehicles are drivable. Arctic was also used in 5784 Soccer Mania with 3 pitches based on the theme with slippery ice physics and 3 teams based on the theme's minifigs, Arctic Medics, Arctic Mechanics and Arctic Explorers.
thumb|150px|A catalog scene from 2001.
The background story behind the theme involved meteors that were falling to Earth in locations around the Arctic. The explorers tracked down the impact sites to collect these meteors, which were transparent hollow rock pieces that contained exotic alien creatures, such as transparent orange scorpions.
This theme was the first to feature translucent blue Rocks with Craters, minifigure hoods with fur lining, and minifigure snowshoes. Many of the sets also had the first Polar Bears.
== 2000s Sets ==
== 2014 Sets ==
== 2018 Sets ==
== Minifigures ==
=== 2000 ===
=== 2014 ===
== Notes ==
*Mike Rayhawk, long time artist and conceptual designer for LEGO, once worked on what started as a theme involving Johnny Thunder, which he described as "a pitch for them to go to the arctic and discover mammoths and sabertoothed tigers stuck in the ice, which became a city theme instead" - the 2018 City Arctic sets.Mike Rayhawk's Twitter
*The idea for the 2000 sets went back to 1987 when the theme was known under the name of Polar, before later being reworked in 1996.LEGO Adventures! Magazine Issue 11
==Gallery==
File:LEGO Adventures! Issue 11 - February 2000 0031.jpg|A LEGO Adventures! Magazine article detailing the origins of the 2000 sets
File:LEGO Adventures! Issue 11 - February 2000 0032.jpg|More of the LEGO Adventures! Magazine article
File:LEGO Adventures! Issue 11 - February 2000_0033.jpg|More of the LEGO Adventures! Magazine article
File:LEGO Adventures! Issue 11 - February 2000_0034.jpg|The last of the LEGO Adventures! Magazine article
==See also==
*Arctic Action (Technic theme)
*Ice Planet 2002 (Space subtheme)
*Alpha Team: Mission Deep Freeze
==References==
Category:Arctic
Category:Town
Category:Themes introduced in 2000
Category:Themes
Category:Discontinued Themes
Category:Subthemes
Category:City subthemes
Category:Town subthemes