Toys R Us (UK) lists Friends sets

 

  • Toys R Us (UK) lists Friends sets

    Posted by Huw, 05 Dec 2012 04:47. Filed under New sets.

    41017: Squirrel's Tree House
    Friends/Collectables, 2013
    More details...
    ©2013 LEGO Group

    Toys R Us (UK) has added eleven Friends sets, and states they'll be available on December 26th.

    The best of the bunch, in terms of interestingness, price and parts are the three foil-packed 'animals with houses' collectables sets, such as this adorable Squirrels Tree House.

    Priced at just £2.99 (even in TRU), they look to be a bargain for what's inside them and definitely worth picking up multiples of. I guess they appear to be better value than other low-priced Friends sets because they don't contain a mini-doll.

    (Thanks to number5 for the news).


    20 comments, latest one posted 5 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)
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Comments

Posted by CCC in United Kingdom, 05 Dec 2012 04:58

I note the image you have of the Bunny Hutch has Series 2 on it. So I guess these are going down the CMF route (or SW planets), albeit in smaller numbers per series?

Posted by jimred in United Kingdom, 05 Dec 2012 05:08

They're nice little sets, although I think the oversized bows slapped on the animals heads are little bit cute overkill. :)

Posted by CCC in United Kingdom, 05 Dec 2012 05:27

^ Especially on the wild animals. Now there will be animal rights activists after lego, as well as the feminists ....

Posted by cheshirecat in United Kingdom, 05 Dec 2012 06:53

^ That turtle with the bow just looks ridiculous.

Posted by CCC in United Kingdom, 05 Dec 2012 07:24

The little clam shell is nice. I can see that appearing next to mermaids in a fantasy MOC.

Posted by Aanchir in United States, 05 Dec 2012 08:00

@CCC: They're definitely going to be like the CMFs and the Ninjago booster packs in that new ones are released more often than twice a year. Also, the clam shell is not new: http://www.brickset.com/parts/?part=4514698

I love the Friends animals and think many of them would work somewhat nicely in LEGO City, if, that is, they were given alternate prints that featured traditional "black dot with white sparkle" eyes rather than these animesque eyes. Not that I mind this look; it just wouldn't work with traditional figs.

Great Ball Contraption MOCists will be overjoyed to see the soccer ball return, but not as much as they might be if it starts appearing in low-cost sets with multiples to a package like it did back in the days of LEGO Sports.

Such a surprise to see a new guitar in the Rehearsal Stage set. I wonder how long before it shows up in the CMFs...

Also, there's a neat new ice cream cone element in the pool set.

Overall, these sets break nicely from the feminine stereotypes people complained about in 2011, and show a lot of potential for the theme. Lots of great new costumes for the figs, lots of creative builds for things like the bonsai in the Karate Class set or the scratching post in the cat booster pack, and some great parts for AFOLs and kids alike.

Posted by CCC in United Kingdom, 05 Dec 2012 08:17

^ I thought I had seen it before, but not in a set I own.

Posted by HokieJoe99 in United States, 05 Dec 2012 10:59

I found Heartlake city pool at Walmart yesterday. That was the only new Friends set that they had.

Posted by shaase in Canada, 05 Dec 2012 11:04

I haven't bought any friends sets, but may pick up these for some of the animals and small rare pieces that don't usually come in the sets I collect.

Lego's friends theme seems to be working hope it lasts to help grow the hobby. I still find it odd that at least here in Ottawa the Friends Lego is not found with the rest of the Lego...its not even close by

Posted by Isabella and Lego Liker in United States, 05 Dec 2012 12:31

Probably 35-40 or so pieces in each one.

Posted by tmgm528 in United States, 05 Dec 2012 12:31

/\ at my Walmart there next to Barbies and not Legos.

Posted by The Green Brick Giant in United States, 05 Dec 2012 12:43

Yeah Lego made sure when Friends first came out to say it wasn't a girl theme, it's for everyone... blah blah.

Yet they are with the girl toys and you don't even see a set near the regular Lego toys.

These are nice, but what will they do when they run out of animals? :)

Posted by Cardinal Brick in United Kingdom, 05 Dec 2012 13:11

I doubt where Lego Friends is displayed is much to do with TLG isn't it going to depend on where the store wants to put them?

Posted by CCC in United Kingdom, 05 Dec 2012 14:58

^^ On lego.com, Friends can be found by clicking Categories > Girls. And if you do Theme > Friends, then most of the sets are tagged "Girls".

So I'd say Lego are marketing them at girls.

Posted by tmgm528 in United States, 05 Dec 2012 15:45

/\I don't think it's bad they are marketed to girls but lego said that whole not toward girls thing gets on my nerve.

Posted by Cardinal Brick in United Kingdom, 05 Dec 2012 16:28

I'm not denying that Lego are marketing them at girl, I just think that the placement in toy stores probably has more to do with the stores own policies than TLG. For instance in my local Tesco Friends fills in the gap between "toys for girls" and Lego and "toys for boys" but that's just Tesco's decision

Posted by tmgm528 in United States, 05 Dec 2012 16:46

I know that's not the lego groups fault. My problem is soon enough someone's going to say there has to be only boy lego which will get people mad. I thought the marketed toward girls strategy would bring up debate which is why I thought it wasn't smart on Legos part.

Posted by tmgm528 in United States, 05 Dec 2012 17:02

Personally I was never a fan of friends. When the rumour that advent calendar was being cancelled a few months ago. I was happy! But seems you can't get everything you want.

Posted by desultor in N/A, 06 Dec 2012 13:08

@2 and @3: If I'm not mistaken, the bows and ribbons and such are removable and transferrable, just like on the Friends hair.

Posted by Erinlyn80 in United States, 11 Dec 2012 01:06

I love love love me little lego animals and I'm super excited that theyre only 2.99

Commenting has ended on this article.