The Dark Forest subtheme released in 1996 consisted of only 3 sets and were primarily only available in North America. Dark Forest is a somewhat continuation of the Forestmen subtheme which was discontinued in 1990 as it reused the same crest and used other environment structures such as forest hideouts.
1996 LEGO Sets
In 1996, the LEGO Group continued its legacy of innovation, though it was nearing a challenging period in its history. This year saw the company's ventures into digital media, with the establishment of LEGO Media, marking its initial foray into the world of video games and multimedia. Additionally, the Technic line was rebranded to create a more coherent global brand identity. While traditional brick sets remained popular, the mid-90s marked the beginning of a time when the company recognized the need for diversification and modernization to stay relevant in a rapidly evolving toy market.