Classic 'LOTR' scene in Lego Book Nook set places Balrog in unflattering position

Recently, a still image of Lego's newest LOTR set featuring the Balrog fighting Gandalf has fans in stitches for a hilarious reason. The image includes all the staples associated with Lord of the Rings franchise: Gandalf, the Balrog, its lengthy wings, and the Balrog's whip. Funnily enough, the positioning of the Balrog's accessory in this Lego set is quite inconvenient.

As viewers can see, the Balrog isn't waving the whip over its head—the way it did in Fellowship of the Ring—nor is it cracking the whip against the floor. Instead, the whip hangs to the side. Unfortunately, angled the way it is, the toy part appears to resemble a stream of lava spurting out. To make matters even funnier is the fact that the lava whip is waist-high, so you can guess what fans are picturing here.

Despite never actually happening in the LOTR saga or any accompanying media, a burst of lava shooting out doesn't sound all that preposterous. The demonic creature is made of the hot liquid substance. A spurt here and there sounds logical. Of course, Warner Bros would never permit such a crude scene to play out on the big screen, especially not in the early 2000s. Although violence and gore were par for the course back then, Warner Bros. kept mature content to a minimum.

Nonetheless, fans are bound to have a field day with this still image because it's also easy to misinterpret. Viewers unconcerned with facts might scrutinize the image at first glance—without considering context. Plus, people who are unfamiliar with the characters will assume the image is exactly what it's advertising.

Nerds and geeks alike are aware that the Balrog never urinated a lava stream at Gandalf the Gray, while most people won't. This will lead to some hilarious interactions on the web. We can already picture the Karens of the world uniting against Lego because the company supposedly endorsed a toy set featuring an indecent act. That's obviously not the case, but there's a precedent for inappropriate toys going on the market.

While separate and entirely unassociated with Lego, Hasbro's line of Troll dolls named Poppy became the subject of controversy for a specific reason. Parents learned that a button placed in the crotch area produced a giggle. Such a toy prompted many parents to voice their concerns, leading to the toys getting pulled from the shelves.

The same thing won't happen with the LOTR Lego set because it's simply a matter of figure placement and camera angle. Any other shot will probably look unassuming.