Lego Adventurers
Lego Adventurers was a Lego theme based on an early 20th century 'explorer' concept. It centred around the main character named Johnny Thunder and a team of explorers who go on adventures. Unlike other Lego themes, which take place in a fictional "Lego Universe", most of the Adventurers sets took places in real-world locations, such as Egypt, the Amazon rainforest, the Himalayas, India, and China. The only fictional sub-theme took place on an island where prehistoric creatures still lived. The theme was first introduced in 1998. The product line was discontinued in 2003 and replaced with  the Lego Pharaoh's Quest theme in 2011. Overview. The product line centered around early 20th century exploration and involved the characters exploring new areas and going on adventures. It focused on a character named Johnny Thunder (also sometimes referred to as Joe Freeman or Sam Grant). It began in 1998 with a desert theme, which involved the character making an escape from a sphinx tomb carrying a red ruby. The Adventurers toy sets were the first to include sand-coloured parts. Johnny Thunder was accompanied by several other characters, including Miss Pippin Reed (also known as Miss Gail Storm  or Linda Lovely in some countries), Dr. Kilroy (also known as Dr. Carles Lightning or Professor Articus) and a daredevil pilot named Harry Cane. These characters were pursued by the evil Lord Sam Sinister and his friend Baron Von Barron. In 1999, the theme moved from the Egyptian desert to the Amazonian jungle. The storyline involved a race to obtain a sundisc from a mystical figure named Achu. The antagonists were changed to Senor Palomar, his pirate assistant Gabarros and Rudo Villano. These Adventurers jungle toy sets were the first to include a Lego blimp (5956). In 2000, Johnny Thunder  reappeared in a product line named Dino Island. The pilot character Harry Cane was replaced by a dinosaur expert named Mike. The evil character Baron Von Barron reappeared alongside his new friends Mr Cunningham and Alexis Sinister. The storyline centered around the villains attempting to capture dinosaurs from a research facility. In 2003, Johnny Thunder returned in a product line named Orient Expedition, which centered on a journey across Asia. The storyline involved the team travelling to various countries in search of Marco Polo's treasure, the Golden Dragon. Construction sets. According to Bricklink, The Lego Group released 87 playsets  and promotional polybags as part of the "Lego Adventurers" theme. The product line was eventually discontinued by the end of 2003. Egypt. The first sub-theme starts off with Johnny and company in the deserts of Egypt. The main goal for Johnny is to explore the ancient egypt structures, and find the "Re-Gou ruby" before any of his enemies obtain it first. 25 sets and promotional polybags was released from 1998 to 1999. Jungle. The crew must search deep into the Amazon Jungle in order to discover the ancient ruins where the powerful "Sun Disc" lies. But they first  have to get past their new enemies and the tribal chief "Achu". 10 sets and promotional polybags was released in 1999. Dino Island. The explorers discover a new mysterious island. In search of new adventure, the crew discovers that there are dinosaurs living on the island. They realize what fame they could have with this new discovery so they start researching the prehistoric animals. Unfortunately, Johnny's old enemies come along to capture and steal the dinosaurs from him. 17 sets and promotional polybags was released in 2000. Orient Expedition. The adventurers travel east to find the "Golden Dragon of  Marco Polo" in China. Along the way, the crew comes across many new allies, enemies, and artifacts in the Himalayas and India. 20 sets and promotional polybags was released in 2003. Video games. Lego Aventurers make several crossovers into the video games such as cameo and playable characters. Lego Island 2: The Brickster's Revenge. "" is a 2001 action-adventure video game developed by Silicon Dreams Studio and published by Lego Software. Also included the Lego Adventurers of Johnny Thunder, Dr. Kilroy, Miss Pippin Reed and Lord Sam Sinister (under name Mr. Hates) can be seen on the video game . Lego Racers. "Lego Racers" is a Lego-themed racing video game developed by High Voltage Software and published by Lego Media. Set in the fictional "Legoland" universe, the single-player mode follows various minifigure characters competing in a racing competition created by a fictional racing champion called Rocket Racer. Players control a minifigure, allowing them to drive a variety of cars built out of Lego and race them against other minifigure characters. Items can be used by the player to hinder other racers' progress, and the player can create their own cars and characters with unlocked Lego bricks and use  them to race. A local multiplayer mode also allows multiple players to race against each other. Also included Johnny Thunder and Baron von Barron are bosses in the video game Lego Racers while Gail Storm and Sam Sinister appear as additional racers. Lego Racers 2. "Lego Racers 2" is a Lego-themed racing video game developed by Attention to Detail, published by Lego Software and distributed in North America by Electronic Arts. It was first released in September 2001 for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 2 and Game Boy Advance. It is the sequel to the 1999 game "Lego Racers". This sequel  was first revealed by Lego Software on August 20, 2001. The Lego Adventurers characters return in the Dino Island stage of Lego Racers 2, reflecting the then-ongoing sets, although by the game's release Sinister had been renamed "Slyboots" and von Barron "Lord Sam Sinister" (erroneously referred to in-game as "Sam Sanister"). Lego Universe. "Lego Universe" was a massively multiplayer online game that was available from October 2010 to January 2012. The game was developed by NetDevil and released on October 26, 2010, with an early opening (October 8, 2010) for the to-be Lego "Founders", which consisted  of users who pre-ordered the game. It was globally distributed by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. Its release was delayed from original estimates of 2009, Teasers were released by Lego in 2007 and late November 2008 to promote the game, and also in 2009 for one last promotion. The game was available in English and German. The servers were shut down permanently on January 30, 2012 due to 'unsatisfactory revenue' from within the game's target audience. Johnny Thunder makes an appearance in Lego Universe as a non-playable character. Lego Stunt Rally. "Lego Stunt Rally" is a Lego-themed  racing video game for Microsoft Windows and Game Boy Color. Developed by Intelligent Games for PC and Graphic State for Game Boy Color and published by Lego Media, the game features a track editor that allows players to build single-player and multiplayer tracks. A PlayStation version of the game in development at Asylum Entertainment, but eventually canceled shortly before release. The Lego Adventurers characters make a guest appearance in the intro to Lego Stunt Rally. Football Mania. "Football Mania" (known as "Soccer Mania" or "Lego Soccer Mania" outside Europe) is a Lego-themed sports game released in 2002 for  the PlayStation 2, Microsoft Windows and Game Boy Advance. It was developed by Silicon Dreams and published by Electronic Arts and Lego Interactive, and was the first Lego game to be co-published by Electronic Arts, as well as the first to lack the "Lego" branding in the name. The game features a simplified version of association football, with six players per side and no offsides, throw-ins, or fouls. There are many different maps for the game all with music and sounds. Teams and stadia within the game are based upon existing Lego themes. Power-ups, such as speed  boosts and shields, spawn randomly on the pitch during play. The game features a number of modes, such as quick match, exhibition, a knock-out tournament, and training, which doubles as a series of minigames. Lego Adventurers characters from the series can be found on various teams in Lego Soccer Mania. Lego Legacy: Heroes Unboxed. "" (2020) was developed by Gameloft. "Lego Legacy: Heroes Unboxed" was released exclusively for Microsoft Windows, Android and iOS devices on 27 February 2020. Johnny Thunder makes an appearance in the game. Theme park attractions. In 2002, Jungle X-pedition was introduced to Legoland Deutschland Resort . The attraction featuring a log ride for guests of all ages ending in a 12-meter drop over a waterfall. In 2008, Land of Adventure was launched at Legoland California on March 2008. The attraction was designed to replicate the 1920s in Egypt, drawing inspiration from the Lego Adventurers line (Egypt sub-theme). Also in this area is Beetle Bounce, Cargo Ace, Dune Raiders, Lost Kingdom Adventure and Pharaoh's Revenge. In 2009, Laser Raiders was launched to Legoland Windsor Resort on March 2009. The attraction featuring an interactive dark ride through an Egyptian tomb where visitors shoot targets to  gain points. Also in this area is Scarab Bouncers, Aero Nomad, Desert Chase and Thunder Blazer. The latter three rides are fairground based attractions such as a carousel and a Ferris wheel ride. It was later launched in 2011 at Legoland Florida and in September 2012 at Legoland Malaysia Resort. The attraction (It was also known as The Temple.) also was launched in 2019 at Legoland Billund Resort. Other media. The Lego Movie. The theme made an appearance in the 2014 film "The Lego Movie" and "The Lego Movie Videogame". Lego Minifigures. Lego Minifigures Series 19 (set number: 71025) was  released on 1 September 2019 worldwide, Jungle Explorer minifigure is a direct reference to Johnny Thunder and the Lego Adventurers theme. First appearance of the new Lego Chameleon piece. It also included Magnifying glass and Backpack. Lego Ideas. A project based on Johnny Thunder - The Lost Temple was uploaded to the Lego Ideas site on September 11, 2020 and it was created by CARLIERTI. The project hopes to reach 10,000 supporters in order for Lego to consider to make it into an official set. The project is based on Johnny Thunder - The Lost Temple from the original "Lego Adventurers" theme  and includes characters such as Johnny Thunder, Dr. Kilroy, Pippin Reed, Harry Cane, Senor Palomar, Rudo Villano and Achu. Legacy. Stig Hjarvard remarked on the similarity of Johnny Thunder and the dinosaur hunting theme to "Jurassic Park" and opined that the Johnny Thunder series, amongst other unlicensed Lego product lines, "may be considered to be the forerunners of the subsequent licensing of a variety of media stories and characters."