Minifigures, more commonly referred to as Collectable Minifigures, is a theme introduced in May 2010. Each series consists of several polybags, with unique minifigures inside. A new series is released every three to four months, with sixteen new minifigures in each series (excluding the 8909 Team GB Minifigures, which includes 9 minifigures and also 71001 Minifigures Series 10 which includes 17). The minifigures can be based on movies, sports, or history. Each minifigure contains new elements in the form of accessories or uniquely printed body parts.
Eleven regular series, and one special series, have been released to date.
In addition to regular series, five sets based on the theme exist, 850458 VIP Top 5 Boxed Minifigures, 850449 Minifigure Beach Accessory Pack, 850791 LEGO Minifigure Birthday Set, 850486 Rock Band, and 850487 Halloween Accessory Set. There have also been some other sets released affiliated with the theme. Most of these sets contain redesigned minifigures that were already produced.
Description
The Minifigures theme was introduced in May 2010. The first glimpse of the theme was in the April 2010 LEGO Club Magazine, which included a poster of the minifigures. Each series, except the 8909 Team GB Minifigures, contains sixteen minifigures drawn from a wide range of different settings: movies, sports, history, everyday life and almost any other source imaginable. They are intended to be collected and traded, and designed so that interesting new minifigures could be acquired without purchasing a whole new set.
A LEGO Club booklet about Series 1
Every minifigure features high detail including special, often purpose-made, accessories and a black display base. The theme features new accessories such as maracas, microphones, skirts, guitars, and other new elements such as hair styles, hats, and helmets. Series 1 and 2 include some spare accessories, but subsequent releases discontinued this practice. Many of these elements have not been produced in any subsequent sets.
The minifigures are sold in individual opaque polybags, meant to prevent buyers from identifying the contents. However, barcodes on the backs of the polybags of Series 1 and 2 can be used to identify the respective minifigure, and in response, Series 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7, 8909 Team GB Minifigures and 8 use a "bump code" along the bottom of a package instead. These bump codes are designed to be much more difficult to distinguish. Each polybag contains 5-11 elements including a minifigure, accessories, a display base, and an instruction/checklist booklet. Each series is only available for a limited time, which is often three to four months before the next series is released and replaces its predecessor.
Notes
- The 8683 Minifigures Series 1 and 8684 Minifigures Series 2 polybags' content could be differentiated via imprinted barcodes on the back. This is used by applications such as Mini Collector for iPhone.
- There was also a special Olympics series for London 2012. It only featured nine figures and all of them have a special stand.
- The plastic used for Collectable Minifigures is different than the plastic used in other sets. Instead of ABS plastic, it is a cheaper plastic imported from China. As a result, the parts can be difficult to separate or move, such as the hands and the head which become loose quickly.
- Some minifigures are very similar to other or older minifigures from other themes, such as the Ninja (similar to Bonsai) or the Cowboy (similar to the minifigures from the Western theme).
- In July 2011, an e-mail was sent to V.I.P. members telling them to vote for their favourite minifigure from Series 1-3. The top 5 picked were announced in January 2012, and were revealed to be the Elf, the Fisherman, The Space Villain, the Gorilla Suit Guy, and the Mummy. A set was created featuring the chosen 5 in it, it was released in 2012, available only for V.I.P. members. However, due to the lack of the Spartan, most likely the all-time most popular figure along with the Elf, it is likely that the minifigures included were decided based on quantity of left-over figures.
- Series 7 has various throwbacks and references to other characters or sets. (The Elf says that he can track down Trolls, Evil Knight lists villains, saying he's worked for them, Galaxy Patrol says that he can withstand the Alien Clinger mind control, Hippie has a quote from a T-shirt on a previous set, and Swimming Champion says that Ocean King is her biggest fan.
- There is a possibility that some of the minifigures are previews of future themes for example: Ninja for Ninjago, Elf for The Lord of the Rings, Galaxy Patrol for Galaxy Squad and Dinosaur suit man for Dino.
- Series 10 is the only series to contain more than 16 minifigures. Series 10 had 17 minifigures with #17 being the rare Mr. Gold.
- An animal as a Minifigure's accessory was first used in Series 2 (Vampire's bat). From then polybags contained moulds of a fish (Fisherman and Ice Fisherman), a chimpanzee (Zoo Keeper and Jungle Boy), a snake (Egyptian Queen), a starfish (Mermaid), a seagull (Sea Captain), a chihuahua (Trendsetter), a cat (Grandma and Mrs. Scratchen-Post) and a clam (Marsha Queen of the Mermaids).
- Additional printing, such as back and arm printing, reversible heads, and so on, was not present in the first series, but has gradually become more common as the series progressed. The Olympics Series is the only series so far to have additional printing on every minifigure, as well as being the only series with white display bases with the Olympics' logo, the words "Team GB", and the Great Britain's team's logo. The minifigures that have this exceptional printing are:
- Series 1:
- None
- Series 1:
- Series 2:
- Mime (Arms)
- Series 2:
- Series 3:
- Gorilla Suit Guy (Back)
- Mummy (Back and Arms)
- Series 3:
- Series 4:
- Kimono Girl (Back)
- Ice Skater (Back)
- Sailor (Back)
- Street Skater (Back)
- Soccer Player (Back)
- Series 4:
- Series 5:
- Lumberjack (Back and Arms)
- Gladiator (Arm)
- Cave Woman (Back)
- Boxer (Reversible Head)
- Series 5:
- Series 6:
- Bandit (Back)
- Flamenco Dancer (Back)
- Skater Girl (Back and Arms)
- Sleepyhead (Back, Arms, and Reversible Head)
- Series 6:
- Series 7:
- Bunny Suit Guy (Back)
- Daredevil (Reversible Head)
- Galaxy Patrol (Reversible Head)
- Hippie (Arms)
- Swimming Champion (Reversible Head)
- Viking Woman (Reversible Head)
- Series 7:
- Team GB Minifigures:
- Judo Fighter (Back)
- Team GB Minifigures:
- Series 8
- The Thespian (Reversible Head)
- Diver (Back)
- Series 8
- Series 9
- Cyclops (Back and Reversible Head)
- Plumber (Back)
- Roller Derby Girl (Arms)
- Series 9
- Series 10
- Motorcycle Mechanic (Left Arm and Back)
- Sea Captain (Arms)
- Tomahawk Warrior (Arms)
- Medusa (Reversible Head)
- Grandpa (Back)
- Paintballer (Back)
- Revolutionary Soldier (Back)
- Decorator (Back)
- Series 10
- Character Encyclopedia
- Toy Soldier (Arms)
- Character Encyclopedia
- Series 11
- Barbarian (Arms and Back)
- Diner Waitress (Reversible Head)
- Evil Mech (Arms)
- Gingerbread Man (Arms)
- Scarecrow (Arms)
- Welder (Back)
- Series 11
- The LEGO Movie
- Calamity Drone (Back)
- Hard Hat Emmet (Back and Reversible Head)
- Gail the Construction Worker (Back)
- Panda Guy (Back)
- President Business (Reversible Head)
- Scribble-Face Bad Cop (Reversible Head)
- Wild West Wyldstyle (Back)
- The LEGO Movie
- The Simpsons
- Bart Simpson (Arms and Back)
- Chief Wiggum (Arms)
- Homer Simpson (Arms)
- Itchy (Arms)
- Krusty the Clown (Arms)
- Lisa Simpson (Back)
- Marge (Back)
- Milhouse (Arms)
- Nelson Muntz (Arms)
- The Simpsons
Main Series
| Series | Color | Year |
|---|---|---|
| 8683 Minifigures Series 1 | Yellow | 2010 |
| 8684 Minifigures Series 2 | Blue | 2010 |
| 8803 Minifigures Series 3 | Lime Green | 2011 |
| 8804 Minifigures Series 4 | Orange | 2011 |
| 8805 Minifigures Series 5 | Azure | 2011 |
| 8827 Minifigures Series 6 | White | 2012 |
| 8831 Minifigures Series 7 | Scarlet Red | 2012 |
| 8833 Minifigures Series 8 | Black | 2012 |
| 71000 Minifigures Series 9 | Silver | 2013 |
| 71001 Minifigures Series 10 | Gold | 2013 |
| 71002 Minifigures Series 11 | Green | 2013 |
Sub-Themed Series
| Series | Color | Year |
|---|---|---|
| 8909 Team GB Series | White/Blue/Red | 2012 |
| 71004 The LEGO Movie Series | Dark Blue | 2014 |
| 71005 The Simpsons Series | Sky Blue with clouds | 2014 |
Other sets that include Collectable Minifigures
- Reprints several minifigures from Series 3, with some slight modifications. Colour: Light blue
- Reprints Hula Dancer, Surfer, and Surfer Girl
- Includes Race Car Driver
- Includes Cheerleader, Skater
- Includes Rapper, Drummer, Guitarist
- Includes Witch and recoloured Zombie, as well as a Monster Fighters Ghost.
- Includes Birthday Clown and a Child.
- Includes Santa
Online games
Series 1:
Series 2:
Series 3:
Series 4:
- Brick Builder 2
- Fish Catcher (Includes minifigures from both Series 3 and 4)
Series 5:
- Mountain Ride (Includes minifigures from both series 4 and 5)
- Tree Challenge
Series 7:
- Danger Waters
- Viking Flames
- Carrot Rain
- Rock and Blocks
Series 8:
Series 10:
Minifigures
Series 1
 |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
| Caveman | Cheerleader | Circus Clown | Cowboy | Deep Sea Diver | Demolition Dummy | Forestman | Magician | Ninja | Nurse | Robot | Skater | Spaceman | Super Wrestler | Tribal Hunter | Zombie |
Series 2
 |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
| Spartan Warrior | Lifeguard | Witch | Pop Star | Weight Lifter | Ringmaster | Explorer | Karate Master | Surfer | Pharaoh | Vampire | Traffic Cop | Mime | Skier | Disco Dude | Maraca Man |
Series 3
 |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
| Hula Dancer | Tribal Chief | Samurai Warrior | Tennis Player | Sumo Wrestler | Baseball Player | Fisherman | Elf | Rapper | Space Alien | Gorilla Suit Guy | Race Car Driver | Mummy | Snowboarder | Space Villain | Pilot |
Series 4
 |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
| Artist | Crazy Scientist | Hazmat Guy | Hockey Player | Ice Skater | Kimono Girl | Lawn Gnome | The Monster | Musketeer | Punk Rocker | Sailor | Soccer Player | Street Skater | Surfer Girl | Viking | Werewolf |
Series 5
 |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
| Boxer | Cave Woman | Detective | Egyptian Queen | Evil Dwarf | Fitness Instructor | Gangster | Gladiator | Graduate | Lizard Man | Lumberjack | Ice Fisherman | Royal Guard | Small Clown | Snowboarder Guy | Zookeeper |
Series 6
 |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
| Bandit | Butcher | Classic Alien | Clockwork Robot | Flamenco Dancer | Genie | Highland Battler | Intergalactic Girl | Lady Liberty | Leprechaun | Mechanic | Minotaur | Roman Soldier | Skater Girl | Sleepyhead | Surgeon |
Series 7
 |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
| Aztec Warrior | Bagpiper | Bride | Bunny Suit Guy | Computer Programmer | Daredevil | Evil Knight | Galaxy Patrol | Grandma Visitor | Hippie | Jungle Boy | Ocean King | Rocker Girl | Swimming Champion | Tennis Ace | Viking Woman |
Olympics Team GB
 |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
| Agile Archer | Brawny Boxer | Flexible Gymnast | Horseback Rider | Judo Fighter | Relay Runner | Tactical Tennis Player | The Stealth Swimmer | Wondrous Weightlifter |
Series 8
 |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
| The Thespian | Lederhosen Guy | Conquistador | Cowgirl | Diver | DJ | Evil Robot | Alien Villainess | Fairy | Football Player | Pirate Captain | Red Cheerleader | Santa | Downhill Skier | Businessman | Vampire Bat |
Series 9
 |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
| Alien Avenger | Mr. Good and Evil | Chicken Suit Guy | Heroic Knight | Forest Maiden | Hollywood Starlet | Waiter | Roman Emperor | Cyclops | Mermaid | Policeman | Roller Derby Girl | Fortune Teller | Battle Mech | Judge | Plumber |
Series 10
Character Encyclopedia
Series 11
 |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
| Yeti | Evil Mech | Welder | Lady Robot | Saxophone Player | Constable | Holiday Elf | Pretzel Girl | Scarecrow | Mountain Climber | Grandma | Island Warrior | Gingerbread Man | Barbarian | Diner Waitress | Scientist |
The LEGO Movie
The Simpsons
 |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
| Homer Simpson | Bart Simpson | Marge Simpson | Lisa Simpson | Maggie Simpson | Grampa | Ned Flanders | Krusty the Clown | Milhouse | Ralph Wiggum | Apu | Nelson Muntz | Itchy | Scratchy | Chief Wiggum | Mr. Burns |
Gallery
Promotion
Toy Fair Preview
|
Picture from German 2010 consumer catalog. |
See Also
Sources
- Youtube.com
- Eurobricks.com
- LEGO.com
- Toys "R" Us
- http://brickset.com/sets/theme-Collectable-Minifigures
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