Quick look: 40776 Hot Chocolate Stand
Posted by Huw,
The recently revealed 40776 Hot Chocolate Stand is another gift with purchase at LEGO.com that'll be available during the Insiders weekend that starts tomorrow, and the Black Friday / Cyber Monday extravaganza at the end of the month.
The 256-piece set will be free when you spend over £155, $170 USD, €170, $220 CAD, $275 AUD.
Summary
40776 Hot Chocolate Stand, 256 pieces.
A very decent GWP: a fun and delightful model for your Winter Village display
The set was provided for review by LEGO. All opinions expressed are those of the author.
There's a small sticker sheet for decorating three elements but there's also a rather nice print, showing the hot chocolate menu which has been used two times before.
Street vendors in LEGO City have a tradition of trading from buildings that are either shaped like the goods they are selling, or have large appendages on their roofs making it abundantly clear what's available there. This one does both: it's shaped like a mug, complete with handle on one side, while hot chocolate, marshmallow chunks, and a candy cane, decorate the roof.
The open back gives access to the interior, where there's a hot chocolate machine and a carton of milk on the shelf.
A small snow-covered tree and bench occupy the outside space.
I don't believe the two minifigures contain any new components, but make good use of existing ones to depict a female vendor and male customer, suitably dressed for the winter and with a closed-eye expression, presumably shut as he savours the wares. Both have alternative expressions.
This is a cute model that will fit right in to your Winter Village display alongside other Christmas market stalls, and would not look out of place in a regular City layout, although you might want to remove the snow first.
Grab it while you can at LEGO.com this weekend, 22-23rd November, and also over the Black Friday/Cyber Monday extravaganza, 28th November - 1st December.
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30 comments on this article
Another very solid Christmas GWP. If you’ve been lucky enough to be getting these on the regular, I think you can put together a very respectable scene at this point.
I always love these little kiosk sets. They remind me of all the food stalls in RollerCoaster Tycoon.
Love this GWP, but I can't see Errol Brown!
"... with a closed-eye expression, presumably shut as he savours the wares"
Or fallen asleep as it seems to take an eternity to make a drink these days.
This is a genuinely nice set, and what GWPs should be about. Just a nice bonus should if you spend a certain amount.
The "straw" is obviously a candy cane.
@Spike730 said:
"The "straw" is obviously a candy cane."
Ah yes, of course. Are they put into hot chocolate?
This is a classic example of a solid GWP with a good piece ratio and broad relevance (who doesn't like a cup of hot chocolate or cocoa in cold weather!?). It's definitely on my 'must have' list. I just wish ALL GWP were at this level, something that really rewards the spending at LEGO.
Should of included a couple printed 1126 Design (TILE 1X2, 1/2 CIRCLE) to simulate selling Beaver tails
Just another one treat as discount on the actual sets I'm buying. Same with the mini castles. The gorilla will just be part out.
Very neat little set, I love those for the exact same reason as @deak_starkiller! I can't help but wonder though if two macaroni pieces in red and white wouldn't have made the cane a bit more convincing?
@shaase said:
"Should've included a couple printed 1126 Design (TILE 1X2, 1/2 CIRCLE) to simulate selling Beaver tails"
As a European, I have no idea what those are supposed to be, but this sure is the kind of sentence I'd expect from a user with "in Canada" next to their name.
(I googled them, are those some kind of sweet Lángos? They do look great!)
@Euroseb11 said:
"This is a classic example of a solid GWP with a good piece ratio and broad relevance (who doesn't like a cup of hot chocolate or cocoa in cold weather!?). It's definitely on my 'must have' list. I just wish ALL GWP were at this level, something that really rewards the spending at LEGO. "
If ALL GWP were like this, then you'd feel the need to get them all. Having some GWP that others like and you don't is good, since that means you don't need them all plus we get variety.
I'll probably try to hinge the back, as the white open arch clashes for me and looks off and disjointed in the pictures.
@Huw said:
" @Spike730 said:
"The "straw" is obviously a candy cane."
Ah yes, of course. Are they put into hot chocolate?"
Yes, I love putting candy canes in my hot chocolate, it's quite common
@CCC said:
" @Euroseb11 said:
"This is a classic example of a solid GWP with a good piece ratio and broad relevance (who doesn't like a cup of hot chocolate or cocoa in cold weather!?). It's definitely on my 'must have' list. I just wish ALL GWP were at this level, something that really rewards the spending at LEGO. "
If ALL GWP were like this, then you'd feel the need to get them all. Having some GWP that others like and you don't is good, since that means you don't need them all plus we get variety.
"
Not necessarily. I just a have a personal preference of decent GWPs which have a broad appeal in design and truly offers a bonus to the set and Lego experience in general (such as 40291 , 40687 ,40532 , or 40659 ) rather than measly sets that can't offer much beyond the 'random add-on' aspect at best (5009325) and the 'collection of parts to be used elsewhere' at worst (40320 or 5009823 ). Variety is good of course but not when it mixes in sets which are nowhere near justifying the amount spent nor fufill any rewarding factor whatsover.
@FlitzerMitDerPizza said:
"Very neat little set, I love those for the exact same reason as @deak_starkiller! I can't help but wonder though if two macaroni pieces in red and white wouldn't have made the cane a bit more convincing?
@shaase said:
"Should've included a couple printed 1126 Design (TILE 1X2, 1/2 CIRCLE) to simulate selling Beaver tails"
As a European, I have no idea what those are supposed to be, but this sure is the kind of sentence I'd expect from a user with "in Canada" next to their name.
(I googled them, are those some kind of sweet Lángos? They do look great!)"
Essentially BeaverTails (correct spelling) are Flattened out donuts (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BeaverTails). They became popular here in Ottawa when they were primarily sold during our Annual Winterlude Festival in the late 80s.
This might be the first minifig head I've seen where NEITHER expression has open eyes. This man can't see where he's going!
Free Chocolate, the obligatory $100 dollar is missing.
@Euroseb11 said:
" @CCC said:
" @Euroseb11 said:
"This is a classic example of a solid GWP with a good piece ratio and broad relevance (who doesn't like a cup of hot chocolate or cocoa in cold weather!?). It's definitely on my 'must have' list. I just wish ALL GWP were at this level, something that really rewards the spending at LEGO. "
If ALL GWP were like this, then you'd feel the need to get them all. Having some GWP that others like and you don't is good, since that means you don't need them all plus we get variety.
"
Not necessarily. I just a have a personal preference of decent GWPs which have a broad appeal in design and truly offers a bonus to the set and Lego experience in general (such as 40291 , 40687 ,40532 , or 40659 ) rather than measly sets that can't offer much beyond the 'random add-on' aspect at best (5009325) and the 'collection of parts to be used elsewhere' at worst (40320 or 5009823 ). Variety is good of course but not when it mixes in sets which are nowhere near justifying the amount spent nor fufill any rewarding factor whatsover. "
You are comparing GWP that are available with any purchase (over a threshold) with those that are available only with a specific set. Of course ones that come with a general purchase should have a wider appeal than ones tied to a specific set. I would not expect LEGO to do a set with wide appeal and tie it only to a Simpsons (or any other) set, because there would be complaints. It makes sense to have a Simpsons GWP tied to a Simpsons set. That doesn't mean that the GWP is not decent or truly a bonus or have no rewarding factor.
Not that all general GWP are the same or indeed even have the same appeal. 40291 and 40687 are two really bad sellers on the secondary market suggesting that the demand and hence their appeal is not so broad after all.
And yes, there are other sets that have far fewer parts like the polybag sets that may be seen as a lower level. But then they tend to have lower level thresholds, which are again good for people that don't spend lots. Having a range of types of GWP sets is a good thing. If they were all general subjects and higher piece count similar to the hot chocolate shop, it would mean that there are no tied sets of interest to the people buying the big tied set and no small sets that other people like as rewards for purchases.
I love that they thought to include another Star-Empire Ballistic Missile next to the seating area. I usually only find those in my advent calendars.
Take that big ugly colour part off from roof... plate...
@CCC said:
"You are comparing GWP that are available with any purchase (over a threshold) with those that are available only with a specific set. Of course ones that come with a general purchase should have a wider appeal than ones tied to a specific set. I would not expect LEGO to do a set with wide appeal and tie it only to a Simpsons (or any other) set, because there would be complaints. It makes sense to have a Simpsons GWP tied to a Simpsons set. That doesn't mean that the GWP is not decent or truly a bonus or have no rewarding factor.
Not that all general GWP are the same or indeed even have the same appeal. 40291 and 40687 are two really bad sellers on the secondary market suggesting that the demand and hence their appeal is not so broad after all.
And yes, there are other sets that have far fewer parts like the polybag sets that may be seen as a lower level. But then they tend to have lower level thresholds, which are again good for people that don't spend lots. Having a range of types of GWP sets is a good thing. If they were all general subjects and higher piece count similar to the hot chocolate shop, it would mean that there are no tied sets of interest to the people buying the big tied set and no small sets that other people like as rewards for purchases."
I get the point about variety, and yes — not every GWP should appeal to everyone. But that isn’t what people are actually criticising. The core problem is that too many GWPs, especially at the higher spend tiers, simply don’t match the value of the threshold LEGO attaches to them. That’s where the frustration lies.
Variety is good, theme-specific GWPs are fine, and low-threshold polybags absolutely have their place. No disagreement there. But “variety” isn’t a justification for handing out weak, low-effort builds as rewards for £100–£200 spends. Fans aren’t asking for giant, universal crowd-pleasers every time — just a reasonable baseline of design effort, meaningfulness, and proportional value.
The idea that good GWPs would make people “feel the need to get them all” is a bit of an exaggeration. Collectors already choose what they want. A well-designed GWP doesn’t force anyone’s hand; it simply makes the reward feel fair when you’re already spending that kind of money. If anything, low-quality GWPs create more pressure, because people feel they have to “buy at the right moment” to get the rare few that are actually worth something.
And secondary-market prices don’t prove broad appeal or lack of it — they reflect availability, production volume, and timing, not enthusiasm. Plenty of well-liked GWPs have low aftermarket prices simply because LEGO produced enough of them. Conversely, limited, niche, or lacklustre GWPs often sell high purely due to scarcity.
Nobody expects LEGO to tie a universally appealing set to The Simpsons or any other niche theme. A Simpsons GWP with a Simpsons set is completely fair. What isn’t fair is when a theme-specific GWP is tiny, uninspired, or barely more than a parts pack while still being locked behind a very high threshold.
The Hot Chocolate Shop is a good example of what a GWP should look like at that spend level — thoughtful, appealing, and clearly designed as an actual reward. That doesn’t mean every GWP must be identical; it means the quality should be proportional to the cost of qualifying for it, regardless of category.
Oversized candy cames should only ever be built with macaronis.
@shaase said:
" @FlitzerMitDerPizza said:
"Very neat little set, I love those for the exact same reason as @deak_starkiller ! I can't help but wonder though if two macaroni pieces in red and white wouldn't have made the cane a bit more convincing?
@shaase said:
"Should've included a couple printed 1126 Design (TILE 1X2, 1/2 CIRCLE) to simulate selling Beaver tails"
As a European, I have no idea what those are supposed to be, but this sure is the kind of sentence I'd expect from a user with "in Canada" next to their name.
(I googled them, are those some kind of sweet Lángos? They do look great!)"
Essentially BeaverTails (correct spelling) are Flattened out donuts ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BeaverTails ). They became popular here in Ottawa when they were primarily sold during our Annual Winterlude Festival in the late 80s."
I just visited the Banff location this summer. They're delicious, but contain enough sugar to induce metabolic shock. They're great with a lot of friends and a LOT of coffee.
Well, city coffee/Coffee Chain seems to own this Chocalote Shop. Where can you escape from corporate influence?!
@ALegoFan said:
"Well, city coffee/Coffee Chain seems to own this Chocalote Shop. Where can you escape from corporate influence?!"
They're probably a subsidiary of Octan. Octan makes really great stuff, you know.
@CCC The aftermarket can is sometimes unpridictable
40586, 40580 and 40687 a sold decent when they were first released but were harder to sell later on
40698 was doing nice but got is higher price/popularity at a later point and is still sought after.
You sexy thing...
@AustinPowers said:
"You sexy thing... "
Now that song is running through my head.
@shaase said:
" @FlitzerMitDerPizza said:
"Very neat little set, I love those for the exact same reason as @deak_starkiller! I can't help but wonder though if two macaroni pieces in red and white wouldn't have made the cane a bit more convincing?
@shaase said:
"Should've included a couple printed 1126 Design (TILE 1X2, 1/2 CIRCLE) to simulate selling Beaver tails"
As a European, I have no idea what those are supposed to be, but this sure is the kind of sentence I'd expect from a user with "in Canada" next to their name.
(I googled them, are those some kind of sweet Lángos? They do look great!)"
Essentially BeaverTails (correct spelling) are Flattened out donuts (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BeaverTails). They became popular here in Ottawa when they were primarily sold during our Annual Winterlude Festival in the late 80s."
Ah. Elephant ears.