Review: 42650 Pet Accessories Shop
Posted by MeganL,
Pets and animals are a constant in the Friends world, especially this year as we've already looked at 42651 Horse and Pet Vet Clinic. Clearly, the next stop for some of these pets is 42650 Pet Accessories Shop.
After all, after a visit to the vet, I'm sure all of the pets can use a toy or two. This price range is one of my favourites for Friends sets, and I'm interested in seeing what details the designer manages to fit in this moderately priced set.
Summary
42650 Pet Accessories Shop, 375 pieces.
£34.99 / $39.99 / €39.99 | 9.3p/10.7c/10.7c per piece.
Buy at LEGO.com »
A great play set with some fun moving functions
- Three pets
- Nice moving functions
- Plenty of play value
- None
The set was provided for review by LEGO. All opinions expressed are those of the author.
Inside the box there are four numbered bags, one 8x16 plate, and instruction book, and a sticker sheet. I was a little disappointed to see that the dog face on the front of the shop relied on a sticker for some of the features.
Minidolls and animals
The three minidolls in this set are Leo, Nova, and Matilde. Leo's shirt has a fun food themed design (which makes sense considering his cooking interest), and Nova's shirt has a computer generated dachshund whose body wraps all around her shirt! Matilde is the guest Friend of the set, and she is wearing a charming shirt with a cherry pattern.
The back printing is nice, especially on Nova's dachshund shirt.
The Friends have brought their pets to the store. We've met Churro and Pickle before. Churro looks just as grumpy as ever, though I would think he's happy to not wearing a chef's hat like he did in 42655 Restaurant and Cooking School. Pickle is rocking some green wheels this time around. By process of elimination, Amos the bunny is Matilde's set. I love that Amos has different coloured eyes! We will also see Amos in 42669 Beekeepers' House and Flower Garden, so I originally thought that Amos belong to Paisley's grandparents. This set would seem to contradict that.
The completed model
The store is very charming! I love that the store is in the shape of a dog on one side, complete with paws on the ground, and the decorative bow on their head.
A back view shows that there are two floors with distinctly different activities - a traditional store on the bottom level with a play area, and a pet spa area on the upper floor.
Unlike many Friends sets, this one does have a discernible way to transport Friends and their pets from one floor to another. A simple elevator is included that provides that access. Though considering the general lack of enthusiasm of felines for baths, I can't imagine they'd be taking the elevator voluntarily.
Downstairs there are a number of accessories available for purchase. Now we know where Churro got his chef's hat!
A play area is off to the side to allow the pets to play while their people are shopping. Water is provided, as well as a shade tree.
Upstairs, Churro finds himself on the conveyor to go through the grooming stations. First there's soaping up....
Then a rinse....
And finally, no grooming would be complete without a blow dry. At this point I expect Churro will have had enough, so another creature has taken their place to enjoy the warmth.
(Note: blow drying sloth not included in this set.)
The conveyor isn't the only moving function here, though. That green axle in the previous picture can be turned, and that wiggles the eyebrows of the dog's face in the store front. I love the inclusion of this little feature.
Overall thoughts
It has to be difficult for Friends designers to come up with new and fresh ways to depict sets that feature pets. This one covers all the bases, but the designer has added to fun additions such as the elevator, the conveyor belt, and my favourite - the wiggling eyebrows! These additions don't increase the parts count by much but add so much to the play value.
This is a very fun play set for the price, especially since it includes three minidolls, three pets, and some moving functions.
59 likes
15 comments on this article
I don't think that's water coming from the faucet if it's turned Churro into a sloth!
Looks like a terrific set! Love the features and design.
nice review, Megan.
although the price per piece is a bit higher than other friends sets, this is another one that doesn't disappoint, but is it different enough from the others to get it? I really love Churro, but already have 3 of the quintessential space suit Churros...
This shop looks like Pickles from "Bojack Horseman."
That’s a cute set. I especially like the store’s front (that moving eyebrow feature!) and the little details inside. I was wondering where sticker no. 5 goes and I don’t see it applied to the set.
I've never seen a rabbit with a mustache before.
Looks cute, but just don't see €40 of stuff here. Friends used to be one of the best value themes Lego had, but that's history now....
Very charming set! The azure, yellow, and pink color scheme of the building feels very harmonious, and the white picket fences also add a lot of charm. The brick built sign is surprisingly large for a building this size, but VERY cute, and the function to wiggle the eyebrows adds an extra touch of silliness!
The new tiny chef hat and baseball cap mold work great here to vary up the product assortment compared to previous pet shop and grooming salon sets, and it's fun that three different animals are included so kids can try different combinations of pets and accessories to decide which they like best!
I was going to express surprise at the lack of pet toys on sale, but then I noticed the ball of yarn that Churro's playing with, which I suppose Leo probably bought for him here. Still, I guess I still would've preferred if the merchandise bin out in front of the shop were split into two smaller bins: one for the accessories it currently holds and one for toys like that yarn ball or a Bionicle ball joint.
Also, although it's a small thing, I appreciate that the branding on pet food packages in the Friends theme has remained so consistent for over a dozen years now! The colors vary from set to set, but the pet food bag in this set still has the same logo and wavy banner as the dog treat bag in 41007 from the theme's second year!
The automatic grooming machine is a fun and whimsical detail and one that reminds me of a fun sign I once saw on the highway for a "Combi-Wash: Car & Pet Wash"! Sadly, on a later trip I saw that it had gone out of business — it was definitely an amusing gimmick to set a car wash apart from competitors!
It looks really fun!
@LuvsLEGO_Cool_J said:
"That’s a cute set. I especially like the store’s front (that moving eyebrow feature!) and the little details inside. I was wondering where sticker no. 5 goes and I don’t see it applied to the set. "
It was applied, I just didn't take a picture of it! That large sticker is applied to the side of the building (on the right wall as you look at the set). My miss!
Why are Friends priced fairly even when they have a ton of minifigs and animals?
@tne328 said:
"I've never seen a rabbit with a mustache before."
I can't call any examples to mind, but I'm sure Bugs has worn one as part of a disguise.
@kyrodes said:
"Why are Friends priced fairly even when they have a ton of minifigs and animals?"
I think something to keep in mind is that all of this set's animals are small, none of them require pre-assembly from multiple molds, and none of them are unique recolors/prints (nor are any of this set's mini-doll parts, for that matter). So they don't add nearly as much to the cost of the set than a set that includes lots of set-specific minifig/mini-doll parts, or a set that includes large, complex molded animals like horses.
In fact, in MeganL's review of 42651 from this year, she even mentioned how expensive it seems compared to its contents. I suspect the inclusion of a uniquely printed horse, three uniquely printed dogs, and a unique mini-doll character were all contributing factors in that (the horse most of all — Friends veterinary sets with horses tend to cost more in general than those without).
@kyrodes said:
"Why are Friends priced fairly even when they have a ton of minifigs and animals?"
Not all of them are :
I find 42662 Hair Salon and Accessories Store is like €10 overpriced , but meanwhile 42649 Heartlake City Candy Store has excellent value and costs €15 less.
Nonetheless, Friends delivers on buildings and shops, where City has stopped after the big wave of 2023, back to a big focus on vehicles again.
[“Churro looks just as grumpy as ever, though I would think he's happy to not wearing a chef's hat”] [“By process of elimination, Amos the bunny is Matilde's set”] — Typos, much?