I love The Nightmare Before Christmas but I don't think it translates well into Lego-form.
Only the Zero figure is nice.

I’m a big fan of the film, but I’ve got a pretty substantial collection of both Halloween and Christmas stuff- and I think this set feels a bit constrained in terms of building and character design. One to think about.

Never seen the film, but the ghost dog is pretty cute

price above is incorrect. Lego.com shows being £169.99. Slightly better value! :)

But as a vignette on its own, Spiral Hill looks splendid!

Man, what a wonderful set of news.

No Oogey Boogey? Seems like a missed opportunity. Unless they mean to release his house as a set in the future. I'm glad fans have this, I'm not one of them.

Looks nice.
Looks nothing like the project.
Apart from the gate I don't think a single piece survived the redesign...

While I LOVE this film, this just isn't doing it for me (although I do love the little vignette with the twisty hill and moon).

I already own the Jack and Sally figures from a few years ago and prefer those to the figures here. I might just end up getting Zero on BrickLink because he's the only draw for me.

I definitely think it's odd that the set doesn't include Oogie Boogie. I know his screen time in the film is pretty limited, but he's a popular character in merch and people associate him with the film.

This looks fantastic! I'm hopeful these building techniques will be applied to Harry Potter sets. I see a lot of similar styles going on here. Oogy-Boogey would've been nice, but the cast of characters is so large, there were bound to be omissions.

Looks really cool I'd buy it.. ????

@ToysFromTheAttic:
Why would anyone think this would have used minidolls over minifigs?

@SetToBuild:
I don’t recall any brick-built characters in 71244.

No idea what this is but I like the trees.

This should make a custom mold for Oogie Boogie.

Hopefully they release an add-on with Oogie Boogie at a later date and there's definitely the potential for a CMF line. I'll definitely be buying it but when depends on the GWP available at the time.

JACK IS TALL!!! All I wanted!

The figures don't look wonderful besides, but I was just waiting, ever since the Avatar figures brought back the long limbs, for them to go to use on Jack.

Very strange that Sally doesn't have the same hairpiece as her CMF, which was designed specifically for her. Was that mold already retired? The leg print of this version also makes her look more like she's wearing pants, and it doesn't look right.

The Mayor looks awful and had no business being anything but a custom figure sculpt. Lock, Shock, and Barrel deserved better. Oogie was less of a main antagonist and more of a bump in the road to explain what happened to Santa, but given that Santa and his kidnappers are here, his absence is felt. Finkelstein also feels absent.

Tim Burton designs don't translate great to LEGO, clearly, but LEGO's new mandate in the past several years to maintain their own art style rather than shift into the style of the source hurts the designs even further. And had this not been an Ideas set, we could get some new sculpts to help out characters like Lock and the Mayor.

Hmmm... how will I make this fit into my Christmas Winter Village scene....

Any people here who find the movie to be just okay?

"Disney"

@TheOtherMike:
By one measure, you could say Jack was the main antagonist, in addition to being the main protagonist.

@8BrickMario:
They’ve said it costs as much to store a mold for five years as it does to cut a new one. CMF Sally came out in 2019, so that mold was almost certainly scrapped, if they didn’t plan to keep the hair in production. They _could_ produce it again, but they probably already had to make a new mold of Jack’s bow tie, and Zero is 100% new, on top of several recolors that can be spotted.

And the problem with Jack being tall is now it feels more obvious when a custom Santa Jack has regular legs. I want tall red legs now. I wouldn’t display this version of the minifig on any of our November/December shows, but I’m not the only member of my LUG who likes to slip a Santa Jack into our layouts.

@ToysFromTheAttic:
Eh, I hate minidolls for objective flaws in the design, but I’ve been presented with a convincing argument that they were critical to the success of Friends, and, by extension, getting girls interested in LEGO sets. I wasn’t at all surprised that Wicked got minidolls, though, since the focal characters are both female.

@PhantomBricks:
You joke, but as far as the modern standard depiction of Santa Claus…

https://www.historyoasis.com/post/coca-cola-santa-claus

The original ideas version by Tvrulesmylife is MUCH MUCH better, in my opinion

@8BrickMario said:
"JACK IS TALL!!! All I wanted!"
Don’t care about the character but long arms and legs in black! Me like a lot.

^ @PurpleDave : I wonder if it's true that Jack's tie is a new mold. He had it before, but it would make sense if LEGO had to remake the mold for it after retiring the previous one. It's a shame Sally's hair wasn't ever reapplied and kept alive, because it wasn't so specialized that it could have only been used for her. I'm glad I have her original figure in case I get this set.

Very mixed feelings. It doesn't look terrible, but while I get some aspects of the original fan submission were never gonna happen, I feel in some regards they changed too much. Most egregious is the house, this is just a completely different thing. Maybe more minifig scale, but it's completely lacking the wonkyness of the original. But also, as a result of that, the town hall now looks way undersized by comparrison. I'm okay with the Spiral Hill, the original did look better but looks extremely fragile. And no Oogie Boogie?

That said, one thing I was worried about with the fan submission was the background. That moon made those images stand out, and it just wouldn't be the same without it. But obviously no way Lego could do something like that. In that regard, I think this is a decent solution.

And one more thing: The base of the original was so much better! It makes it feel lake one big set where verything belongs together, and as a reult makes the whole thing look grander than it actually is. In the final set, it just looks like threee separate builds that are barely connected.

I do still kinda like it, but it could have been so much better. Price doesn't seem outlandisch, but not particularly great eihter.

@Brainslugged said:
"I wish they'd made the disc for the moon glow in the dark."

That wouldn't be accurate to the film, where the moon is very definitely yellow. LEGO has only ever made phosphorescent green glowing elements, which all amount to a whitish color when not glowing.

Bringing in the Mayor and having him be brick built are certainly both interesting choices. Makes me wonder if the plan was originally to have Oogie Boogie but they hit some sort of piece limit or other issue and had to quickly sub in another character who had a similar build

I won't be purchasing as it seems very expensive for its contents, but thought it was a bit of a downgrade for Sally to use this more inaccurate hairpiece (that I believe is new in this color but mold is in use) instead of the piece that was custom made for her for Disney CMF series 2.

I wonder if we're seeing this in time for Halloween and then they'll churn out an add on of the sleigh (with Jack as Santa and Oogie Boogie) in time for Christmas, a bit like the recent Spidey final battle sets?

@fourstud said:
"This looks GREAT, however...

No Oogie Boogie?
I also feel like it being just the hill with the moon (which I did not expect to get its own vinyl piece) would have sufficed.

Still, really nicely designed."

Yeah, it's a fantastic set but I would easily trade Santa, the minions and the bathtub for Oogie Boogie.

Boys and girls of every age
Wouldn't you like to see something strange?
Come with us and you will see
This, our town of Halloween
This Is Halloween, This Is Halloween!
Pumpkins scream in the dead of night
This Is Halloween, everybody make a scene
Trick or treat till the neighbor's gonna die of fright
It's our town, everybody scream!
In this town of Halloween
I am the one hiding under your bed,
Teeth ground sharp, and eyes glowing red!
I am the one hiding under your stairs,
Fingers like snakes and spiders in my hair
This Is Halloween, This Is Halloween
Halloween, Halloween, Halloween, Halloween!
In this town we call home,
Everyone hail to the pumpkin song
In this town, don't we love it now?
Everybody's waiting for the next surprise!
'Round that corner man, hiding in the trash can
Something's waiting now to pounce and how you'll
Scream!
This Is Halloween,
red 'n' black,
and slimy green
Aren't you scared?
Well that's just fine!
Say it once, say it twice, take a chance and roll the dice
Ride with the moon in the dead of night
Everybody scream, everybody scream!
In our town of Halloween
I am the clown with the tear-away face,
Here in a flash and gone without a trace!
I am the who when you call "who's there?"
I am the wind blowing through your hair
I am the shadow on the moon at night,
Filling your dreams to the brim with fright!
This Is Halloween, This Is Halloween
Halloween, Halloween, Halloween, Halloween!
Tender lumplings everywhere,
Life's no fun without a good scare!
That's our job,
but we're not mean
In our town of Halloween
In this town, don't we love it now?
Everyone's waiting for the next surprise!
Skeleton Jack might catch you in the back
And scream like a banshee, make you jump out of your skin
This is Halloween, everybody scream!
Won't you please make way for a very special guy?
Our man Jack is King of the pumpkin patch
Everyone hail to the Pumpkin King now!
This Is Halloween, This Is Halloween
Halloween, Halloween, Halloween, Halloween!
In this town we call home
Everyone hail to the pumpkin song
La, la, la, la la, la, la, la, la la, la, la, la, la la, la, la la, la, WHEEEE!
(La la la la la la la la Halloween, Halloween!).

September 4th is my Birthday! Happy Birthday to ME!

I wonder if the lack of printing, head molds, accessories for L, S, & B comes from Lego not wanting to make a devil figure or more "evil" representations of kids.

I checked and noticed that Jack's house is not so crooked in the film. It does have roof portions jutting out over the windows (not on this set), A crooked tower (check), and crooked steps (not as long in this set as should be).

dont see the 200€ value there

@ryan_c_byrd said:
"I wonder if the lack of printing, head molds, accessories for L, S, & B comes from Lego not wanting to make a devil figure or more "evil" representations of kids.

I checked and noticed that Jack's house is not so crooked in the film. It does have roof portions jutting out over the windows (not on this set), A crooked tower (check), and crooked steps (not as long in this set as should be)."

It's possible they're very nervous about devils, even in a Halloween context, because their only figure to that end was very clearly a costumed innocent child even named the "Cute Little Devil" to take out any edge and religious concern. Then again, you have all the Nexo Knights lava monsters, who are sometimes horned and very demonic in look, so who knows?

Lack of Oogie Boogie doesn't bother me. He wasn't seen outside of his lair. Not having the Doctor in his wheelchair is a bit more of a bummer. Not sure his face would look right without some sort of custom moulded beak-like shape, though.

Glad this got downscaled, the original submission would definitely be priced past the balking point of general shoppers. That said, I'm unsure a set of this film needed to be this size. I haven't watched it firsthand so I'm not going to discount the importance of individual elements due to my ignorance, but I do think it could be an example of an Ideas project being approved due to people wanting the subject matter and its characters/members in Lego moreso than people being driven by owning the build itself (cough cough 21339); I'm unsure how much of this was desired because they wanted a huge playset or because they wanted a minifig pack with a moderate display for their favorite movie - perhaps the relative lack of vocal upset over the changes to the build is because that was secondary in the desire of "Lego Nightmare Before Christmas."

Well, it's either that or people got more mature about changes from Ideas submissions to their final models, but this is the AFOL community we're talking about.

Since there isn't a link to the original submission, and I'm too lazy to search for it, I can't comment on any changes, but the build does capture the feel of a Tim Burton creation for me, and I like how it combines a silhouetted Spiral Hill with the three-dimensional buildings of Jack's house and the Town Hall. This isn't a set I need, but there's more to appeal to me than just Zero (and he's almost appealing enough to justify the purchase by himself)!

On a different train of thought, am I the only one who feels that this Town Hall looks more like a Lego version of Gringotts (even if done in gray rather than white) than the Lego Gringotts set does? I think I feel a MOC coming on....

We're big NBX fans at our home so this will likely be a purchase, but the lack of a Santa Jack variant, Dr Finkelstein, better Puking Fountain (in original), and loss of sleigh and a couple skeleton deer, are all sadder bummers to me that the shortened Jack's House— since the original wasn't quite accurate either. Were there a NBX GWP, it would become even more urgent a buy.

I like it.

This looks so cool but it's just off with the minifigures. They don't mesh with the same aesthetic as each other. Love the Mayor but Lock, Shock, and Barrel don't look right with the rest of the set. And if you put those three in, you have to include Oogie Boogie. I'll see if I get it. I guess it depends if the wife likes it too.

@opusbrick said:
"This is a set built with LEGO, all of these complaints give me the impression that some would like to collect perfect resin cast representations of the characters...this is not for me, but I think they did a great job. Go collect Hallmark ornaments or something."

I, for one, am not expecting one-to-one accuracy with the highly stylized animation and puppets used in the film, but I know LEGO can adapt a character design and art style more impressively than what they've given us here. In Sally's case, they've outright done the same design better previously.

I understand why the figures look messy. Part of it comes from Ideas not permitting many new sculpts. Part of it is molds lapsing. Zero might have precluded the revival of Sally's hair or a new piece for Lock. Part of it is budgetary for the designer, and part of it is the discrepancy between minifig art style/proportions and the Tim Burton style...but I still feel that Lock could have devil horns, Santa could have done something else to match better, and the Mayor could have been done justice as a figure built more like the Minions with special body pieces. LEGO is capable of doing better, and it's disappointing that restrictions kept the best from being made. It's just a reminder of LEGO being a business in a world where practicality and profit can suffocate creative potential. It's a fact of life, but I'm allowed to be disappointed by it.

I think they could have done without the bathtub, kids, and town hall and had a decent $100 set.

I wasn’t sure that Lego was the best medium for this but seeing the mayor, I’m now certain they should have fully built all necessary tall and fat characters. That’s a wonderful santa but is unrecognisable from the original style. There are disappointing character omissions although its a very decent vignette. Not quite right.

Ugh, I hope there's a good promotion on D1 because I'm going to need this ASAP!!

Fatty Claws should've been bigger. The reuse of the regular Santa fig is a cheap out.

@Delta said:
"Comments here are the usual mix of 1) the original set that this was based on is better, 2) this kid's toy model of a cartoon is not realistic, and 3) a review of the source material.

All that pushed aside, this is a day-one purchase for us. Very fun set!"

This is a 200$ set aimed at adults. Of course people are gonna be very critical of inaccuracies. If it was a 20$ playset aimed at kids no one would complain about it.

@8BrickMario said:
" @opusbrick said:
"This is a set built with LEGO, all of these complaints give me the impression that some would like to collect perfect resin cast representations of the characters...this is not for me, but I think they did a great job. Go collect Hallmark ornaments or something."

I, for one, am not expecting one-to-one accuracy with the highly stylized animation and puppets used in the film, but I know LEGO can adapt a character design and art style more impressively than what they've given us here. In Sally's case, they've outright done the same design better previously.

I understand why the figures look messy. Part of it comes from Ideas not permitting many new sculpts. Part of it is molds lapsing. Zero might have precluded the revival of Sally's hair or a new piece for Lock. Part of it is budgetary for the designer, and part of it is the discrepancy between minifig art style/proportions and the Tim Burton style...but I still feel that Lock could have devil horns, Santa could have done something else to match better, and the Mayor could have been done justice as a figure built more like the Minions with special body pieces. LEGO is capable of doing better, and it's disappointing that restrictions kept the best from being made. It's just a reminder of LEGO being a business in a world where practicality and profit can suffocate creative potential. It's a fact of life, but I'm allowed to be disappointed by it."

A very cogent reply and I accept that disappointment is a personal opinion, and you are allowed to be so...a lot of these complaints sounded like whining to me which prompted my post.

Thanks to @yellowcastle I have now been able to compare the final set to the two Ideas proposals, which mostly leaves me wondering how TVrulesmylife managed to build his second version using roughly the same number of bricks as TLG's! Although considerable detail has been lost I believe the official version makes a better set--sturdier and with better play details, as well as including the two trees which add so much to the distinctive atmosphere. I wish the fountain was more like the initial proposal--I find the official one too abstract--but that's something I can modify later. And I *still* think the Town Hall looks more like Gringott's than Gringott's does--TVrulesmylife's interpretation even closer than TLG's. Lots of fun, even though I've only seen snippets and outtakes of the movie. (Whoever designed the new Zero mold is brilliant!)

Whats this, whats this?
There are stickers everywhere.
Whats this?
The moon isn't Lego.
Whats this?
The price is pretty high, there is no space to play inside, whats this?

@Eightcoins8 said:
" @Delta said:
"Comments here are the usual mix of 1) the original set that this was based on is better, 2) this kid's toy model of a cartoon is not realistic, and 3) a review of the source material.

All that pushed aside, this is a day-one purchase for us. Very fun set!"

This is a 200$ set aimed at adults. Of course people are gonna be very critical of inaccuracies. If it was a 20$ playset aimed at kids no one would complain about it."

Clearly, you have never in your life met people.

@PurpleDave said:
" @Eightcoins8 said:
" @Delta said:
"Comments here are the usual mix of 1) the original set that this was based on is better, 2) this kid's toy model of a cartoon is not realistic, and 3) a review of the source material.

All that pushed aside, this is a day-one purchase for us. Very fun set!"

This is a 200$ set aimed at adults. Of course people are gonna be very critical of inaccuracies. If it was a 20$ playset aimed at kids no one would complain about it."

Clearly, you have never in your life met people."

I've met people. I wouldn't complain about this set if it was $20.

@StyleCounselor said:
" @PurpleDave said:
" @Eightcoins8 said:
" @Delta said:
"Comments here are the usual mix of 1) the original set that this was based on is better, 2) this kid's toy model of a cartoon is not realistic, and 3) a review of the source material.

All that pushed aside, this is a day-one purchase for us. Very fun set!"

This is a 200$ set aimed at adults. Of course people are gonna be very critical of inaccuracies. If it was a 20$ playset aimed at kids no one would complain about it."

Clearly, you have never in your life met people."

I've met people. I wouldn't complain about this set if it was $20."

_People_ would.

@PurpleDave said:
" @StyleCounselor said:
" @PurpleDave said:
" @Eightcoins8 said:
" @Delta said:
"Comments here are the usual mix of 1) the original set that this was based on is better, 2) this kid's toy model of a cartoon is not realistic, and 3) a review of the source material.

All that pushed aside, this is a day-one purchase for us. Very fun set!"

This is a 200$ set aimed at adults. Of course people are gonna be very critical of inaccuracies. If it was a 20$ playset aimed at kids no one would complain about it."

Clearly, you have never in your life met people."

I've met people. I wouldn't complain about this set if it was $20."

_People_ would."

Well, that's true.

Amending my earlier enthusiasm, the set is not nearly as fun as the big crooked building in the original.

Would I pay an extra $50-100 to get the original submission? Yes. Yes, I would.

I do really like this and kind of want it, but I don't think I'll have the budget or space for it so I'll likely pass.

I gotta say I find it weird that they decided to include the Mayor but not Oogie Boogie. I guess the big lad might have needed a new mold and those were better spent on Zero, but it's still disappointing.

@PurpleDave said:
" @ToysFromTheAttic :
If the person who explained it to me is correct, the minidoll may have been designed more to twinge nostalgia chords in the mothers and grandmothers who ultimately buy these sets for young girls, and play function was more of an afterthought. Certainly, I've seen young girls come into the local LEGO store and go after CMFs, with the only concern being that they want the girl minifigs.
"

I'm not sure what mothers and grandmothers would be nostalgic for in seeing minidolls, or Friends in general, because it's a very modern toy line, both in design and themes. It's definitely more about aesthetics, and I'm sure it's designed to appeal to gift givers like grannies and aunts as well. And it's been proven that most kids veer to characters that look like them or their family, so yeah, even if girls prefer minifigs, there's a good change they'll favor female minifigs.

@GSR_MataNui:
As much of a pain as it’s going to be for me, because I now need to replace my Hidden Side ghost dogs with Zeros for public displays, Zero is absolutely more important than Oogie Boogie.

@ToysFromTheAttic said:
"I'm not sure what mothers and grandmothers would be nostalgic for in seeing minidolls, or Friends in general, because it's a very modern toy line, both in design and themes. It's definitely more about aesthetics, and I'm sure it's designed to appeal to gift givers like grannies and aunts as well. And it's been proven that most kids veer to characters that look like them or their family, so yeah, even if girls prefer minifigs, there's a good change they'll favor female minifigs."

Traditional dollhouses. Mothers and grandmothers of the kids who got the Friends theme off the ground often grew up playing with a very traditional dollhouse. Minidolls look more like those dolls than minifigs do, and for anyone who grew up with Bratz dolls the resemblance is even closer. Besides that, minifigs were linked to action/genre themes from their debut (and older generations didn’t buy those things for their daughters/granddaughters). But it’s never enough to get kids hooked on a product if they’re not the ones who are actually making the purchases. So these days, if you walk into a Target store in the US, there’s a LEGO aisle, and there’s a minidoll section of the pink aisle where toys like Barbie are found. Other chains mix the minidolls in with the rest, but everyone atill seems to clump the minidoll stuff together in one section of the aisle.

@PurpleDave: The minidoll stuff has been on the Lego aisle at my local Target for ages; and although Walmart was putting them on the pink aisle (I feel the sudden urge to rewatch Toy Story 2) for a good while, they moved them to the Lego aisle some years back, as well.

@TheOtherMike said:
" @PurpleDave : The minidoll stuff has been on the Lego aisle at my local Target for ages; and although Walmart was putting them on the pink aisle (I feel the sudden urge to rewatch Toy Story 2) for a good while, they moved them to the Lego aisle some years back, as well."

I don't think I've ever seen Friends stuff anywhere else than in the LEGO aisle, same for older LEGO themes aimed primarily at girls. Toys are generally categorized by play patterns, so brick build sets are rarely in the fashion doll aisle -- unless your retailer is super sexist about toys. :'-)

@PurpleDave :
The dollhouse argument/assumption is a bit far fetched, IMHO. I know what old dollhouses used to look like, and Friends sets look very far removed from those, or even from a LEGO theme like Bellville. I mean, most LEGO modular sets look more like traditional dollhouses to me than the average Friends house does. Or even the most recent LEGO castle.

I also don't see the Bratz comparison -- those have a totally different aesthetic. A comparison to Barbie would be better suited, but that would be the same as saying Speed Champions stir up feelings of nostalgia with dads and grandfathers, because they used to play with toy cars. Nostalgia usually revolves about things that are a bit more specific than that.

I'm so glad they wasted spaces in the Disney minifig line on Jack and Sally when they get released in an official set anyway...

I understand it wasn't all planned this way maybe, but still, could have had more variety!

This set looks decent. I'll have to think on it. I don't build many sets, so I may just pick up some of the figures.

I will say the Mayor should have been a different scale. This doesn't fit at all...

Anybody else notice the Loony Tunes reference (Witch Hazel's tombstone) in the graveyard? It's odd, because this is a Disney set, not Warner Bros.

@PurpleDave said:
" @ToysFromTheAttic:
You’re in Europe, where two generations of girls didn’t skip the LEGO aisle completely. In the US, this was almost exclusively considered a boy’s toy through Gen X and Millenials, so _any_ resemblance to traditional dolls (and the Friends line had that with each of the five original girls getting a family house) was going to play better with mothers and grandmothers than knights, pirates, and spacemen."

Interesting to find out LEGO themes were strictly divided between boys and girls in US toy stores until so recently. Also, kind of shocking, and at the same time not at all. I wonder if this was the case for all US toy stores and big box retailers, or if it was any different in regions that are considered to be more liberal. Over here, for as long as I've been alive, LEGO always had dedicated shelf space, no matter who it was aimed at. Catalogues also always showed boys and girls playing together with LEGO sets.

@Sethro3 said:
"I'm so glad they wasted spaces in the Disney minifig line on Jack and Sally when they get released in an official set anyway...

I understand it wasn't all planned this way maybe, but still, could have had more variety!

This set looks decent. I'll have to think on it. I don't build many sets, so I may just pick up some of the figures.

I will say the Mayor should have been a different scale. This doesn't fit at all..."

Of course this set wasn't in the works when Disney Series 2 was made. It doesn't make sense to me to gripe about Jack and Sally appearing there and taking up slots of other characters now that this set exists and features them again. Had this been their first appearance, I think each would be the best versions of the minifigures, but the way it worked, CMF Sally is better! LEGO has always had multiple iterations of licensed characters over multiple years, so I don't find any reason for frustration in LEGO using characters again who debuted in a licensed Minifigures series.

@Murdoch17 said:
"Anybody else notice the Loony Tunes reference (Witch Hazel's tombstone) in the graveyard? It's odd, because this is a Disney set, not Warner Bros."

This is not a certain reference to Looney Tunes. "Witch Hazel" is actually a pretty generic witch name pun not solely locked down by Looney Tunes. It's also the name of a real plant, and that graveyard is where Sally gathers her spooky herbs, so the name on the grave marker might be referring to that instead.

@ToysFromTheAttic:
I really only saw it at Target (and yes, apparently they’ve stopped pink-lining the minidoll themes). But I remember walking through TRU once (before they went up in a puff of smoke), and as I reached the LEGO aisle, a mother asked her daughter if she wanted a LEGO set. Poor addle-brained kid said, “No, those are for boys.” So that perception did come from both sides of the equation. It’s changing, now, though. They did finally figure out how to get back into the girls market. Getting there and being successful about it requires interesting both the young girls who will play with them, and the adults who ultimately end up buying the sets. One of the other won’t work, at least not for very long.

@PurpleDave said:
" @ToysFromTheAttic:
You’re in Europe, where two generations of girls didn’t skip the LEGO aisle completely. In the US, this was almost exclusively considered a boy’s toy through Gen X and Millenials, so _any_ resemblance to traditional dolls (and the Friends line had that with each of the five original girls getting a family house) was going to play better with mothers and grandmothers than knights, pirates, and spacemen."

I try not to weigh in on these pointless debates, but PurpleDave is 100% correct. I have a daughter who grew up in that era, and she agrees, minidolls remind her of bratz.

@MisterBones said:
" @PurpleDave said:
" @ToysFromTheAttic:
You’re in Europe, where two generations of girls didn’t skip the LEGO aisle completely. In the US, this was almost exclusively considered a boy’s toy through Gen X and Millenials, so _any_ resemblance to traditional dolls (and the Friends line had that with each of the five original girls getting a family house) was going to play better with mothers and grandmothers than knights, pirates, and spacemen."

I try not to weigh in on these pointless debates, but PurpleDave is 100% correct. I have a daughter who grew up in that era, and she agrees, minidolls remind her of bratz."

And I was only repeating an observation that I'd seen voiced here when Friends debuted. I suspect it's the oversized heads and twiggy bodies that drew the comparison, since a close examination shows that there are just as many differences as similarities.

@MisterBones said:
" @PurpleDave said:
" @ToysFromTheAttic:
You’re in Europe, where two generations of girls didn’t skip the LEGO aisle completely. In the US, this was almost exclusively considered a boy’s toy through Gen X and Millenials, so _any_ resemblance to traditional dolls (and the Friends line had that with each of the five original girls getting a family house) was going to play better with mothers and grandmothers than knights, pirates, and spacemen."

I try not to weigh in on these pointless debates, but PurpleDave is 100% correct. I have a daughter who grew up in that era, and she agrees, minidolls remind her of bratz."

There wasn't really a debate to speak off, as far as I'm concerned it's just a friendly conversation, and if you learn something from it, I wouldn't call it pointless. But thanks for weighing in, regardless.

And yes, of course your daughter would compare minidolls to Bratz if that's what she grew up with -- because that's a prominent reference point for someone her age. Just like Animal Crossing is to those who've grown up after the Fabuland era and keep referencing that game whenever a Fabuland set gets some attention. But, as PurpleDave pointed out, there are just as many differences as similarities, so you could point to anything that's vaguely similar and say it reminds you of that, and you wouldn't be wrong. For me, having grown up before Bratz really became a thing, I don't really see that many similarities, beyond maybe the proportions, but I can imagine how a Gen Z kid would.

I'ld be happy with the Spiral Hill only and the figures Jack and Sally. The set would be more approachable. I'll pass on this.

@Ridgeheart:
I suspect you misread my post. The mother was offering to buy a LEGO set for her daughter, who refused because LEGO sets are “for boys”. If anything, the girl appeared to be headed in the direction of rebelling by becoming a cheerleader.

@Ridgeheart said:
" @ToysFromTheAttic said:
" @MisterBones said:
" @PurpleDave said:
" @ToysFromTheAttic :
You’re in Europe, where two generations of girls didn’t skip the LEGO aisle completely. In the US, this was almost exclusively considered a boy’s toy through Gen X and Millenials, so _any_ resemblance to traditional dolls (and the Friends line had that with each of the five original girls getting a family house) was going to play better with mothers and grandmothers than knights, pirates, and spacemen."

I try not to weigh in on these pointless debates, but PurpleDave is 100% correct. I have a daughter who grew up in that era, and she agrees, minidolls remind her of bratz."

There wasn't really a debate to speak off, as far as I'm concerned it's just a friendly conversation, and if you learn something from it, I wouldn't call it pointless. But thanks for weighing in, regardless.

And yes, of course your daughter would compare minidolls to Bratz if that's what she grew up with -- because that's a prominent reference point for someone her age. Just like Animal Crossing is to those who've grown up after the Fabuland era and keep referencing that game whenever a Fabuland set gets some attention. But, as PurpleDave pointed out, there are just as many differences as similarities, so you could point to anything that's vaguely similar and say it reminds you of that, and you wouldn't be wrong. For me, having grown up before Bratz really became a thing, I don't really see that many similarities, beyond maybe the proportions, but I can imagine how a Gen Z kid would."

I used to hate the minidolls, because I thought they were wholly unnecessary. The minifigs were suitable for both boys and girls, as most if not all of Lego is, and always has been. I thought of them - and Friends, and Elves - as an enforced gender-divide, and derided it all as such.

That's a stupid line of thinking, of course. Not long after, my nephew asked for an Elves-set, because he liked the colours. Not long after THAT, Friends started raising the bar for affordable urban architecture. Around the same time, both the Lego Movies taught us that - you know, maybe stop whining and start building. Everything is awesome. Do the things you like, don't tell others what they should like.

And take some solace in knowing that kids will always rebel against their parents. The girl from @PurpleDave 's story may well grow up to become a hardcore STEM-researcher on her own, despite having a mother who would stupidly try to stuff her inside the same pigeon-hole she herself has been stuffed into. And if not, then pour a box of Technic Lego out for the ones we've lost to such outmoded thinking."

Everything IS awesome. Whether you want to be a STEM researcher or a cheerleader, or both -- because why the brick not?

I think minidolls are a great of example of a toy that both embraces femininity as well as teaching girls (and boys!) that the future if full of possibilities, no matter your gender. And they've brought us some nice sets along the way for both kids and adults to enjoy, especially when it comes to houses and other types of buildings. I think we all can at least agree on that!