Quick Look: Bluey Duplo Sets
Posted by benbacardi,
Bluey is a TV show aimed at preschool children, and as such it makes sense that LEGO would not only release sets in the 4+ system range, but also in their preschool format of DUPLO. We don't often look at DUPLO sets, as AFOLs, but as LEGO sent the full compliment and it's a show that my family adore, I thought we'd take a look.
Two sets were released, the 22-piece 10458 Ice Cream Trip with Bluey, and the 83-piece 10459 Bluey's Family House with Memory Game. That doesn't sound like a lot of pieces, but they are certainly big pieces!
Summary
Only a handful of pieces, but some iconic Bluey references, and the full family included if you buy both sets.
The set was provided for review by LEGO. All opinions expressed are those of the author.
Figures
There was a lot of discussion around the Bluey minifigures when they were first announced, and I went over some of my initial thoughts in my recent review of 11202 Bluey's Beach & Family Car Trip. They've grown on me since then, and I think LEGO have done the best job they could with a difficult source.
DUPLO figures are very different to minifigures. 10459 Bluey's Family House with Memory Game contains Bluey, Bingo, and their mum, Chilli. To get Bandit, you need to also buy 10458 Ice Cream Trip with Bluey. Designed for much younger children, DUPLO figures don't come apart, and due to the larger nature of DUPLO studs, the figures have very wide hips and legs, with narrower torsos. Their heads are a significantly different shape to the minifigures.
As with the minifigures, their tails are printed on their rears. Chilli doesn't have any flecks of lighter hair on her haid, however.
As mentioned, Bandit comes with 10458 Ice Cream Trip with Bluey, along with the Heeler's family car (named Bobo!), made out of three chunky pieces.
The Sets
DUPLO is not overly interesting for the majorty of us AFOLs, but it clearly suits Bluey's target market well. Along with the car, the smallest of the two sets includes a handful of pieces to represent an ice cream stall, with a printed menu, three flavours of ice cream, a cash register, and a couple of ice cream cones.
The majority of the larger set, 10459 Bluey's Family House with Memory Game, builds a three-story version of the Heeler's house, with plenty of printed parts unique to the license. Six openable windows provide access to cubby holes in a triangle layout; three on the ground floor, two above, and one in the top.
These parts are all standard DUPLO pieces, but the colours and printed parts do a great job of reflecting the iconic house in a very simple style.
Nine printed pieces represent various items from the show, three on full-size bricks, and three comprised of two pieces each. These include the famous pavlova, cupcakes, salad, xylophone, drawings, and Bingo's plush bunny, Floppy (who features heavily in one of my favourite episodes of the show, Sleepytime. Go watch it. Seriously, no matter your age).
The idea behind the split bricks is to be able to play a game of "memory snap" with your young child, hiding the parts behind the six doors. A second game is included, which comprises a large flexibly plastic disc printed with three scenes on either side, and a base and arrow it can be attached to.
When attached, it makes a spinner, with the idea being that you can encourage your child to spin the arrow, and find the pieces to build the scene depicted—for example, to find Chilli and the cupcakes, or put the xylophone together.
Verdict
DUPLO is an area of LEGO that we don't tend to look at much, but it's critical to getting young children interested early, and in my experience quickly becomes a favourite toy with any two-year-old who picks up some blocks. Bluey as a license fits the DUPLO age bracket perfectly.
The largest set provides a lot of basic building blocks that can be used for creative play beyond just the Bluey house as pictured, but it's great that it includes so many printed custom pieces from the show.
It's a shame that you have to buy both sets to get the complete family, and then you end up with two Bluey figures, but that's certainly a smart marketing move from LEGO! The smaller set would make a great gift for a family with a Bluey fan as an intro to the theme that LEGO's got available, though.
10458 Ice Cream Trip with Bluey is available at LEGO.com for £24.99 / $29.99 / €29.99, and 10459 Bluey's Family House with Memory Game is available at LEGO.com for £59.99 / $69.99 / €69.99.
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14 comments on this article
The figures just don't look right.
I wonder how Lego and Duplo compare profit wise. As the parts are by design much larger it always seems very expensive. Looks like two Bluey sets are available for £60. I wonder which is cheaper to make , more profitable?
Thank you for publishing a Duplo review, I think there could be one or two each year, focusing on some the best items, so that parents among us can make up their minds and possibly purchase one or another.
I'll get both of these sets, as my 4-year-old daughter is a big fan — and the show provides some very relatable scenes for parents ;)
I like the car!
Like the car, dislike the figures, the house is ok.
That house is not very bluey… more orangey and yellowy.
Yay a Duplo review !
I like the figures better in Duplo mode, the big head looks better imho.
The sets are nice but having to buy 2 to get the whole family does suck. Will Bandit be available through Pick a brick ?
I would have loved these when my daughter was into Duplo !
I'm so happy for today's kids, getting Bluey and Peppa Pig. I remember being just a little too old when Duplo Thomas came out, along with Bob the Builder (which I was never interested in), and being soooo disappointed they didn't come out a few years earlier.
@Nannig said:
"The sets are nice but having to buy 2 to get the whole family does suck. Will Bandit be available through Pick a brick ?"
Licensed elements aren't typically available through PaB, some of the printed bricks and the car *may* end up available there but I doubt the Bluey figures will.
Rarely, parts of a licensed minifig will end up on PaB (like the torso of the Nazgul) but it's usually only if it's generic enough... and Duplo figures don't come in pieces so they're out of the question.
@ShilohCyan said:
"I'm so happy for today's kids, getting Bluey and Peppa Pig. I remember being just a little too old when Duplo Thomas came out, along with Bob the Builder (which I was never interested in), and being soooo disappointed they didn't come out a few years earlier. "
Yeah, I just saw 10451 3in1 Dinosaurs on Wheels , and that really seems fun, and basicly goes back to what Duplo started with, with sets like 515-2 Building set
It's cool to see Duplo incorporate techniques that fit modern LEGO like hinges and sideways building.
Also the 3-in-1 concept promotes rebuilding, and another new set like 10446 3in1 Wild Animal Families looks fantastic too.
Duplo suits the theme better, and the figs look nicer, IMHO.
It is very unfortunate that for both System and Duplo, neither capture an Australian house at all.
It is important, because we never get Australian architecture in Lego but also because that's what Bluey's house looks like.
No different from desiring an accurate McAllistar Home or Simpsons or Mario etc.
@Brickchap said:
"...we never get Australian architecture in Lego..."
10234, 21012, and 21032 beg to differ.
Any other AFOD here?