What is your favourite 'modern' minifigure?

Posted by CapnRex101, 20 Jul 2018 13:00

2018 marks the fortieth anniversary of the modern LEGO minifigure so we invited Brickset members to submit their favourite minifigure for a poll that will determine the most popular minifigure ever released! More than 650 members responded, nominating characters from across a range of different themes and throughout LEGO's history.

The third poll category contains twelve minifigures from modern 'original' themes that were released between 2008 and today. The three figures that receive the most votes will proceed to a final poll, including minifigures from across LEGO's entire history.

What is your favourite 'modern' minifigure?

Agent Chase
Hazmat Guy
Lizard Man
Roman Soldier
Galaxy Patrol
Aztec Warrior
Emmet
Benny
Hot Dog Man
Hiker
Baby
N-POP Girl

We are aware that minifigures from The LEGO Movie and The LEGO NINJAGO Movie do have a license associated with them. However, we decided that they were more appropriate for this category than for minifigures from licensed themes as they are original LEGO characters.

The final poll category, focused upon licensed minifigures from themes other than Star Wars, will be published next week so keep an eye on the homepage for that.

Which minifigure did you vote for? Let us know in the comments.

61 likes

89 comments on this article

By Privatematrix in Australia, 20 Jul 2018 13:02

Hiker for sure.

By hardwax in United Kingdom, 20 Jul 2018 13:10

I would have gone with col102: Bagpiper but settled for Benny.

By AgentKallus in Canada, 20 Jul 2018 13:10

Aztec or Roman

By lusci in Italy, 20 Jul 2018 13:11

Roman Soldier forever!! But I quote hardwax... I love bagpiper too!!

By dmcc0 in United Kingdom, 20 Jul 2018 13:11

Surprising selection of shortlisted figs there. I suspect Benny will win by a fair bit as he's essentially a blue classic space fig. Didn't vote for him for that very reason, although he is my favourite from the list.

By Fauch in France, 20 Jul 2018 13:15

I suppose it excludes licensed minifigs or do everyone hate them?

By ELH2806 in Norway, 20 Jul 2018 13:15

I've always loved the hazmat guy!

By Agent_Fusion in United Kingdom, 20 Jul 2018 13:17

Nothing from Ninjago?

By denn in United States, 20 Jul 2018 13:23

odd list but gotta go with Benny

By kfr in Germany, 20 Jul 2018 13:26

The original Agents theme is one of my all-time favorites. So Agent Chase it is!

By CaptainMutant in United Kingdom, 20 Jul 2018 13:26

I'm going for the hiker because of the level of detail in his design, the two great faces, the Greeble Trail, compass and backpack... just all round fantastic joyful representation of a minifig.

By Sammael in Serbia, 20 Jul 2018 13:27

I don't think it was quite fair to include Benny here.

By KyloRen0806 in Denmark, 20 Jul 2018 13:49

Clearly the baby :D

By Samdefisher in United Kingdom, 20 Jul 2018 13:52

Strange list. Benny is arguably a classic. Baby isn’t really a minifigure is it...
Must have missed the love for the Aztec and roman. Surely there’s a few better options out of the CMF series?

By TriflingWithAFatalPart in United Kingdom, 20 Jul 2018 13:59

Voted for N-POP Girl, simply for the fantastic colours and individual look - what could be more modern?

By MrClassic in Sweden, 20 Jul 2018 14:01

Very odd selection indeed. One of the last three will get my vote - Hiker, Baby or N-Pop Girl.

By Speed_champions_fan in United Kingdom, 20 Jul 2018 14:07

Awww. The race car guy didn't get in. Oh well, I seemed to be the only one rooting for him anyway, so I went for the adorable baby!

By Renaissance_Ravensly in United States, 20 Jul 2018 14:10

Even though I do not own the N Pop girl, I voted for her just because I really like the colors of her outfit that mix surprisingly well. If I had to pick a second, it would have to Emmet because to me, Emmet is one of the most classic examples of a minifigure in my mind and plus, Emmet seems very well known by kids and adults alike who like Lego.

@Fauch: We did have a poll for Star Wars figures. However, I do at least hope they have a poll for superhero figures, as that's one of my favorite themes. I also wouldn't mind a Ninjago one, but I honestly don't know if either of them will get their own poll. It may be hard if they do, but I'm really hoping for at least one of them.

By Kheldar in Canada, 20 Jul 2018 14:11

I realize that more results are likely to come, but I'm surprised that the baby minifig isn't higher. It's such a big addition to the mix.

By M8 in Slovenia, 20 Jul 2018 14:33

My favourite must be Doc, from the Power Miners theme. But from these I'd choose Agent Chase.

By TheBigLegoski in France, 20 Jul 2018 14:36

I voted for N-Pop Girl, even though I don't own that minifig or any other ones from that particular Ninjago Movie series CMFs. It is just such a unique minifig with that hairpiece and skirt-piece, and pink teddy-bear.

If N-Pop Girl was not included I would have voted for the Roman soldier or the Galaxy Patrol CMF, but ultimately I think I still like the CMF Elf from series 3 better than those (or Medusa from CMF series 10), but they are not on this list.

By legoavenger14 in United Kingdom, 20 Jul 2018 14:41

Corn on the cob Guy, banana suit man, Gingerbread Man, Darth Vader and comi con give away steve Rogers..

By Bricksalou in Canada, 20 Jul 2018 14:46

Benny is the best of both the modern era of the minifigure and the classic minifigure we all know and love.

By Mr_Cross in United Kingdom, 20 Jul 2018 14:52

Hotdog man. I don't own it, but of the available options, I thought he represented the modern minifigure more than some of the others.

By Unikittius in United States, 20 Jul 2018 14:54

I’m sure Lizard Man was chosen because it received more mentions in the initial post, but I feel that Gorilla Suit Guy would have made a little more sense considering it is the “first” suit-guy minifigure.

By CapnRex101 in United Kingdom, 20 Jul 2018 14:56

@Fauch - A separate poll for licensed minifigures, but excluding Star Wars, will be published shortly.

@Agent Fusion - Only a couple of NINJAGO minifigures were submitted, which surprised me. The N-POP Girl was the only one of those that received sufficient nominations to be included in this poll.

By Umandraug in United States, 20 Jul 2018 15:04

So... Benny is basically a play-worn Classic Spaceman, so I’m not convinced he should be here.

Or maybe I’m just wanting him out of the way so Hazmat Guy can win.

Hmm... I think it’s both.

By BrickbyBrickTechnic in Canada, 20 Jul 2018 15:04

Isn't benny technically not modern since he is a recreation of a 1970's minifig?

By harbormaster in United States, 20 Jul 2018 15:09

Bagpiper is a masterpiece of minifigure design. The bagpipes and the kilt and plaid, just great. I have him playing in front of the Highlander tavern from the Detective Office set.

By LuvsLEGO_Cool_J in United States, 20 Jul 2018 15:17

I love the Bagpiper! The Baby is a great addition, so that's why I voted Baby. But Benny? No thanks. He doesn't belong. He's still a classic space minifig in a list of recent and modern ones.

By Brick_t_ in France, 20 Jul 2018 15:29

It's true that no ninjago minifig here is quite strange... There are so many among them which are really good... But votes decide. So I gave mine today to this colorful and pretty cool NPop girl, being sure that many many others could have had my vote (too many I guess, so many that even for the better connaisseurs among us it might be a challenge to remember them all and choose only one). In haste to see next poll.

By HUN_Sector in Hungary, 20 Jul 2018 15:29

CM S11 Tiki (island) warriors for life!

By vinny33714 in United Kingdom, 20 Jul 2018 15:59

No chase mccain???

By Lego_Armys in United States, 20 Jul 2018 16:10

I kinda wished that Agent Trace was on there, though Chase made more sense. I loved the original Agents line when I was a kid.

By Binnekamp in Netherlands, 20 Jul 2018 16:11

In my opinion this list is a bit disappointing.
To be honest, I don't have any strong feelings for any of these figures. Some I even wonder about why they are here? Benny and Emmet are nice characters, but the figures aren't all that special when it comes down to innovation, detail, reusability or iconicness or even memorability. Benny is a slightly updated classic spaceman with free wear on his logo and a pre-cracked visor. Emmet is designed to be boring and generic! As minifigure designs they aren't anything new or unique at all!

Agent chase I always found a bit bland. His spy outfit uses lime green as an accent colour! It was also reused for nearly every agent figure, unlike the more unique designs in ultra agents. I guess nostalgia explains a lot for his appearance on this list though, and that I understand.
Some of the CMFs are not exactly the greatest if you ask me. IMHO the Hazmat Guy is forgettable, lacks detail on his print and and in the flesh feels like cheaper plastic with his colours and thin hose element. Out of series 4 he's the one I look at the least. The figure might be useful for zombie enthusiasts, but it's not exactly the pinacle of minifig design either. The bright green on the Lizard guy has the same problem. And their faces are too exaggerated IMHO. At least it has lots of character with the suit! The Hot dog man doesn't even feature chest printing and has another goofy face print. It's all about having a figure in a hotdog costume. I don't get the popularity compared to cooler, more well-designed prints. The Hiker is more detailed than the previous few. But it's a hiker. You could build one from common parts since a long time ago. But when it comes down to detail and character I understand the popularity though. The baby... why is it on a list of minifigures? It's basically an accessory. It doesn't even have chest printing, unlike the Babysitter baby. But if you insist about its innovation I don't see why it would be more popular than a classic style figure.

As for the rest... I get it. I understand that the Aztec Warrior, N-Pop girl, Roman Soldier and Galaxy Patrol are well-liked. That is because they make good use of colour balance, innovation, detail and overall creativity to become memorable additions to the vast amount of minifig designs. Maybe my bias to anything sci-fi or historic or fantasy is showing. But note that I still don't give Benny a free pass. There just are better figures than that.

To summerize my meaningless opinion rant, the list feels very constricted in its options and it feels this is more of a character popularity poll than anything, with the odd figure that is well-designed but not particularly memorable like the hiker. Some themes have produced some amazing original designs that combine intricate, balanced visual design with innovation and a charismatic personality to the whole design. The figures from Ultra agents, the CMF space, castle and western figures, the monster fighters figures and definitely more ninjago figures deserved to be an option. I understand why they couldn't make it to the list, but I'm dissappointed they didn't make it.
Again, just my two cents.

By ra226 in United States, 20 Jul 2018 16:11

I really wish Brick Daddy (SP114) had made the cut. But in his absence, it's gotta be Benny.

ClassicSpaceForever

By Everylittlebrickhelps in United Kingdom, 20 Jul 2018 16:14

The hiker is a great figure and would’ve had my vote but it went to the hazmat guy. I don’t even own one but every time I see it I think I must. It’s a fantastic looking fig

By Mr__Thrawn in United States, 20 Jul 2018 16:25

@binnenkamp
It is based on popularity. These were the most named or most liked in the comments on the first post.

By Minifigs_Mocs_and_Beyond in United States, 20 Jul 2018 16:32

Agent Chase would probably be my favorite one partially due to nostalgia (and who I voted for) but I do own like 4 or so of the Galactic Patrol cmf which is probably one of my favorite cmf’s of all time.

By MusiMus in Poland, 20 Jul 2018 16:52

I am a big fan of original "Agents" Theme. It's one of my favourite themes. I also think, the "Agents" and "Agents 2.0" it's much better than "Ultra Agents". I also think, the Agent Chase is the best mnifigure from this poll, so I don't know too, why only 6 % of people are voting for him.

By tallblocktoo in Canada, 20 Jul 2018 16:52

Having Benny in this totally throws this whole poll off for reasons already mentioned above!

By akunthita in United States, 20 Jul 2018 16:59

I chose Benny, because he is not just awesome but also very nostalgic. But I really like some of the other ones too. The Hazmat Guy, the Hiker, the Roman Soldier, Galaxy Patrol, the baby, and Aztec Warrior are definitely favorites due to the very useful accessories.

By tyresoflaherty in United States, 20 Jul 2018 17:14

Hot Dog man was the first CMF I bought right when coming out of my dark ages.....hoo boy, SO MANY CMFs bought since then......

By SpaceCadet01 in United Kingdom, 20 Jul 2018 17:23

@CapnRex101 While I'm understand that this is a short list of minifigures suggested by Brickset users, these polls appear to have been a missed opportunity in widening awareness of the diversity of LEGO minifigures that have been and are currently available. Only one female character in this poll (and the classic minifigure poll) and only three in the Star Wars poll? Surely, we as a community can be and should be doing better to show that LEGO fan communities like this one, are not only concerned with finding worth in minifigure representations of men?

By Agent_Fusion in United Kingdom, 20 Jul 2018 17:35

I only just realised all of these except three (four if you include the baby, which was in a CMF) are all Collectable Minifigures. I know these were all nominated by Brickset users, but I'm not sure how representative of the time period it is.

By MrClassic in Sweden, 20 Jul 2018 17:36

So a worn classic spaceman with a modern face is topping the "favourite 'modern' minifigure" poll... Now that says quite a lot about the selection here, mostly very weak options imho.

By LegoSolo77 in United States, 20 Jul 2018 17:47

I'm loving these polls but if I had one nit-pick I would have had a seperate category for the CMF series. I think the hiker is my favorite out of this lot, due to his overall look and that awesome new backpack piece. He's been on my Wanted List for awhile and wish I could actually find him for the listed price of 2.59 new!

By raisin_bran in United States, 20 Jul 2018 17:56

I wonder if LEGO has ever thought about doing historical themes, like Ancient Rome, ancient China, etc. even just battle pack type sets would be fantastic.

By TheOriginalSimonB in United Kingdom, 20 Jul 2018 17:59

Dang, was hoping Lester might have been here to choose.

By Umandraug in United States, 20 Jul 2018 18:33

It really is bugging me a lot that Benny is even on this list. He is literally a Classic Space fig. Classic Space already had several candidates on the Classic fig poll, so he doesn’t belong here.

I’m sorry, I’ve left two comments about this now, and it really doesn’t matter ultimately. I just wanted to get it out of my system.

By xoddam in United Kingdom, 20 Jul 2018 19:12

How is Benny top? He is only one colour and has like no printing!

For me it was between Hiker and N-Pop Girl. Great colour, printing, accessories, etc.
However, I do love Agent Chase and the Agents theme.

By Graysmith in Sweden, 20 Jul 2018 19:16

I think Benny very much belongs here. Yes, he's "just" a classic spaceman, but he represents LEGO tapping into nostalgia from its own history and reinventing it for a new audience. They'd never done that before, at least not in such a way, and haven't really since either, which makes him a uniquely modern creation.

By iammac in United States, 20 Jul 2018 19:18

Agent Chase, without a doubt.

By Lego34s in United Kingdom, 20 Jul 2018 19:29

Very nearly went for Benny as I went for Classic space last time, and love the Lego Movie Bennys personality.... but N-Pop is so colourful and with extra pieces and the printing it sold me.

By redbeardlegoman in Canada, 20 Jul 2018 19:39

I'm rather surprised hiker is on this list. I like him, but I seem to remember a lot of haters.

By Duq in Ireland, 20 Jul 2018 19:42

Baby isn't a minifig and almost everything else is collectables. Has lego really not produced any other interesting figs?
Really don't care which ones will make it through...

By Dare_Wreck in United States, 20 Jul 2018 19:45

How are the lists developed for these polls? Its never been quite clear based on the text in the poll articles. Were minifigs nominated outside of the main pages of Brickset? I keep seeing references to "minifigs being submitted", but it's never been quite clear when there was a call for submissions.

By Courage in United Kingdom, 20 Jul 2018 20:32

I feel like collectable minifigs should've been their own catagory.

By Privatematrix in Australia, 20 Jul 2018 20:44

^^ @ Dare_Wreck, then I'd dare say you are not a regular on this page! A while back there was a post which got the most responses ever from Brickset users asking to submit their favourite minifig. Due to the huge response, it was decided to split the selected favorite figures into sub categories to generate a shortlist for final voting. If you click on "650 members responded" it takes you to that original post. Have fun reading through that.

By Your_Future_President in United States, 20 Jul 2018 22:16

Oh, hands down. Benny towers over all.

By AllanSmith in New Zealand, 20 Jul 2018 22:25

The Hazmat guy. It was such a different looking minifig to have at the time. I made a MOC of a Hazmat truck to go with a group of them.

By icey in Denmark, 20 Jul 2018 22:41

Seriously: Benny is not a “modern” figure... plz

By Eldonie in United States, 20 Jul 2018 22:48

Hot Dog Man, very cool.

By mh3490 in United States, 20 Jul 2018 23:03

Benny without the personality doesnt win this... but that is what makes benny and I voted for him because of that @CapnRex101 you guys should do an animal suit poll

By Supertaco77 in United States, 20 Jul 2018 23:06

I would have gone with cm series 11 tiki warrior guy, but I'll go with hazmat instead.

I agree with the people who say Benny should not be here, its not really fair...
I mean he was a great character in the movie, but he's basically just a worn blue classic spaceman.

By xccj in United States, 20 Jul 2018 23:11

Difficult choices, but I have to vote for the Lizard Man.

By Fire in United States, 20 Jul 2018 23:31

Somewhat disappointing selections, IMO. I went with Hazmat Suit Guy. But there are many way better CMFs than some of the ones on this list. Also, no Castle minifigs at all? With all the outstanding Castle/Fantasy figures that have been in the CMF line or Castle sets themselves?

By andyh1984 in United Kingdom, 20 Jul 2018 23:32

Roman soldier for me, and I also agree Benny shouldn't be here as he is a classic spaceman.

By CapnRex101 in United Kingdom, 21 Jul 2018 00:02

In response to your comments about the inclusion of Benny in this poll, I can understand why some might not consider him to be a truly 'modern' minifigure as he is intended to resemble one of LEGO's oldest designs. However, Benny is a distinct character from the original Classic Space figures and was manufactured using modern techniques so I saw no alternative but to include him here.

Furthermore, I think @Graysmith makes a valid point which I had not considered. Nostalgia is a significant factor in Benny's appeal so the fact that he was released in 2014 is integral to the success and popularity of the character. He evokes the past but is not necessarily part of it.

By rogue_one in United States, 21 Jul 2018 00:11

funny most of them are from poly bags.

By Fillone in United Kingdom, 21 Jul 2018 00:22

Voted for Lizard Man, my favourite from this selection, though would have opted for Maraca Man had he been included, just love that poncho. Looks great with a guitar too. Just need an accordian to finish my Mariachi band ....

By Zordboy in Australia, 21 Jul 2018 01:20

I went with the Hiker, purely because of his alternate "lost" expression.

By Dare_Wreck in United States, 21 Jul 2018 01:22

@Privatematrix - I visit several times every day! I just must have missed the original posting or don't remember it. Ever since, though, I've been confounded by these polls, wondering what I missed, since I don't think any of them linked back to the original! :)

By Fauch in France, 21 Jul 2018 03:46

I actually don't own any of those figs, but I don't think any of them would be near my favourite ones.

my favourite non-licensed figs are from ninjago, overlord 1st, then commander raggmunk then master chen.

hopefully, the licensed figs poll brings some good super heroes figs, since LOTR figs seemed out of luck.

By fulcrumbop in United States, 21 Jul 2018 03:56

Vitruvius was the coolest minifig from The LEGO Movie, so, I had to go with my suggestion from the original pool that was on this list - Hot Dog Man.

Looking forward to that final vote; lots of superhero nominations in the original pool.

By TimTam22 in Australia, 21 Jul 2018 04:44

I do quite like the 'baby' piece, but it's technically not a minifigure...

Awesome Galaxy Patrol Spaceman it is!

By Nbot5000 in United States, 21 Jul 2018 05:04

I love Benny but I don;t think he should be on this list because he's essentially a classic space minifigure...

By JVM in United States, 21 Jul 2018 06:59

I think Lizard Man is one of the most interesting minifigure concepts from recent years, so I gave him my vote.

By Brickalili in United Kingdom, 21 Jul 2018 07:48

Eh, I have no problem with Benny being on this list. He's not "just" a classic spaceman, he's one thats been recreated with meticulous attention to detail (the worn logo and cracked helmet). A great amount of care has been taken to make him look like he's put together out of old parts lying around while actually using new pieces and prints for him.

that being said, I voted for the roman XD sorry benny!

By sklamb in United States, 21 Jul 2018 08:02

I think the Baby is an awesome reworking of the minifigure concept, so that got my vote. It's accessory-sized, I admit, but IMHO still a full-fledged minifigure!

By Glerick in Belgium, 21 Jul 2018 09:10

I went for the least favorite, apparently. The Aztec Warrior is an updated version of Achu, a figure from the Adventurers Jungle sets (https://brickset.com/minifigs/adv001/achu). His new hat mold and prints are amazingly detailed, despite having no back printing on the torso. And he has the same menacing face expression as the old version. I love how the CMF series bring back figures like this, which is why i chose the Aztec Warrior.

By Dare_Wreck in United States, 21 Jul 2018 10:14

Now a link to the original call for submissions is in this article. I'm pretty sure I didn't overlook that, so assuming it was edited after until publication, thank you CaptRex101 for clarifying when it happened!

By Phantoka in Portugal, 21 Jul 2018 13:25

Agent chase for sure.

By UltroStorm in United States, 21 Jul 2018 14:25

I’d have to go with Benny. I would have gone with the hiker but it brings back a bad memory of getting the hiker only to realize that the torso wasn’t in the minifigure bag.