[THEORY] Why is The Highway Man So Important?

Nice work boys! So here's what I have to bring to the table:

Well the mystery is debunked, someone beat us to it. Oh well, pack your bags boys: www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXGNgH9GCgo

Nah, I'm just joking. TBH MandR probably stole my idea from Instagram where I said publicly I was gonna find out what made him so mysterious. Twitter rant aside, on to my research regardless of what he says

BlokixBrix is correct about the Highwayman name and occupation. This sort of character in the real world would have been seen in roughly the colonial times, explaining his appearance down to the feathered collar on his torso print. [ en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Highwayman ]

We know LEGO calls him the Highwayman because it's on their website. The character bio listing shows a silhouette for him and calls him The Mystery Man, but the URL labels him the highwayman [ www.lego.com/en-us/minifigures/characters/highwayman-17d73ebe871944dcab25e86f6185cccb ]. The description is kept pretty vague:

"Who is this dazzling, mysterious minifigure who roams the dark woods? Is he friend or foe, or maybe a little bit of both?"

Interesting that it notes two things: dark woods, and a little of both? He could be an anti-hero down the road like Han Solo, or some kind of mercenary who just follows the orders of whoever has the money for him (in other words, have no morality in choosing sides). It could also be a matter of perspective: maybe he's friends to other thieves, but foe to the law enforcement. Thereby being both depending on who's asking.

Also interesting is that he has no line of dialogue unlike other CMFs, or no catchphrase. He's just that secretive.

From a marketing standpoint, this is brand new for LEGO. The last time there was a gimmick for CMFs was Mr. Gold, a 17th minifigure available in only 5,000 copies worldwide (I wonder if all of them have been tracked down by now?). But he was fleshed out as a character from the beginning of the Series' release, with design, quote and description to boot. Whereas our Highwayman is one of the usual 16, not showing on marketing material or commercials, and given a very vague background. It's an odd step for LEGO, even further when you consider his not-so-rarity compared to Mr. Gold. You would be lucky to find 1 Mr. Gold in a sealed box of 60 packs, but Highwayman in a sealed box appears 5 TIMES! That's 1/12 (8%) of the box and is part of 3 complete collections per box! [ www.flickr.com/photos/whitefang_eurobricks/34242088746/ ]. He is tied for 1st place as the most common figure in a given box between 3 common figures!

Even stranger YET, is that every reviewer who received an advance copy of Series 17, prior to release date, was not allowed to show the Highwayman. He leaked on Instagram by accident by a LEGO shopper who happened to buy them early. But a message similar to this from WhiteFang appeared in each Series 17 pre-release review: "This LEGO CMFs Series 17 also utilise an unique promotional feature for the sixteenth mysterious silhouette minifigure and I hope to share more relevant information when the embargo is lifted." LEGO had a specific request not to show this mystery figure, and they haven't taken down anyone's posts of it before or after the official release.

There's very little to go on about his lore, and obviously he wears a mask and acts mysterious to avoid being thrown in the slammer. He even steals parts from other Series 17 figures like the Corn Guy's costume (as seen on the back of each checklist).

My marketing theory is this: kids may not have as much access to all these internet resources as TFOLs and AFOLs do, so LEGO is not worried about spoiling the figure for the kids on social media. In fact, they want kids to be surprised at the mystery of the figure on their own, because the best chance they'll find him and see him is in the retail store proper. I've already seen some images on Facebook of kids looking very happy to find the mystery of this figure. He's also common enough to keep kids from being disappointed. The mystery makes him a bigger draw for kids than the known figures like Rocket Boy or Corn Guy, who may be covetable enough for costumed figures. But imagine being a kid and seeing the series without internet spoilage. The figure could be anything! Or remember the wonder we all shared when the back of the LEGO Batman Movie checklists showed his silhouette. We were all guessing and pondering what it could mean for the next CMF series. Some Pirates of the Carribean. Some just a pirate or pirate-like theme returning. The mystery of LEGO products holds more attention than what is known. The drive to want to know - a completion complex for psychology fans - is more important than the information that is known to us or spelled out already. That's why LEGO news is such a high roller for YouTube channels and LEGO fan websites. And maybe, just maybe, that's why I'm so passionate about The Brick Theorists. *lies down on a Freudian couch* Maybe I'm so compelled to make theories about LEGO products is because there's so much unanswered. I've taken more interest in the unknown LEGO stories and characters than ones spelled out like in licensed themes. No one needs to explain them because they're from another property who already has an explanation for them. But for LEGO, there's many LEGO themes and products that are left open-ended in time, even in recent years. LEGO puts easter eggs in sets to make us notice and wonder. So the Highwayman - no, the Mystery Man - is just a symbol of the LEGO community's curiosity and strive for knowledge.

Wow, I really overthought this one O.o I mean, I am typing this up to 3:45 AM. But still, damn, this could blow MandR out of the water, not that I'm trying to. Talk about a true Brick Buster, haha.