The complete guide to Build-A-Minifigure and a review of the 2026 figures

I can't wait for the Oxford Lego store to open.

I do think the current approach to BaM does limit its appeal to a more general audience. I really like the more exotic elements that pop up as I can inevitably integrate them into my collection - I recently got a bunch of the mushroom people (in varying outfits) to populate my Dreamzzz/Wicked scene. But if you wanted to recreate someone you know - or even yourself - you’d inevitably struggle to get a winning combination without some leaps in logic.

It’s arguably reflective of the direction Lego has been heading in elsewhere: do you want something that encourages interactivity and imagination? Or do you want something that’s more fixed in design and implicitly discourages that approach?

As a LCS was opened next my home, I usually take a look to BAM parts and buy some set.
Unfortunately recently here in Italy they increased the price to 12 € (11,99 strictly speaking), a bit too much for what is offered, so I drastically reduced the purchases.
Besides in the local LCS they are in the habit of making avaible only part of the parts (pun intended) so it is difficult to complete a minifigure as it is conceived. It is possible to ask, but often they are reclutant to give you the missing part and tell you they didn't find it in the back-shop.

I can't not see that scraggly wizard without a beard as Rincewind.

To add some more information, the inventory up to about 2014 seems to have consisted of random stock overflow which is how some licensed parts ended up in these bins before that year.
From about 2014 onwards, with BaM stations receiving the Princess Leia Ewok Village hair piece from the first Ewok Village set, the stock seemed more intentional and to contain production runs solely intended for the BaM stations, or to cost out the production of certain rare parts for some sets. The website does not go into detail of this, but the selection of those parts is mostly well catalogued on Rebrickable and Bricklink. Both have item listings for BaM parts, each year treated as its own set entry.

@Lego_lord said:
"Or: No, I use BAM to get minifigure parts to create my own.

Great article, I remember many of these parts and built many minifigures..."

Not every store allows for that apparently as it has to be a full minifigure at some places. That seems to be up to the manager, too.

Fascinating and helpful article. Thank you! I'm heading to my local LEGO brand store next week (on my birthday), so I will know what to look for! Last year when I was there, the store staff said shoppers can get one free BAM minifig on their birthday.

I agree with @Brick_Master. I've not been really interested in what is at the BAM station at my local store because it requires visiting the store regularly. Last time I was there was in December and it is not an easy 45-60 minute drive.

If knew what was in the store (like the PAB wall, too), then I would probably visit more often.

I had no idea those stations had specific characters parts in them. I always assumed there were just a bunch of totally random parts for kids to play with. This was a really enlightening article!

Very very useful article and web resource for a BAM nerd like me. Before a Lego Store opened in my city, Barcelona, I wasn't aware that the BAM existed, and now I'm trying to complete the earlier ones. I think that because most of the fully assembled BAMs are no official, can't be inventoried in Bricklink, so they are difficult to track. Thank you!!

My local stores BAM is such hit and miss. I went in March for the coral brick suit costume and it wasn’t there but the legs were, I didn’t get them. Went the other day and found the costume but no legs! Sometimes they have the figures built by the checkouts and sometimes they don’t. It’s so frustrating

I’ve been hoping someone would inventory these.
I’m one of lucky few who live close enough to a Legoland to be able to visit the store there, and they usually have the three exclusives already packed up for you to buy as a set. But I actually didn’t realize these were the same parts that were in the BaM bins. Just good to know…and would be great to have a way to inventory them in my collection here on BL.

When BAM introduced exclusive parts around 2018, it became interesting for the first time. I remember when it just had generic civilian City minifig parts I already had from the sets I collected. Maybe a rare Agents villain piece or two, but not enough to get the whole figure.

My LEGO stores have been pretty good about building examples of the intended figure designs to tell people there are specific characters that can be built. And I feel like they're often pretty intuitive. Torsos and legs easily match, if not heads and headgear. The Halloween batches are the easiest (and most fun) to piece together without a guide!

BAM has been increasingly frustrating in recent years, in part due to the switch from clamshell plastic to cardboard boxes. When they offered the clear plastic, store staff would pre-make and display packs for purchase. Grab and go was nice and it doesn't involve me, an adult, taking up searching / building space from kids. But now that they're using boxes they seem to have gotten away from that.

Store-built examples are hit / miss, my store is mostly a miss. Parts selection is also YMMV and more often than not are certain parts completely gone from the bins, rendering a specific figure impossible to piece together.

Overall, I think BAM is fun and I enjoy picking up specific figures if they catch my interest, but I think they need to make improvements to the implementation and set standards across the LEGO stores.

Fascinating, thanks for the effort.
I never knew the pieces were intended to build specific figures. At our local LEGO store the pieces always seem like a totally random jumble of parts. So every time I was there and built some I always just tried to make some interesting combinations and procure some rare accessories.

What I am particularly waiting for at the moment is the still missing bright green Classic Space torso. I wonder whether we will see it first in BAM bins or in some upcoming set. After all, every other piece for a bright green Classic Spaceman is already available.

The website doesn't say it, but the BaM sets have official names. They are easily found on lego's ceritifcation webpage by searching the set number. Something you should add to your website.

Good article and website.
Couple of things I spotted: I don’t think the slicked-back hair was created for the Alien—8827-15 Mechanic seems to be sporting it instead! ;-) (And I think Bartman was repeated.)

A few years ago they were definitely putting out special elements that didn’t make coordinated special figs to my knowledge

There are three denim bottoms that are really good

Cut offs “jorts” with the white strands at the bottom, dual molded legs.

Denim mermaid tail

And denim skirt printed on the gown “legs”

Thank you for covering BAM! I'm lucky enough to have a Lego Store in the regional suburbs and I only go when I know of BAM I may want (which I rarely learn about). I usually only get there around Halloween.

That firefighter one is sweet!

@Anonym said:
"To add some more information, the inventory up to about 2014 seems to have consisted of random stock overflow which is how some licensed parts ended up in these bins before that year.
From about 2014 onwards, with BaM stations receiving the Princess Leia Ewok Village hair piece from the first Ewok Village set, the stock seemed more intentional and to contain production runs solely intended for the BaM stations, or to cost out the production of certain rare parts for some sets. The website does not go into detail of this, but the selection of those parts is mostly well catalogued on Rebrickable and Bricklink. Both have item listings for BaM parts, each year treated as its own set entry."

BAM inventory really started to gain attention around 2018, when the snowflake print from the S3 Snowboarder's dark-blue snowboard appeared on bright-light-orange, and the floppy hat from the S11 Scarecrow appeared in dark-turquoise. Both of these were exclusive to BAM, and were the first two elements to have been noted as being produced exclusively for BAM. Up to that point, the best you could hope for is that enough CMF elements might appear that you could build the whole minifig, such as the British Bobby.

" @Lego_lord said:
"Or: No, I use BAM to get minifigure parts to create my own.

Great article, I remember many of these parts and built many minifigures..."

Not every store allows for that apparently as it has to be a full minifigure at some places. That seems to be up to the manager, too."

One member of my LUG filled a BAM pack with 15 copies of a single element, and was told they had to be whole minifigs at checkout. So he showed them the actual rules, which say no such thing. Ever since, our store has allowed us to bulk purchase single elements. I've used this to buy candy canes, owls, rats, chickens, snakes (in two colors), and other desirable elements when there was simply nothing else of interest to me. I've also bought sampler packs of accessories when there were several that I wanted, but none of the actual minifig parts.

@BrewNomad said:
"I had no idea those stations had specific characters parts in them. I always assumed there were just a bunch of totally random parts for kids to play with. This was a really enlightening article! "

Our store has two stations. One is the traditional cube-shaped one with four corner bins on two tiers. The other is a cylinder that was added when we got the first Minifig Factory station in the US. I think this one has six bins radially, with 4-5 tiers. Originally, this one was stocked with all the same elements as BAM, excluding torsos, because you'd get the printed torso when you made a Minifig Factory purchase, and only had to pic the other four elements. More recently, it's just been converted into a taller BAM station (better for adults), and the upper tier has been exclusively stocked with the latest wave of seasonal BAM elements. As each new wave arrives, the previous wave's parts get cycled into the general bins on both stations. For AFOLs who only want to collect the seasonal minifigs, this works out great, because small kids can't reach that top tier (the same parts do get seeded into lower bins, so they don't completely miss out), and because it condenses those parts where it's easy to collect them with minimal fuss. I remember one year when they put Santas and Elves in the cube station, and the Santa hats sold a lot faster than the rest of the outfit, while the candy canes are excruciatingly difficult to dig out of the lone accessory/headgear bin that the cube station is allowed.

Is that ... Tyrek Lannister, last seen a horse?

Honestly, BAM is the main reason I visit LEGO Stores at all. Looking at the sets on display is also nice, but that's not why I go there specifically. I have to say that the BAM stations are typically a mess, and often crowded, but when they aren't you can find some nice minifigs there. Probably also the cheapest way for army building, at least for Lion Knights.

@ToysFromTheAttic said:
"Honestly, BAM is the main reason I visit LEGO Stores at all. Looking at the sets on display is also nice, but that's not why I go there specifically. I have to say that the BAM stations are typically a mess, and often crowded, but when they aren't you can find some nice minifigs there. Probably also the cheapest way for army building, at least for Lion Knights."

I go to physical stores most reliably when the Halloween exclusive designs hit BAM (and now, Dia de Muertos as well!) I'm glad I found a new location close to home after my go-to for years abruptly left the withering mall it was in.

Outstanding! Bricklink's rather scattershot inventory listings have left much to be desired. Thank you for this research!!!

@PurpleDave said:
"One member of my LUG filled a BAM pack with 15 copies of a single element, and was told they had to be whole minifigs at checkout. So he showed them the actual rules, which say no such thing."

Where are these actual rules? It hasn't happened in quite a while, but I've been forced to buy whole figs on select occasion(s) in the past. I can't remember now if it was more than once, or if it was only at a store in a different city, but I've gone to the checkout counter in trepidation ever since.

"Anyways, in the US, service animals are covered by the ADA (Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990). There's remarkably little restriction on them, and just as remarkable an amount of confusion about them. Service animals in the US can be any breed of dog, from Newfoundland to the tiniest yappy purse dog. They can also be miniature horses, but with a few extra restrictions."

Service cobras had so much promise to help people deal with all manner of vexing social situations, but alas, regulations were clarified in 2011 that only dogs could be service animals. This is a clear example of bureaucratic overreach, as the DOJ simply re-wrote the regulations, with the statute itself remaining unchanged. In fact, the words "animal" and "dog" are nowhere to be found in the ADA itself.

@MZ_1 said:
"Great article! It's nice to finally see BaM's review here at Brickset. I only would like to see better photos to be honest."

Article writer here—me too! I was working on a phone camera and don't have a lighting setup, so was relying on natural light. If I do this again, I'll try to borrow someone's DSLR and do a better job.

@Murdoch17 said:
"I don't think Dareth's hairpiece was first used on the classic alien (as mentioned in the article), considering it doesn't fit on the extra-terrestrial's head and shows up nowhere in that figure..."

@Giraffe20 said:
"Good article and website.
Couple of things I spotted: I don’t think the slicked-back hair was created for the Alien—8827-15 Mechanic seems to be sporting it instead! ;-) (And I think Bartman was repeated.)"

@PurpleDave said:
" @wadapan:
"His slicked-back 6086672 (MINI ROCK WIG, design: 98371, Dark Brown) was originally designed for 8827 Classic Alien."

This line makes zero sense."

Thanks all for spotting this. It's my first time writing for Brickset and I wasn't used to the markup for sets and parts—I of course meant to refer to 8827-15, from that same series of Minifigures. I also meant to refer to 7239 as the origin of the Fire Chief helmet. Hopefully the article should be amended at some point.

@Mister_Jonny said:
"It’s arguably reflective of the direction Lego has been heading in elsewhere: do you want something that encourages interactivity and imagination? Or do you want something that’s more fixed in design and implicitly discourages that approach?"

Definitely agree with this. I fundamentally cannot argue with LEGO putting out so many huge/licensed/hyperspecialised models, because they all obviously sell like gangbusters. But I'm glad themes like Ninjago and DREAMZzz exist with a bit more imagination and versatility to the parts.

@Anonym said:
"To add some more information, the inventory up to about 2014 seems to have consisted of random stock overflow which is how some licensed parts ended up in these bins before that year.
From about 2014 onwards, with BaM stations receiving the Princess Leia Ewok Village hair piece from the first Ewok Village set, the stock seemed more intentional and to contain production runs solely intended for the BaM stations, or to cost out the production of certain rare parts for some sets. The website does not go into detail of this, but the selection of those parts is mostly well catalogued on Rebrickable and Bricklink. Both have item listings for BaM parts, each year treated as its own set entry."

Appreciate this info, I'll be able to add a bit of detail about 2011-2014 next time I push an update to the site. I'm already linking to both Rebrickable and Bricklink for their entries, but they only track the exclusive elements themselves, not repurposed elements, and rarely full minifigures/waves. I hope to eventually update the whole website with official inventories from 2020-2025, but that'll be time-consuming and I haven't gotten around to it.

@PurpleDave said:
"One member of my LUG filled a BAM pack with 15 copies of a single element, and was told they had to be whole minifigs at checkout. So he showed them the actual rules, which say no such thing. Ever since, our store has allowed us to bulk purchase single elements. I've used this to buy candy canes, owls, rats, chickens, snakes (in two colors), and other desirable elements when there was simply nothing else of interest to me. I've also bought sampler packs of accessories when there were several that I wanted, but none of the actual minifig parts."

I've definitely heard plenty of accounts of this, but just as many accounts of people having tried it and being expressly told "no, it has to be three minifigures". At my store, sometimes I've gotten away with it, and other times I haven't. Based on PAB, it makes sense that you shouldn't be able to just pick out 15 torsos or 15 animals, because from a production perspective that's much more costly than 15 accessories. Although the "rules" displayed by the BAM station say "5 pieces", there's also a graphic showing a breakdown of a complete minifigure, so it's clear what the intention is, and I guess it's just up to manager discretion.

@joedapoboy said:
"Denim mermaid tail"

Haha yeah, I remember that one. That's 2023 Q4, which is a really interesting wave, because as you say the part selection seems much more random than usual. However, the baker and top-hat gentleman from that wave seem quite put together. A mixed bag for sure.

@Huw - I feel a new MF category listing coming on…

The frustrating things with BAM minifigure parts is tracking one from a previous series. I'd like to find a 2021 Mariachi, but it's usually not specifically identified when sold...

Weve built a few random three packs over the years, my wife likes to keep her hairstyle updated on her minifig of us, and last time she was there she made pretty good likeness of one of her doctors for him, but it was also the first time we did specific ones and that was pretty neat too.

https://i.imgur.com/9R0xI46.jpeg

But yeah it took is way longer to figure out a good combo for the doctor for what was in there than the predetermined ones, even with him being bald.

Semi-related, can we get a regular taco truck already? https://i.imgur.com/HfH5c3v.jpeg

Thank you for the article.
I have the same feeling with the BAM minifigures. When I travelled around Europe, I visited many LEGO stores in different countries for getting those special pieces the BAM sections had. Sometimes, I made my own designs. Then, I saw those designs that were already made, shown by people of the LEGO store. At that moment, I started trying to get all the new waves of the BAMs.

Now, I have a LEGO store in my city, so I can go there for the new ones. I have completed all the BAM minifigures from 2026, except for the Ninjago, which do not appeal to me (although I have some of them).

As you said, the jester (the troubadour) steals the show to the rest. I am a fanatic of troubadours, so I try to get all of them and as much of them. For the last one, I have more than ten. Just a comment about it: from what I saw in my LEGO store, the head for the pink and blue jester is the one you have in the red elephant, and viceversa. I think that the one of the brown marks around the month suits better his personage.

In any case, thanks for the webpage. I have tried to see the BAM waves in the Facebook LEGO fan groups to see if I have all of them. Now, I have your webpage as a reference!!

Obviously, Bricklink should incorporate pieces from BAM....I have a lot!!

Always looked for a good source that could tell me which parts were new or reused. Brickset should provide us that info, as well an inventory.

@AllenSmith said:
" @PurpleDave said:
"One member of my LUG filled a BAM pack with 15 copies of a single element, and was told they had to be whole minifigs at checkout. So he showed them the actual rules, which say no such thing."

Where are these actual rules? It hasn't happened in quite a while, but I've been forced to buy whole figs on select occasion(s) in the past. I can't remember now if it was more than once, or if it was only at a store in a different city, but I've gone to the checkout counter in trepidation ever since."

I have no idea. I've never had to refer to them. I've also never gotten grief for asking to buy 15 of a single element.

" "Anyways, in the US, service animals are covered by the ADA (Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990). There's remarkably little restriction on them, and just as remarkable an amount of confusion about them. Service animals in the US can be any breed of dog, from Newfoundland to the tiniest yappy purse dog. They can also be miniature horses, but with a few extra restrictions."

Service cobras had so much promise to help people deal with all manner of vexing social situations..."

They'd certainly be a boon for autistic people. Everyone would be too terrified to check if you're looking them in the eye, and for that matter few people would want to talk to you at all. I'm sure they'd be very popular with Fern Brady fans (IYKYK).

"...but alas, regulations were clarified in 2011 that only dogs could be service animals."

And miniature horses. Everyone always forgets about them, but they're probably allowed because someone who's allergic to dogs can't very well be expected to use a service dog.

"This is a clear example of bureaucratic overreach, as the DOJ simply re-wrote the regulations, with the statute itself remaining unchanged. In fact, the words "animal" and "dog" are nowhere to be found in the ADA itself."

The ADA created a framework to ensure that people weren't being discriminated against for their disabilities, but didn't really spell out how that's supposed to happen.

@The_Wadapan said:
"Thanks all for spotting this. It's my first time writing for Brickset and I wasn't used to the markup for sets and parts—I of course meant to refer to 8827-15, from that same series of Minifigures."
I figured you might have pulled the set number from a different source that numbers them differently, but then you doubled down and actually named the minifig. That left me wondering if you knew some super secret prototype information that wasn't very widely available.

" @PurpleDave said:
"One member of my LUG filled a BAM pack with 15 copies of a single element, and was told they had to be whole minifigs at checkout. So he showed them the actual rules, which say no such thing. Ever since, our store has allowed us to bulk purchase single elements. I've used this to buy candy canes, owls, rats, chickens, snakes (in two colors), and other desirable elements when there was simply nothing else of interest to me. I've also bought sampler packs of accessories when there were several that I wanted, but none of the actual minifig parts."

I've definitely heard plenty of accounts of this, but just as many accounts of people having tried it and being expressly told "no, it has to be three minifigures". At my store, sometimes I've gotten away with it, and other times I haven't. Based on PAB, it makes sense that you shouldn't be able to just pick out 15 torsos or 15 animals, because from a production perspective that's much more costly than 15 accessories. Although the "rules" displayed by the BAM station say "5 pieces", there's also a graphic showing a breakdown of a complete minifigure, so it's clear what the intention is, and I guess it's just up to manager discretion."
Hmm, that sign might be the specific rule that the guy from my LUG used to break the minifig restriction. Manager discretion is a real thing, though. PAB parts were sold by the cup (large or small), but regular customers didn't like accumulating piles of cups, or having to carry them at all times to avoid buying new ones. So someone figured out that a case was equivalent to something like five or seven large cups, and some managers would let them pay for that number of cups and just take the whole case. Then I think this became a regular thing, but TLG figured out that they were losing money on the smaller parts and instituted a price tier with stuff like 2x4 bricks being around $70 per case, and very small parts being over $200 per case. This proved so unpopular with the AFOL community that TLG just banned selling by the case. Except, managers still had an override option that allowed them to sell by the case. Some would, and others wouldn't.

I don't think there's a need to track BAM. It's the equivalent to pick a brick imo.

@Anonym said:
"Not every store allows for that apparently as it has to be a full minifigure at some places. That seems to be up to the manager, too."

I might have been missunderstood. I follow the guidelines about creating a minifigure + 1 accessory. I just do not create the preset minifigures. I form the minifigure to my liking or my need. Therefore I do not collect preset BAM minifigures, but use them to create my own.

@HeriSanmi said:
"Just a comment about it: from what I saw in my LEGO store, the head for the pink and blue jester is the one you have in the red elephant, and viceversa. I think that the one of the brown marks around the month suits better his personage."

My website discusses this a little, and I actually chatted to a store employee about it. He didn't seem to have official reference regarding how to construct that wave, because he specifically asked me, "What head did you use for the Jester?" I said that I think the blowing head is correct. This is what is seen in official renders of the minifigures, and in the seemingly-official stock photograph shared on Instagram. We also both agreed that the face with cheekbones seemed a bit "serious" for a Jester. I think what happened is that one person guessed the heads the other way around early on, posted a picture early, and then a lot of other sources (including stores with no internal guidance) copied that build. Ultimately it's preference though, I sort of feel like the blowing head matches the saxophone and the elephant's trunk!

@HeriSanmi said:
"Just a comment about it: from what I saw in my LEGO store, the head for the pink and blue jester is the one you have in the red elephant, and viceversa. I think that the one of the brown marks around the month suits better his personage."

My website discusses this a little, and I actually chatted to a store employee about it. He didn't seem to have official reference regarding how to construct that wave, because he specifically asked me, "What head did you use for the Jester?" I said that I think the blowing head is correct. This is what is seen in official renders of the minifigures, and in the seemingly-official stock photograph shared on Instagram. We also both agreed that the face with cheekbones seemed a bit "serious" for a Jester. I think what happened is that one person guessed the heads the other way around early on, posted a picture early, and then a lot of other sources (including stores with no internal guidance) copied that build. Ultimately it's preference though, I sort of feel like the blowing head matches the saxophone and the elephant's trunk!

BAM parts don’t get the attention they deserve by recognised media, influencers and amateur reporters, so it’s great to see an article on the subject. I have to disagree about the jester not being useable in historic settings though. If you take historic to mean everything covered by Castle, i.e. including fantasy, the jester fits just fine. Here’s one I used as the court jester of my Horse Knights faction: https://www.eurobricks.com/forum/forums/topic/22604-post-your-castle-army-here/page/76/ (you may need to scroll down) and here: https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/55178738890_54971184de_c.jpg

@Lego_lord said:
" @Anonym said:
"Not every store allows for that apparently as it has to be a full minifigure at some places. That seems to be up to the manager, too."

I might have been missunderstood. I follow the guidelines about creating a minifigure + 1 accessory. I just do not create the preset minifigures. I form the minifigure to my liking or my need. Therefore I do not collect preset BAM minifigures, but use them to create my own."

Some stores may limit you to the “official” builds until they run out of one or more parts, or the next wave of seasonal BAM parts arrives. Our store has two stands, and for a time they tried to limit the bigger, taller stand to customers buying Minifig Factory, but BAM sells a lot faster, and Minifig Factory customers were drifting over to the original cube stand anyways (particularly when they didn’t understand and were trying to find a stock torso even though the rules limit them to the custom-printed one). Some stores may even limit you to buying a complete set of three (when possible), and wouldn’t even let you armybuild, say, Christmas elves to go with the _one_ Santa you need on your display (as if anyone could manage with only one Santa).

@Zander said:
"BAM parts don’t get the attention they deserve by recognised media, influencers and amateur reporters, so it’s great to see an article on the subject. I have to disagree about the jester not being useable in historic settings though. If you take historic to mean everything covered by Castle, i.e. including fantasy, the jester fits just fine. Here’s one I used as the court jester of my Horse Knights faction: https://www.eurobricks.com/forum/forums/topic/22604-post-your-castle-army-here/page/76/ (you may need to scroll down) and here: https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/55178738890_54971184de_c.jpg"

I don't think they send them out for free, which presumably is why they don't get the coverage by media and influencers. But amateur youtubers, instagrammers and bloggers do cover them once released.

In our local LEGO Stores, they would usually place printouts of the intended builds at the BAM stations for every cycle. They also have samples of some suggested minifig designs to give customers ideas on which elements to combine.

Personally, I buy these BAM series to acquire unique parts that are otherwise only available in large and often expensive official sets. I don't necessarily adhere to what the intended builds are supposed to be, given that you can freely build any character from any theme. The introduction of exclusive prints and elements also made collecting these waves extra appealing.

Before, I would easily give these BAM stations an easy pass since most of the minifig components are readily available in a lot of City-themed sets. I also got the impression that the pile of minifig parts dumped there were from earlier CMFs series that didn't sell well and hence had a surplus. But ever since they started introducing these seasonal waves that often included exclusive new elements, I made it a point to check out our LEGO stores every month just so I could get some unique and recolored parts and accessories. The fantasy, castle, and pirate themes are mostly what I look forward to whenever a new wave is released.

It also doesn't hurt that our LEGO stores here have this interesting promo: if you buy any set worth Php 4,000 (that's approximately around 66 USD or 57 Euros), you get to assemble one free minifigure from the BAM station every month. So that's 12 free minifigures in one calendar year!

@bricks_and_boxes said:
"I also got the impression that the pile of minifig parts dumped there were from earlier CMFs series that didn't sell well and hence had a surplus."

That's easy to disprove because BAM would only get a few elements from any CMF series, and never the full spread.

This was a great read! While I might not collect these figures, I would find it useful to browse minifigures and parts that have been initially introduced through BAM.

@ajad223 said:
"This was a great read! While I might not collect these figures, I would find it useful to browse minifigures and parts that have been initially introduced through BAM."

You’ve got designs (the shape) and elements (shape, color, & print). That I’m aware of, no new _designs_ have ever been produced for BAM, but lots of new elements have at this point. That includes unprinted parts produced in a new color for the first time, dual-molded parts produced in a new color combo for the first time, single-sided heads using a print that was previously exclusive to a double-sided head, existing prints on a new color element, and BAM-exclusive prints that will likely never appear again in any form. It could theoretically include same base element with existing print in a different color, but I can’t think of any instances offhand.

@The_Wadapan:
How confident are you in the completeness of the early BAM exclusive elements? I know that the first instances caught everyone by surprise, and people started watching for them, but I also know that BL policy at that time made it very difficult to track them all. They didn’t want to create catalog listings for unreleased designs, so the simple solution had always been to require the element be tied to at least one set inventory.

I never realised there are specific BAM characters. To me it's like the pick a brick wall but for minifigure parts.

Ottimo articolo, vado adare una sbirciata sul sito

Fantastic article!!! I've bookmarked your site with intention to read that blog as well when I have more time. I have been collecting BAMs since I first learned about them in 2022. I am fortunate enough to have a LEGO store a mere 15mi away from my home (and even less distance from my work), so making a trip there every month or three is pretty common. In fact, I just got April's figures today.

I've got many of the older figures as well... but they can be difficult to find. Some early BAM figures got assigned figure IDs like HOL198 Love Elephant, but that seems to have stopped happening, which I find very disappointing and makes it all the harder to find the figures that don't have a number.

Once or twice a year I go with my wife and kids to a Lego store and there we create ourselves as Lego (BAM) minifigures. First, we discuss a theme, like aliens, sports, fighters, scary etc. And then we start building. This year our theme was Easter. Our Lego family will then be added to our huge wall display case in the living room. And a brick with the date will be added next to our new family. So it's a yearly tradition and we like it :)

Fun to notice: i realise that all my familymembers have always recurring preferences in each design. My wife like medals and sports, my daughter prefer lots of colors, my son like gaming and I like animals and unique Lego parts

Excellent article for sure!

Still, there is another aspect of BAM in my opinion (besides me taking kids to BAM station and building the entire family or themselves having great time in between):
When not with kids and after I have assembled the "official" minigifures that I'm interested in, I sample pieces from BAM, such as specific legs, or animals to grow my meager animal collection or accessories, torsos etc. That way I can mix and match to my will or use them in army building (I am looking at you specifically medieval minifigures!!!).

Finally I must say that Ninjago minifigs (that are not overly-robot-looking) are always a joy to have and definitely a value for money choice.

@Zander said:
"Here’s one I used as the court jester of my Horse Knights faction"

Awesome collection!

@Fabio74 said:
"Ottimo articolo, vado adare una sbirciata sul sito"

Grazie! :)

@CCC said:
"I don't think they send them out for free, which presumably is why they don't get the coverage by media and influencers."

I could've sworn I saw posts saying something to the effect of "I received these figures from LEGO/a LEGO affiliate", but I can't find anything now that I'm looking. My bad.

@bricks_and_boxes said:
"I also got the impression that the pile of minifig parts dumped there were from earlier CMFs series that didn't sell well and hence had a surplus."

Maybe from 2011-2014, but I'm pretty sure that from 2014 onwards these were dedicated production runs, yeah. Sometimes this resulted in element variants missing back printing as a cost-saving measure. 2018 introduced the first elements with new colours and prints.

@PurpleDave said:
"How confident are you in the completeness of the early BAM exclusive elements?"

On my website, or on BrickLink? Well, the answer's the same either way, pretty confident. The only thing BrickLink gets wrong, for some of the very earliest years, seems to be the year parts are categorised under: LEGO's own data disagrees. But I think that was only one or two examples, I don't remember off the top of my head. When I was looking into this, I do remember that BrickLink and Rebrickable seemed to have different inventories for the BAM-exclusive parts; my rule was that if a piece appeared in either, then I'd label it as a "new element" on my website. Because I have official data dating back to 2017, and exclusive parts only began in 2018, I think all of the exclusive elements are documented.

Anyway, the article has been amended to fix a few of the errors mentioned in the comments section.

@OrdinarilyBob said:
"Some early BAM figures got assigned figure IDs like HOL198 Love Elephant, but that seems to have stopped happening, which I find very disappointing and makes it all the harder to find the figures that don't have a number."

I might be wrong, but I think this was happening at a time when LEGO was selling these in plastic blister packs. Specific seasonal cardbacks were printed for these, and stores globally generally agreed on the minifigure configurations, which were sold pre-assembled. After the switch to cardboard boxes, stores couldn't have pre-assembled minifigures out on the shop floor. There was a lot less consistency and it would've been impossible to create satisfactory entries, sadly.

@The_Wadapan said:
" @CCC said:
"I don't think they send them out for free, which presumably is why they don't get the coverage by media and influencers."

I could've sworn I saw posts saying something to the effect of "I received these figures from LEGO/a LEGO affiliate", but I can't find anything now that I'm looking. My bad."

I got the impression that this was either AFOLs finding them in the wild, or LEGO Store employees posting them as they came in. Possibly AFOLs with a good relationship with their store employees getting tipped off when new shipments arrived.

" @PurpleDave said:
"How confident are you in the completeness of the early BAM exclusive elements?"

On my website, or on BrickLink? Well, the answer's the same either way, pretty confident. The only thing BrickLink gets wrong, for some of the very earliest years, seems to be the year parts are categorised under: LEGO's own data disagrees. But I think that was only one or two examples, I don't remember off the top of my head. When I was looking into this, I do remember that BrickLink and Rebrickable seemed to have different inventories for the BAM-exclusive parts; my rule was that if a piece appeared in either, then I'd label it as a "new element" on my website. Because I have official data dating back to 2017, and exclusive parts only began in 2018, I think all of the exclusive elements are documented.

Anyway, the article has been amended to fix a few of the errors mentioned in the comments section."

I did check the site yesterday, and got a slightly different answer, because I was asking in a wider sense. You focused specifically on the minifigs, and I was thinking of all the exclusive elements. Some obviously were only made for these minifigs, but at least some of the earliest ones predate these curated minifigs and don’t appear to show up on your site. Conversely, some of these minifigs only use preexisting elements (I’m specifically thinking of some of the Santa minifigs).

@PurpleDave said:
"I did check the site yesterday, and got a slightly different answer, because I was asking in a wider sense. You focused specifically on the minifigs, and I was thinking of all the exclusive elements. Some obviously were only made for these minifigs, but at least some of the earliest ones predate these curated minifigs and don’t appear to show up on your site. Conversely, some of these minifigs only use preexisting elements (I’m specifically thinking of some of the Santa minifigs)."

Sorry, I'm a bit confused. You did check the section of the site for 2017-2019 inventories, right?
https://wadapan.neocities.org/lego/build-a-minifigure/2017-2019

We have comments from the designers saying the exclusive parts began in 2018, which is when New Elementary covered it. All the known exclusive elements (all of which are on BrickLink, to my knowledge) appear in those inventories. It's not strictly true that there were no "curated minifigs" back then; a lot were just random parts, yes, but often you'd get all the parts to make a chef, or a clown, or a pirate, or a mermaid, or so on, within a single wave.

@The_Wadapan said:
" @PurpleDave said:
"I did check the site yesterday, and got a slightly different answer, because I was asking in a wider sense. You focused specifically on the minifigs, and I was thinking of all the exclusive elements. Some obviously were only made for these minifigs, but at least some of the earliest ones predate these curated minifigs and don’t appear to show up on your site. Conversely, some of these minifigs only use preexisting elements (I’m specifically thinking of some of the Santa minifigs)."

Sorry, I'm a bit confused. You did check the section of the site for 2017-2019 inventories, right?
https://wadapan.neocities.org/lego/build-a-minifigure/2017-2019

We have comments from the designers saying the exclusive parts began in 2018, which is when New Elementary covered it. All the known exclusive elements (all of which are on BrickLink, to my knowledge) appear in those inventories. It's not strictly true that there were no "curated minifigs" back then; a lot were just random parts, yes, but often you'd get all the parts to make a chef, or a clown, or a pirate, or a mermaid, or so on, within a single wave."

I had not. I do see the snowboard and floppy hat that were noted as the first two BAM-exclusive elements, but I had never heard they were slotting parts into semi-official minifigs back then. 2019 Q4 is the first trio of minifigs I recognize as being standardized (Halloween girl, cat girl, and fairy girl). 2019 Q3 has a great example of why nothing before that really resonated with the AFOL community as whole minifigs (aside from instances where CMF minifigs got repeated, like the British Bobby from 2018 Q3). Female curves on the torso, bearded head, short legs with shorts, construction hard hat, and an apple? WTH?

@The_Wadapan: I got the Fire Chief minifig today when I visited my local brand store. I'm happy with it. There were 2 customers asking a LEGO store employee about the BAM minifigs. They asked if there was a guide showing what torso goes with which legs and if there is a listing of all exclusive parts for BAM. The LEGO employee showed us the box with all the parts in separate bags and explained they "figure out how the minifigs look like".

The employee remembered I told him (when I walked in) that I wanted the Fire Chief because of your article on Brickset. The employee asked me for help in answering the customers' questions and also if Bricklink shows all BAM parts. I showed him and the 2 customers your article here. I also showed them your website and your BAM guide. They loved it! Thank you for your hard work, wadapan!

In addition to the free b-day minifig, got a large box of parts from the PAB wall and 76331 Batman v Superman Batmobile. Thanks again for the article and all the research!

@LuvsLEGO_Cool_J said:
"In addition to the free b-day minifig..."

Wait...what? Is this really a thing? It's about a 90 minute round trip, so probably not worth the gas money, but seriously, is this actually a thing?

@PurpleDave said:
"Female curves on the torso, bearded head, short legs with shorts, construction hard hat, and an apple? WTH?"

To clarify, we only have inventories for those waves, not any intended configurations. I eyeballed a few that seemed obvious, but it's clear that often the rest of the wave would just be random parts with nothing in particular in mind. I've now added a note to this effect to that webpage.

@LuvsLEGO_Cool_J said:
"I showed him and the 2 customers your article here. I also showed them your website and your BAM guide. They loved it! Thank you for your hard work, wadapan!"

Haha, awesome!

@PurpleDave said:
"Wait...what? Is this really a thing? It's about a 90 minute round trip, so probably not worth the gas money, but seriously, is this actually a thing?"

I've found some comments from LEGO store employees indicating that it's not really a thing, insofar as it's not an official LEGO policy, but that many individual managers seem to implement it on a per-store basis. It's also mostly intended as a nice surprise for kids visiting the store on their birthday, rather than something to specifically go in for.

@The_Wadapan said:
" @PurpleDave said:
"Female curves on the torso, bearded head, short legs with shorts, construction hard hat, and an apple? WTH?"

To clarify, we only have inventories for those waves, not any intended configurations. I eyeballed a few that seemed obvious, but it's clear that often the rest of the wave would just be random parts with nothing in particular in mind. I've now added a note to this effect to that webpage."

I mean, it could have been a case where some kid, when asked what they wanted to be for Halloween/when they grew up, said, “Yes!” But it’s interesting to note that they appear to make a point of producing equal numbers of each element class, which explains some of the inventory quirkiness that I’ve heard LEGO Store employees complain about. They had to implement strict rules for BAM parts where individual stores were no longer allowed to order new parts until they’d sold through enough of the old parts. Some stores were taking the system, ordering the seasonal parts even when they were flush with inventory, resulting in situations where stores that played by the rules would be unable to order entire eaves because the stock had all been bought up before they were low enough to place their next order. Cases are all the same size, so the quantity varies quite a bit between a torso assembly and a cookie tile, meaning stores that were involved in this would have been buying up more cases of any larger parts, while corporate may have been trying to make equal quantities of each element case so every store could get one of each.

" @PurpleDave said:
"Wait...what? Is this really a thing? It's about a 90 minute round trip, so probably not worth the gas money, but seriously, is this actually a thing?"

I've found some comments from LEGO store employees indicating that it's not really a thing, insofar as it's not an official LEGO policy, but that many individual managers seem to implement it on a per-store basis. It's also mostly intended as a nice surprise for kids visiting the store on their birthday, rather than something to specifically go in for."

Problem is, you had to expect to get something on your birthday for there to be any point in telling them that it is your birthday. I go out to eat with my parents on my birthday, and we always mention to the server that it is my birthday, because many restaurants offer deals when it is. Sometimes we pick a restaurant that doesn’t, but this year we hit Ford’s Garage, and they brought me a free sundae, while the staff working at the bar yelled, “Happy Birthday!” across the room. But I don’t think I’ve ever even gone to The LEGO Store on my birthday because I wouldn’t expect them to do anything except wish me a happy one. If it’s not official, the stores that do it may only do it for kids, too.

@PurpleDave said:
" @LuvsLEGO_Cool_J said:
"In addition to the free b-day minifig..."

Wait...what? Is this really a thing? It's about a 90 minute round trip, so probably not worth the gas money, but seriously, is this actually a thing?"

Oh yes, at my local store. Last year, the employee asked a customer how her day was going and she responded that it was her birthday. I was next to her and I said it was my birthday, too. The employee reminded us that because it was our birthday, we could get a free BAM minifig. He explained at that particular store the visit has to be on the person's actual birthday.

Well, yesterday I mentioned it was my birthday when an employee asked about my day. He immediately said “don’t forget to make a free minifig to take home”. I said I came in for the fire chief fig, although my round trip drive time is 90 minutes. He reminded one other adult and a young girl at the store when I was there.

I'd say "no, I use the pieces for my own collection, but not the figures as displayed."

I keep forgetting to go to my local store to pick up some. I missed out on the holiday figures last Christmas, and now another 4 months are passing by and I haven't stopped in.

"Or, it could be a perspex case built into the BAM station itself, allowing the wave of pre-built example figures to be displayed."

That's what it's like in my LEGO Store. There's a display case, either at a BAM station, or sometimes at the cash desk, and they have the newest minifigs prebuild.

Thanks for a very interesting article. I wish there was an inventory for BAM minifigures here on Brickset, as I love collecting them since a LEGO store was opened in my area.

@Leela said:
""Or, it could be a perspex case built into the BAM station itself, allowing the wave of pre-built example figures to be displayed."

That's what it's like in my LEGO Store. There's a display case, either at a BAM station, or sometimes at the cash desk, and they have the newest minifigs prebuild."

It could even just be a printed image, which solves the issue of someone eventually wanting one or more of the parts from the display models. I was allowed to make a minifig to go in the Minifig Factory display case, and I put the shark hat on it. They gave it away twice, and now it can’t be replaced anymore.

"Thanks for a very interesting article. I wish there was an inventory for BAM minifigures here on Brickset, as I love collecting them since a LEGO store was opened in my area."

For that to happen, Bricklink would need to catalog them, which they won’t do unless there’s an official product including that complete minifig. Well, unless @Huw makes an exception and adds curated minifigs to the system.

Recently I found a BAM station and this article was a lifesaver. I knew of them by encountering the exclusive parts on Bricklink, but MAN are they needlessly elusive to find info on. I've seen sellers list 'custom items' of the complete figures and it would have been a huge pain without a guide, especially when that one part you need to complete them is missing or almost out of stock. These really should have just been listed as 'sets'.

Hi @The_Wadapan I'm a little late with reading your article but I too wanted to say thank you for that and most importantly for your website!
Both are a great resource for this very elusive (and exclusive) topic.

Have you considered adding RSS to your website? It may not be the most popular technology (anymore) but personally I find it extremely helpful (this is how I managed to keep this article in my for-read-list for example).
I think it's a very elegant solution as it doesn't require the subscriber to have any accounts in any services. Plus you don't need to put any additional work into notifying everone about a new post/entry, because a RSS "observer" checks if there is any new content by itself.