LEGO’s Russian Replacement Launches Under ‘World Of Cubes’ Name
Photo 169313352 © Zarifaufa | Dreamstime.com
Everything is awesome in LEGO’s eyes, except Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Along with other international names, the toymaker left the country to cut ties with the Kremlin, leaving behind 81 shops.
In the wake of closures, Russian retail conglomerate Inventive Retail Group (IRG) is rebuilding the brand with the new moniker of Mir Kubikov, or World of Cubes, according to a Reuters report.
World of Cubes has begun the transition to replace LEGO’s branding with the Mir Kubikov wordmark and a square-shaped icon of a toy brick containing four studs.
Image via Mir Kubikov
From a distance, World of Cubes’ interiors will look almost indistinguishable from the old LEGO stores. That’s because LEGO’s colorful products will still be on stock—the Russian replacement has managed to source official offerings from parallel imports and third-party suppliers. Without the watchful eyes of the Megafig, though, World of Cubes will also sell toys from other brands.
The Russian parent company plans to open 65 new World of Cubes locations across 20 cities, and it expects business to be in full swing by end-October.
Russia has been creating an alternate commercial world of sorts after global names called it quits in the nation. McDonald’s, another brand with hallmark red and yellow colors, has been rebranded in green with the new name of Tasty & That’s It. And “Starbucks” in Russia is now simply known as Stars Coffee.
[via Reuters and Brick Fanatics, images via various sources]
