The counter argument to this are the Creator 3-in-1 sets. The whole point of these sets is to take apart and rebuild something different, teaching by example th

The counter argument to this are the Creator 3-in-1 sets. The whole point of these sets is to take apart and rebuild something different, teaching by example the different things you can do. These didn't even exist when we were kids (first released 2003). I remember some of my old sets having supplemental build instructions, but I also recall them never being as interesting as the main build, which isn't true with these 3-in-1's. Plain buckets are also still sold. Both of these are on the shelves of Target and Walmart, and are often featured as Christmas gifts at places that just stock them seasonally, like Costco. Lego has just as many of these sort of sets as it always has, if not more. First off I don't think the existence of large, expensive adult-targeted "display model" kits doesn't really detract from what is happening in the kids sets. On the kids sets, Lego is doing a lot more licensed sets than in the past, and these inevitably have more custom pieces. But I think adults really over-estimate the negative impact this has on reuse and creativity. The first thing the kid in me thinks when I see that kit you listed is "How can I build a ramp at the end of that slide?" "How can I extend the slide at the top to make them go faster?". Sometimes pieces having having a purpose can prompt ideas and creativity. Sure those big ice blocks will only every be used for ice/glass, but there are lots of things you can build with ice/glass especially when playing with Frozen characters. Many of the custom pieces in licensed sets are just flourishes (like that snowflake or ice-flame) which are fun things you can add to your model, and 80-90's kits definitely had those as well. I think the biggest obstacle to reuse on that kit is just that it is a small kit - it really needs to be combined with other kits do do interesting things (and for which reason I don't think they should have included those large ice blocks in this particular kit, as that just exacerbates that problem - they would be fine in a larger kit). And again, I remember getting bored with small kits received as a kid after a few days of play (visiting grandparents), and looking forward to getting home and combining some of the cool new pieces with the Legos I already had. In other words, the licensed kits are the equivalent of the castle and pirate kits we had as kids, with the exact same complaints. I think those complaints were overblown then and they still are now.