Review: 41449 Andrea's Family House
Posted by MeganL,
Since the Friends theme launched in 2012, each of the Friends has had a set dedicated to their home. We started with 3315 Olivia's House in 2012, continued with 41095 Emma's House in 2015, 41314 Stephanie's House in 2017, and 41369 Mia's House in 2019. In its tenth year, the run of Friends houses is concluding with 41449 Andrea's Family House.
This set does have a few firsts for the line: all the previous houses have had only the named minidoll and her parents in the set, though in some cases older siblings are referenced. In this set, we meet not only Andrea's parents but her baby sister, Liz. This set also includes Stephanie. While it would make sense that the Friends would be at each other's houses a lot, this is the first Friends house set to include a second Friend. The name is also a bit different in referencing the set as a family home as opposed to just one of the Friends.
Those who are interested in new recolours for pieces will love this set - the bay windows caught my eye right away. Read on for more on this intriguing set.
Inside the box there are nine numbered bags, two lavender and one sand yellow 8x16 lavender plates, an instruction book, and a much larger sticker sheet than I expected for a set this size. In the set I received, even though the sticker sheet was packed with the instruction book so it wasn't crumpled, some of the stickers were starting to peel up at the edges.
Minidolls and animals
There are five minidolls in this set. As I mentioned before, this is the first time we have two Friends at a house - Andrea and Stephanie. Andrea is debuting a brand new outfit in this set. Her new torso has a sleeveless white t-shirt with a crown print on it, topped with a teal sleeveless vest with a few zippered pockets. That's paired with a navy blue skirt with some knee high fuchsia boots with navy soles and laces. Stephanie is in an outfit we've seen before; her striped slash top was previously seen in 41430 Summer Fun Water Park. The striped top goes well with her blue miniskirt and fuchsia shoes.
There's a little detailing on the back of the torsos, moreso for Stephanie's top.
We meet Andrea's parents for the first time in this set - Donna and Martin. Martin is new to this set and has a broad smile. This is the first time I remember seeing a male minidoll with glasses, and I like Martin's gold frames. But I have to wonder why his glasses don't have ear piece. He also sports a chin strap beard, which is another Friends first. His outfit is not that exciting - a black sweater over a white t-shirt. He wears navy blue pants (or jeans) with beige shoes. It's amazing that for all the shops we've seen in Heartlake City, apparently there aren't many menswear shops, as Martin is wearing the same jeans and shoes as Stephanie's father, James, did in 41398 Stephanie's House, and Mia's father, Angus, did in 41369 Mia's House. He has a microphone as an accessory, suggesting that the entire family has musical talents.
Andrea's mother, Donna, looks amazing. Her bright yellow-green dress flatters her - I really like the wrap style bodice with the high-waisted belt. Her gold shoes are the perfect complement to the dress. Donna's torso, legs, and head are new to this set - I like her warm closed mouth smile. Her hair, while not new to this set, is fabulous, and has only been seen in expensive sets before now (10261 Roller Coaster and 75827 Firehouse Headquarters).
The back of the minidolls has minimal printing, which is a little disappointing.
In another first for Friends families, Andrea's younger sister, Liz, is in this set. Liz is absolutely adorable and is using the microdoll mold. She has a bright yellow outfit with a shooting star design with matching shoes. Her outfit, hair, and head are all new to this set. Another woman of colour minidoll head is always welcome, but for me the star of this figure is the hair. There is great detail and I love the hairstyle with the two side buns. There have been a dearth of hairstyles available for women of colour and I am glad that this set provides another new one.
Andrea's pet parrot, Pepper, of course makes an appearance in this set. Pepper is obviously not new, but as always, is very cute.
The Completed Model
There's just one side build for this model - a swimming pool. Of course the pool is shaped in a heart, and this is the first Friends house to have a swimming pool. As Stephanie looks dressed for the occasion, I suspect that's why she's visiting Andrea. The swimming pool has a flame orange trim, which is Andrea's signature colour. The rest of the house doesn't include much of Andrea's signature colour, especially compared to the other Friends (Emma's House comes to mind). I had a chance to ask Joel Baker, the designer, about this at virtual BricksLA this weekend. He explained that there's a fear of Heartlake City becoming colour coded if each Friend has her colour included in every set in which she's featured. Hence we'll continue to see their signature colours featured, but more subtly. I think that's logical, and the flame orange included in this set is enough to show that this is Andrea's house.
The house is a very pleasant looking build. Joel mentioned during BricksLA that they were going for a bit of a pop star house feel for this house, and I think it's been accomplished. That would explain why stars are used for accents throughout the house, include for the front doorknob and over the front door. I'd love to know the meaning of the number 28 for the house number.
Note that many of the flowers around the house are in the flame orange colour. Pepper is taking up residence on top of the family's mailbox, which has the flag raised, indicating there's some mail to be picked up by the mail carrier (of course, there's a letter inside).
In this picture you can see some of those new 3x3 frame w/bow pieces that are used for the bay window. What's great about these windows is that they use the standard clear window pieces.
Immediately inside the front door is the large eat in kitchen. There's room at the table for five, so Andrea's family and Stephanie have space to all sit down. Plus there's room for when Andrea has all the Friends over. It looks like it's just about mealtime, as there are two enormous submarine sandwiches and a rather large cupcake to be shared. Though there are only two cups - I think others have left their drinks outside. Stickers provide details on the wall behind, including the label for a box of Pepper's bird food.
The other side of the room shows the kitchen. The designer has done a smart thing and included a swing out area for the appliances. This is a great play feature and allows much easier access to the room.
The refrigerator is well stocked, with a popsicle (ice lolly for those of you over the pond) and some milk.
The opposite end of the ground floor area is a lovely open area with trellises. Parts hounds will like seeing the 1x6x7 wall arch in teal, included in this set for the first time. It's a lovely piece and does a great job of providing structure to the balcony above. The grape vines are a really nice touch, as is the table set with some drinks. I'm loving the use of the nozzle pieces for straws again here.
Between the kitchen and outdoor side yard is the garage. You can see the garage door in the last picture, and this is the first Friends house to include a garage. I love that this building technique is included in this set. Of course, because this is Andrea's family house, this is no ordinary garage….
It should not surprise any Friends fans to see that the garage has been converted into a studio, complete with drum set and keyboard. This way the family can have a jam session whenever the mood strikes - hopefully their neighbours are okay with that!
The back of the garage is dedicated somewhat to more pedestrian pursuits with the inclusion of a washing machine and a box of Tide (at least, the colours strongly resemble Tide). Other more musical accessories are included via stickers.
More details provided by more stickers are on the opposite wall, including a portrait of the five Friends. In the picture, the Friends have their current hairstyles and facial features, but their shirts feature their original individual symbols from when the series launched in 2012.
Moving to the upstairs level, there are three rooms and a balcony. The first room is a living room, which takes advantage of the bay windows to have a very comfortable looking armchair in that alcove. A coffee table, couch, and nifty fuchsia lamp complete the furnishings in the room. Special props to the designer for including a nickel in the couch cushions!
Stickers provide details for the television and other equipment on one side of the room.
The other wall has a picture of the entire family, showing that musical talents are shared by the whole group. I love that Liz is the one playing the drums. How do her feet reach the pedals?
Next to the living room is the obligatory Friends bathroom. One part use of note is the opaque window piece - I kept thinking it looked like it had a purplish hue to it, but it's referred to as being transparent brown. This is another new recolour this year and is only found elsewhere in 43179 Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse. The bathroom is compact but has all the essentials, with a detailed large sticker showing the mirror.
The opposite wall in the bathroom is also the outer wall of the other half of the upper floor. While it's nice that these rooms are built separately - thus allowing for some modularity in the set - having a sticker on the outside of a room would disrupt that a bit. However I would imagine that wouldn't bother kids anywhere near as much as it would adults.
The last room upstairs is Andrea's and Liz's bedroom. The girls have bunk beds, with Andrea having the top bunk, as noted by the colour. I rather like the reading lamp positioned over top the bed, and that the ladder to reach the top bunk is neatly built against the wall. In this picture you can see another feature that's a first for a Friends house: solar panels on the roof.
Stickers provide some additional detail. It's a nice touch to continuity that Livi graces the poster on the wall.
Another accessory is provided in this room - a musical Goodnight Moon book. Stickers provide the detail on the front and inside, but it's still charming.
Here's the upstairs in one view.
The completed house is very attractive from all angles.
Overall thoughts
Andrea is the last of the Friends to have a house, thus completing the set. I think the Friends' houses demonstrate just how far the Friends line has come in the 9 years since it was launched. Earlier houses were a little boxy, but as the theme has grown to embrace more advanced building techniques, that's also been reflected in the Friends houses. It occurs to me that it might be worth an article taking a look at all five Friends houses - I'll have to see if I can dig the others out.
Getting back to this set, this is a very pretty house! When I first saw it, I was a bit surprised that Andrea's colour wasn't featured more prominently, but hearing Joel's explanation makes a lot of sense, and has given me a greater appreciation for the subtler touches woven through this design. I really like that the upstairs has been built in a modular fashion - not only does that allow for flexibility for display, but also lots of opportunity to open up for play. Much thought has been put into every aspect of the build, and it shows - from the opaque windows in the upstairs bathroom, to the coin stuck in the couch cushions, to the swing out portion of the kitchen.
This is also the first time an additional family member has been included in a Friends house with Liz's inclusion. I hope this is the start of a trend - it looks like it considering more sets in this Friends wave have the smaller minidolls.
For a child that's looking for a house to build and play in, Andrea's Family House definitely fits the bill (build?). For the price (802 pieces, $69.99, £59.99, 69.99€), it would make a great birthday present. Considering all the new colours and parts (see inventory list here), it might be worth considering as a parts packs as well.
Many thanks to LEGO for providing a copy of this set for review. All opinions expressed are mine.
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43 comments on this article
As always, colorful, playable, filled with play role possibilities. And sooooo many stickers to apply. When I compare the vines simply made of leaves on last Modular and the two huge stickers used to create the same detail there, I wonder if part count and price is the only reason for an option or another in design process. But that is Friends. Good set. And this Liz mini doll character is so cute! My daughter will like it for sure! Good review and pictures as usual, thank you.
It looks like an update to the Scala big family house from a couple of days ago...
which I guess in a way it is
This is top of my Daughters 2021 wish list. Looks good and she is super excited for the Child Minidolls
Great review as allways. The Friends houses rival the modulars in terms of interior details imho. Furthermore this is a great parts pack. Putting it on the wishlist
This is just a fantastic-looking set. There's so many great details. One you didn't specifically mention that I love despite its simplicity is the checkered tile wall shared between the kitchen and the laundry area in the garage, which helps to "anchor" those spots visually despite both being only part of a larger room.
Donna, Martin, and Liz are new to the sets but have all appeared prominently in the Lego Friends "Girls on a Mission" animated series, which is available to watch on Lego's YouTube channel. It's great to finally get them as mini-dolls, especially Liz—I love that they're finally using the "micro-doll" figure designs introduced for the Disney Princess storybook sets last year for younger kids across many of the sets.
My favorite main character is Mia so hers, 41369, is the only Friends house I'll ever own since these sets are large and not cheap, but build-wise it absolutely pales in comparison to Andrea's (ironic, considering Andrea's is the one with pale aqua walls!). This set looks more complete, has more intricate building techniques, more physical depth, and can actually accommodate all of Andrea's family members at the dinner table. And it has a much better PPP (I don't think Metzie the horse alone is the one hiking up the PPP). A great set!
Is Liz's hairpiece the rubbery kind of plastic or ABS?
Thanks for the review! It would definitely be neat to see an article touching on all of the houses. Crazy to think that next year we'll be celebrating 10 years of Friends... maybe we'll see a slate of Friends branded Hype gear too!
All the lego friends girls have had a house now and originally Olivia's was the best then Emma's but this is actually second now!
And where the Garage is I'd put a car instead of the drum kit & keyboard, preferably the one in Emma's speedboat Transporter or Andrea's light orange car from 2020..
Just built it yesterday. The structure is good, but the many dark colors are kind of unfriendly and depressing. Too much Dark Cyan, Magenta and Dark Purple and then on top the Dark Blue roof. *yikes* More yellow would have been nice. Love the Donna figure. Looks like a young Oprah or Michelle Obama
So... many... stickers! O:
All I wanted was an Addams Family House ^^
@Brick_387 said:
"Is Liz's hairpiece the rubbery kind of plastic or ABS?"
It's ABS. It's the same as Bumblebee 71026-14 but in dark brown
Great review! I am super impressed with this set's design, even more so than most previous Friends houses. And you did a great job pointing out details that I hadn't even noticed in official pictures or previous reviews, like the fact that the LEGO Friends are wearing their pre-reboot outfits in the group photo in the garage (though I did spot some of the other continuity nods like the poster of Livi).
There are loads of clever creative touches that stand out to me — the Tr. Brown Opal window panes in the bathroom which serve as "frosted glass", the checkered backsplash in the kitchen, the curvy armchair in the family room, the bunk beds, the nickel between the couch cushions, and the washing machine in the garage. On more of a "big picture" level, the house itself feels very distinctive with its unique color scheme, built-in garage, teal columns and arches, and curved bay windows. Despite feeling very typically "suburban", it still manages to feel very distinct from earlier LEGO Friends houses.
It is a bit of a bummer that like Mia's House, the varying sizes and shapes of the individual "modules" remove the "mix and match" potential of many pre-reboot LEGO Friends buildings and houses which adhered to a more consistent 8x16 modular standard. But abandoning that standard DOES allow for a lot more structural variation in post-reboot houses and buildings, and given how gorgeous many of the resulting sets have been, I suppose it's a fair trade-off.
It's super exciting to me that we're finally getting minifigures of Donna, Martin, and Liz, since they all feature prominently in the "LEGO Friends: Girls on a Mission" animated series. They also add some great diversity to the palette of mini-doll parts, not just in terms of race but also age, gender, and other features like Martin's glasses and facial hair.
With that said, I'm surprised at the hair piece that was chosen for Donna. Based on her appearance in the animated series, I would have expected her to reuse Andrea's pre-reboot hair piece, which more closely resembles the tight curls of afro-textured hair (I would probably swap it for that piece if I ended up getting this set). But looking up Andrea's old hairstyle on BrickLink, I realize it hasn't shown up in ANY sets since 2017, so perhaps it's simply been retired — which is a shame, since as you mention, hair pieces that resemble afro-textured hair pieces remain fairly uncommon.
The circus tent pictured on the TV in the family room is an interesting detail, and leads me to wonder whether it might be a hint at sets coming this summer. We've certainly seen hints at upcoming subthemes on LEGO Friends sticker sheets in the past, like a magazine with a picture of Livi in 41093, an amusement park flyer in 41118, and a TV screen showing a go-kart race in 41340.
I can't help but smile upon learning that Joel Baker was the designer of this set. Back in 2015, both Joel and I were lucky enough enough to be invited to a recruitment workshop in Billund for a design job in girls' play themes. The two of us were the only two candidates at that particular workshop who had who had a background in the AFOL community, although needless to say, Joel already had a much more impressive portfolio than me, including not only his amazing MOCs, but also his professional work for LEGOLAND parks and discovery centers. Even though I didn't end up getting hired, it was extremely gratifying to learn that Joel did, particularly in light of all the amazing sets he's designed since then!
Thanks for reviewing this set, and props to the designers on their amazing work!
If only City had houses like this. Compare this to the 60291 that was just reviewed.
@Darth_Mule said:
"So... many... stickers! O:"
Yupp, the biggest sticker sheet I've ever seen in a Friends set I bought so far...
You say Liz's hair is new... is it not the same piece used on 71026-14 Bumblebee collectable minifigure? I thought it looked like it, but I couldn't say for certain.
In any case, another great review! I can't really see myself buying any Friends sets personally; but I always enjoy the way you point out all the neat little details they include, and how they all fit together :D
This is a great home, thanks for this review.
12 Bay windows! I sure hope those make their way into creator or perhaps a Modular building in the next few years.
"this is the first Friends house to have a swimming pool"
I nearly spat out my tea! They'll be the talk of HLC, for sure.
Fantastic review!
@ThatBionicleGuy said:
"You say Liz's hair is new... is it not the same piece used on 71026-14 Bumblebee collectable minifigure? I thought it looked like it, but I couldn't say for certain.
In any case, another great review! I can't really see myself buying any Friends sets personally; but I always enjoy the way you point out all the neat little details they include, and how they all fit together :D"
It was introduced with Bumblebee in black, but it is technically new here in dark brown.
"this is the first Friends house to have a swimming pool"
That depends on how you interpret Friends house. It is the first house of one the the five Friends with a swimming pool, but not the first one in the Friends theme. 41135 Live's Pop Star House also had one.
Ninjago has only been around 1 year longer than Friends?
I still consider Friends to be a new range
It'd be a good idea to see if you could get a photograph of all five Friends houses together, in one photo. Maybe arrange them as if they were on a city block or something, like a real-life residential neighborhood.
@Aanchir said:
"
The circus tent pictured on the TV in the family room is an interesting detail, and leads me to wonder whether it might be a hint at sets coming this summer. We've certainly seen hints at upcoming subthemes on LEGO Friends sticker sheets in the past, like a magazine with a picture of Livi in 41093, an amusement park flyer in 41118, and a TV screen showing a go-kart race in 41340.
"
I bet you're right! I'm super excited about the possibility of a circus theme.
I always look at Friends set with an eye to using them with standard Lego City sets. The design is typically great for a Friends set and I really like the depth of the interior that exceeds that of some regular City sets.
It really just boils down to whether the colors choices for Friends sets work or not.
Thanks for the thorough review and the very clear pictures. If you have the time, a look at the five houses together would be very cool. From the pictures and reviews, I'm thinking Andrea's looks the most complete. I really enjoyed the insightful comments on your review, too. Cheers!
Looks like a fun set!
Kind of shocked this hasn’t been mentioned yet, but is anyone else disappointed that LEGO couldn’t just roll out a Black family’s house?
Had to have Stephanie visiting....
More constructively, this is my favorite of the 6 houses (I include the pop star house) and the bay windows are fantastic!!!!
A great review - thank you! Does anyone have a picture of the 5 houses in a row so we can see the Progression over the years? Also- TIDE - is that what we call DAZ in England? It looks to be the right colour...
For me, the highlight of the set is Donna. The minidoll seems to come to life
I like that sub sandwich build. Very cute.
@Aanchir said:
"I can't help but smile upon learning that Joel Baker was the designer of this set. Back in 2015, both Joel and I were lucky enough enough to be invited to a recruitment workshop in Billund for a design job in girls' play themes. The two of us were the only two candidates at that particular workshop who had who had a background in the AFOL community, although needless to say, Joel already had a much more impressive portfolio than me, including not only his amazing MOCs, but also his professional work for LEGOLAND parks and discovery centers. Even though I didn't end up getting hired, it was extremely gratifying to learn that Joel did, particularly in light of all the amazing sets he's designed since then!"
That is so cool!
@Galaxy12_Import said:
"12 Bay windows! I sure hope those make their way into creator or perhaps a Modular building in the next few years."
I'd love to see it too. I'm sure there'll be a handful of Modular Buildings snobs who'll complain that there was nothing wrong with the bay window technique that's been used for years and years, they didn't need to create a specialized part for it, etc, etc...
@speedorz4ever said:
"Kind of shocked this hasn’t been mentioned yet, but is anyone else disappointed that LEGO couldn’t just roll out a Black family’s house?
Had to have Stephanie visiting....
More constructively, this is my favorite of the 6 houses (I include the pop star house) and the bay windows are fantastic!!!!"
A few reviewers and members of the community elsewhere have pointed out the bizarre, inexplicable, token inclusion of Stephanie.
@speedorz4ever said:
"Kind of shocked this hasn’t been mentioned yet, but is anyone else disappointed that LEGO couldn’t just roll out a Black family’s house?
Had to have Stephanie visiting....
More constructively, this is my favorite of the 6 houses (I include the pop star house) and the bay windows are fantastic!!!!"
Ah, perhaps I was too subtle in my observation that this is the first Friends house with a second Friend....
Maybe Stephanie came over to check out the new bay windows...
I like the aqua & teal colors as well as the design of Andrea's house, it will look nice next door to Stephanie's house. Livi's LA style house, is still my favorite though. Really like how they included a little sister for Andrea.
@speedorz4ever said:
"Kind of shocked this hasn’t been mentioned yet, but is anyone else disappointed that LEGO couldn’t just roll out a Black family’s house?
Had to have Stephanie visiting...."
It's OK for black people to have white people visiting them, you know. The name of the theme is Friends, not Apartheid.
Such a cute house and a cute looking family. Wish this level of detail also happened in City; the family house released in that theme is nothing compared to this one. I prefer minifigures to mini dolls, but I might have to pick this up.
I wonder how many people have their lounge upstairs? Problem is the kitchen and downstairs is a bit cramped for a family of four, before we even have visitors. Also not sure why they had to make the upstairs floor 2 studs shorter than the downstairs wall supports? If TLG wanted to increase house sales they should have lost the garage to allow a larger kitchen, eating area and lounge downstairs. Then you could have a double bedroom in the bay window, and move the drums etc. upstairs onto the balcony. Don't worry about the rain as I'm told it never rains which is why Friends houses don't need roofs. Maybe one of the Friends will become an interior designer!
Stephanie is very lucky she has had two of her own houses (one on the 4+ range) and now gets to be part of this one too! 41314 and 41398
As much I despise that colorsheme, I LOVE the design. Must have for sure!
@speedorz4ever said:
"Kind of shocked this hasn’t been mentioned yet, but is anyone else disappointed that LEGO couldn’t just roll out a Black family’s house?
Had to have Stephanie visiting...."
I agree the inclusion of a white blonde girl in a black family's house is a little disappointing (where were the black people in Stephanie's two houses?), but I think the sad truth behind it is that Lego's data likely shows they'll sell more of these by including a Caucasian minidoll. Having said that, Stephanie is the least interesting figure in this set, anyway. These figs look great.
I don't like there are so many stickers in these Friends sets, but at least this theme has proper houses with nice interiors. The bay windows are fantastic. The interior, however, does remind me of early '90s sitcom houses, partially because of the pastel colors. Not that that's a bad thing.
@Mortimus_Brick said:
"This is top of my Daughters 2021 wish list. Looks good and she is super excited for the Child Minidolls "
I'm so happy that some designer came up with idea to use microdolls for children. They're so fitting.