Lego Monkie Kid was The Lego Group's first product line based on Chinese culture. They had previously released Chinese New Years sets, but this was the first time the company had released an entire line based on a Chinese theme.

After conducting research in China, The Lego Group discovered that the classic Chinese story of the Monkey King in Journey to the West is widely recognized within Chinese culture, so that story was chosen as the main inspiration for LEGO Monkie Kid. Simon Lucas, senior creative director, commented that they thought it was "a great starting point to tell a new story that's rooted in Chinese culture". The theme was developed over the course of two years, while the team tried to interpret the classic story in new, different ways while still keeping the key appeal and components. They chose to build upon the old story, rather than retelling it.

With LEGO Monkie Kid's line of figures and playsets came an animated show to promote the line, which is a common practice for the company (with the most recognizable example arguably being LEGO Ninjago). Produced by Flying Bark Productions, and directed by Sarah Harper (also known for her work on Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Glitch Techs), the series premiered on TV3 in Malaysia on September 13th, 2020, on Channel 9 in Australia on March 13th, 2021, and on CITV in the United Kingdom on May 9th, 2022.

While the show is made for a Chinese audience, it should be noted that the English version of the show is created first, and is, thus, considered the original source material.