Last year, we got our first introduction to the new generation at LEGO Friends. After Stephanie, Andrea, Olivia, Emma and Mia headed off on their gap years, there is room for a whole new gang in Heartlake city, and we start to hear their stories tonight (Australian time) when the video goes live on the LEGO Youtube channel.

At 11pm AEST/1pm CET/7am Eastern US, we finally get to me our new Friends in action. You can already view the opening scene, which was uploaded as a sneak peek last week. This first special runs for 44 minutes, and there will be ten x 22minute episodes streaming from March 2023. A holiday special will wrap the year up in November 2023.

A decade on from the launch of LEGO® Friends, the LEGO Group has re-imagined the Friends Universe, with the introduction of a new diverse group of characters, to enable more children to feel represented during play. This next generation is designed to celebrate friendships in the modern world. Because the LEGO Group values children as its role models, this next generation of LEGO Friends has implemented input from kid testing and research, which all found children had the desire to see themselves, their friends and their families better represented.

A huge part of the re-imagined Friends Universe is the release of a brand new content series: LEGO Friends: The Next Chapter. Season one follows the everyday lives of Aliya, Autumn, Leo, Zac, Nova, Paisley, Olly, and Liann as they navigate their first year of high school while becoming friends. Taking place in the international hub of Heartlake City, the goal of the first season is to experience the formation of friendship amidst the backdrop of the impressive Heartlake International High School and to establish the Heartlake Community Center as a third space for the friends and the community.

Attending high school for the first time is both exciting and daunting for everyone! LEGO Friends showcases the challenges that arise from new responsibilities, new friendships, and wanting to have a meaningful impact on the community they cherish. Sometimes the best friendships form in the most surprising ways.

Season 1 consists of a 44min launch special and 10 x 22min episodes and a 22 min holiday special. For the first time, all of the episodes will be published on YouTube as well as being hosted on a new video player on LEGO.com/kids. The launch special will appear on YouTube on Sunday 29th January. The rest of the season will begin streaming in March. The .com/kids player will be available later in the year. In addition to the main show, there will be over 300 minutes of supporting content including vlogs, music videos and talkbacks to allow fans to dive even deeper into the world of LEGO Friends.

With so many characters in the new lineup, I am intrigued to see how well we will get to know them in this episode, or will it focus on a few, expanding on other characters as the series goes on. The screenshots we have been sent seem to focus on only a few of the cast as we know them. We will just have to watch to find out.

In the meantime… Kick back, and enjoy the episode at your leisure and let me know what you think in the comments below. Until then,

Play Well!