Recently, there have been frequent incidents of LEGO shops being robbed in Southern California, and LEGO dolls have become a new target for black market item thieves, instead of being ordinary accessory toys.

《洛杉矶时报》宣称，自四月份开始，南加州各地的“Bricks & Minifigs”商店起码发生了六起抢劫案件，超过十万美元的市价掀起的犯罪狂潮，使日益壮大却与世隔绝的乐高收藏家和商人的世界大为震惊。

Lego Doll

▲“Bricks & Minifigs”连锁店在惠堤尔分店所展示的小人偶。洛杉矶时报

During the pandemic, the LEGO collection craze was greatly boosted, with homebound collectors flocking to online dealers in search of coveted items. Experts point out that this trend has also driven up prices and attracted criminals.

“Bricks & Minifigs”是一家特许连锁店，在全国范围内拥有一百多间门市，不过与乐高官方商店不同的是，它专门销售有价值的套装以及不再生产的小人偶。

Katie Leuschner, the owner of the Whittier Avenue store, said that these small dolls, which are about 1.5 inches tall, are called "little people" by enthusiasts, and can be sold for over a thousand dollars, which is very attractive to thieves.

She said, "Thieves cannot steal a 1960s Mustang sports car and hide it. Stealing a small doll is relatively easy, and its value will only continue to soar

Nowadays, LEGO encompasses a vast and multi billion dollar ecosystem, including toys, video games, retail stores, TV shows, movies, amusement parks, and more. Dow Jones data shows that LEGO Group's revenue reached $9.65 billion last year, an increase of approximately 74% compared to five years ago.

With the help of movies, public interest in related LEGO bricks continues to grow, with some of the rarest and most expensive "Star Wars" dolls selling for hundreds or even thousands of dollars.

Nowadays, LEGO has become a rare collectible toy, and collecting high-end sets and figurines has become a thriving online business.

BrickEconomy.com website pointed out that the most valuable mini doll currently available is the limited edition Spider Man version gifted to attendees at the 2013 Comic Con, with a current market price of up to $5500. The website also lists 16 other dolls worth over a thousand dollars.

Some scarce dolls have become the backbone of the thriving black market, leading to a series of LEGO related criminal incidents in Southern California in the past few months.

According to LEGO dealers and other experts, stolen items are often resold on online sales platforms such as eBay and Facebook Marketplace, which means that enthusiasts must rely on judgment and ethics to distinguish when shopping online.

Senior LEGO dealer James Burrows stated that danger signals include sellers who "own a large number of items but are not collectors".

A spokesperson for the LEGO Group provided an online resource to the media, outlining how consumers can identify counterfeit online LEGO stores and other issues.

在网络上追踪被盗的乐高积木是一项艰巨的任务。安大略“Bricks & Minifigs”的店主贾西亚（Shauna Garcia）在四月份的抢案中损失了大约五百个小人偶，市价将近七千美元。

A few weeks after the store was stolen, she had a strange interaction with a man who offered her thousands of LEGO bricks at an extremely low price.

She stated that the potential seller's name is Richard Siegel, and according to the police, he is one of the individuals suspected of running a theft gang that stored over 2800 stolen LEGO items in Changdi City.

71 year old Siegel claimed his innocence to the media over the phone, but refused to comment further.

Burrows believes that LEGO items stolen in Southern California are likely to be resold to unsuspecting attendees at the expo.