Review: 41926 Creative Party Kit
Posted by Huw,
41926 Creative Party Kit is one of the more interesting Dots sets that have just been released. It's been designed to be used at kids' birthday parties or other gatherings: attendees are given a bag of parts to build a cupcake which, host permitting, can then be taken home with them.
It's unfortunate, then, that such events are illegal in much of the western world at the moment so the set might not sell as well as it would otherwise.
Unlike the majority of Dots sets it's packaged in a box rather than a plastic tray, which is interesting because it contains a piece count and 'pcs' in multiple languages. This is normally only seen on North American boxes. I suspect this is to provide LEGO with some manufacturing flexibility: sets boxed in Europe can be shipped to the USA if needed without the need to sticker them, as was the case last year.
To be honest I don't know why LEGO doesn't just put the piece count on all boxes and be done with it. It might not be a legal requirement in every country, as it is in the USA, but what harm can it do?
An interesting addition to boxes this year is the last sentence below, a direct result of Brexit, I presume.
Most pieces are packed into eight identical bags which can be dished out to event attendees. There's another bag, which I forgot to photo, containing 11 candles and flames, and a few other bits and pieces.
The cupcake case, Design Brick 8X8X3, No. 1, is a new part.
There are 12 studs inside, four on the rim, and a hole in the middle allowing it to be connected to a turntable base.
I'm not sure what the purpose of the indents under the studs are for because they don't facilitate stacking. Perhaps they were needed for manufacturing reasons.
Stickers with numbers and symbols can be used to embellish the cakes and indicate the age of the birthday child.
The set contains three of this new key piece and I initially wondered why there were keys in it, but the instruction sheet explains all: it's actually a tile remover. The Art sets contain a red minifig crowbar to serve that purpose but I guess that's not appropriate for Dots. It does, however, serve as a key as well, in 41925 Secret Boxes.
There's a sheet of inspirational ideas in the box but it's more fun to come up with your own designs.
Each of the eight bags contains the same selection of parts and there a lot of them overall: 622, most of which are 1x1 quarter-circle tiles. You can view the inventory here.
11 candles, flames and 1x1 'polos' are packed separately so are, presumably, for exclusive use on the birthday boy/girl's cake.
Even when all the studs are covered, there are a lot of leftovers which can be conveniently stored in the cupcake for transportation.
Here's some we made earlier...
It's a fun set that would keep a group of kids occupied for half hour or so. We thought it was remarkably good value for money, too, at $24.99 / £21.99: that's $3.10 / £2.75 per cake.
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42 comments on this article
This is nice. Much better than some of the nonsense you get in party bags (plastic whistles and balloons I'm looking at you....)
Not only is this a fun little party set, it looks to have potential as a way to experiment with cupcake decorating without making a mess and wasting frosting and other toppings/ingredients. Once you have a design you're happy with you can then duplicate it onto a real cupcake.
I'm not in a hurry to own it yet, and I'll have to see what I could do with the parts myself before I invest in it, given the specialized parts. I do love the vibrant coral candlesticks though.
"Unlike the majority of Dots sets it's packaged in a box rather than a plastic tray, which is interesting because it contains a piece count and 'pcs' in multiple languages. This is normally only seen on North American boxes. I suspect this is to provide LEGO with some manufacturing flexibility: sets boxed in Europe can be shipped to the USA if needed without the need to sticker them, as was the case last year."
It seems that the inclusion of a piece count is consistent across all DOTS sets regardless of their packaging. I agree that the piece count should just be included globally.
"I'm not sure what the purpose of the indents under the studs are for because they don't facilitate stacking. Perhaps they were needed for manufacturing reasons."
You are right: from a manufacturing (plastic injection molding) point of view, it's best if a part's wall thickness is uniform. Had the part not been cored under the studs on the rim, there would have been a local accumulation of plastic, (potentially) resulting in longer manufacturing cycle time and local shrinkage (sink marks, dimensional inaccuracies).
With respect to the design of the set itself: I like the idea but I wish parts were provided to give the decoration some height. Some added 1x1 bricks with studs on 1/the side(s) would allow for even more design freedom and the end result would look more like an actual cup cake.
I note the 6+ age as younger kids may think they are sweets with all those pastel colours! If you feel talented you possibly could place all the 8 cupcakes closer together and attempt a larger image? It will be interesting to see what other uses people can find for the cupcakes, Lego fairground Waltzer maybe?
“ There are ten studs inside, four on the rim, and a hole in the middle allowing it to be connected to a turntable base.”
I count twelve studs inside @huw
Cool parts though and a fun concept in general. My daughter likes this, but according to her it is more fun to bake real ones, since you can eat those afterwards :)
I'm turning 40 soon. Depending on how many guests we are allowed to invite then I may need a few of these sets.
INB4 Eero Okkonen uses a cupcake piece as a skirt. Looks like its the perfect size for his figures.
@Reinier, you'll need 4 sets for 40 candles, but there aren't enough studs on the top of a cake to mount them all :)
I'm a bit surprised the choking hazard warning isn't on the front of the box. Not gonna lie, those cupcakes look delicious.
Looks tasty tbh
That key piece is quite sweet.
I wonder how Dots is selling? Seems like there’s a lot of creative options in the theme.
@ambr said:
"I note the 6+ age as younger kids may think they are sweets with all those pastel colours!"
Hmmm. Age 6+ but the set includes stickers for birthday celebrants aged 1 to 5. Inappropriate/unsafe move by LEGO?
@Huw , Suspect that all packaging doesn’t include the piece count (except where required by law) because it adds to visual clutter on the box/packet and LEGO has market research showing it detracts from perceived value: ‘I’m paying how much for so few parts?’
You forgot to add a goat to your review ;~)
As stated above, I think this is a nice improvement over the normal (non-LEGO) party packs.
As long as you are not tempted to bake actual cupcakes in https://brickset.com/parts/design-72024 !
"I'm not sure what the purpose of the indents under the studs are for because they don't facilitate stacking. Perhaps they were needed for manufacturing reasons."
It allows a bar to go all the way through the open studs and provides more possibilities for connections.
@chrisaw said:
"That key piece is quite sweet.
I wonder how Dots is selling? Seems like there’s a lot of creative options in the theme."
Far from flying off the shelves but I've got a few non-LEGO-fan friends who have picked up some of the accessory sets. And, of course, I've got a few of my own: https://brickset.com/sets/ownedby-LegoSonicBoy/theme-Dots
@Zander said:
" @Huw , Suspect that all packaging doesn’t include the piece count (except where required by law) because it adds to visual clutter on the box/packet and LEGO has market research showing it detracts from perceived value: 'I’m paying how much for so few parts?'"
That's exactly the reason why I bet TLG is trying to hide the number of pieces wherever they are allowed to do so. People over here are very price-conscious nowadays, so seeing how little they actually get for their money would definitely be a detractor for many.
@Huw said:
" @Reinier, you'll need 4 sets for 40 candles, but there aren't enough studs on the top of a cake to mount them all :)"
I guess Birthday Boy (me :) ) will have a bigger, custom made cupcake!
@ambr said:
"I note the 6+ age as younger kids may think they are sweets with all those pastel colours! If you feel talented you possibly could place all the 8 cupcakes closer together and attempt a larger image? It will be interesting to see what other uses people can find for the cupcakes, Lego fairground Waltzer maybe?"
Would love to see someone make a fairground ride with the cupcakes. Splat gears should make it possible to do a simple mechanism for a teacup type ride.
@rick77 said:
""I'm not sure what the purpose of the indents under the studs are for because they don't facilitate stacking. Perhaps they were needed for manufacturing reasons."
It allows a bar to go all the way through the open studs and provides more possibilities for connections.
"
The studs are hollow and fairy deep but don't go all the way through.
The new cupcake pieces in grey or black would certainly be useful for space MOCs!
@Zander said:
" @ambr said:
"I note the 6+ age as younger kids may think they are sweets with all those pastel colours!"
Hmmm. Age 6+ but the set includes stickers for birthday celebrants aged 1 to 5. Inappropriate/unsafe move by LEGO?
@Huw , Suspect that all packaging doesn’t include the piece count (except where required by law) because it adds to visual clutter on the box/packet and LEGO has market research showing it detracts from perceived value: ‘I’m paying how much for so few parts?’
You forgot to add a goat to your review ;~)
"
I thought the same thing but it could be used to help a 39-year old like myself who would need to use two stickers.
This is a fun set. I agree this is priced nicely—less costly than I had assumed.
That muffin tin would make a great crow’s nest!
To paraphrase Play Doh--fun to build, NOT to eat! You know, I find it really funny Play Doh has used that tagline for years, and 99% of the Play-Doh products advertised on TV are play food.
THe funny thing is that there's just 11 candles; and the years go up to just 14 on the sticker sheet; as opposed to including two each of single digits in smaller stickers. LEGO knows that AFOLs will buy this set too, right?
Lovely set indeed! But Is there just ONE sheet of stickers? This is so wrong.
ANd are these supposed to be cut by ourselves???
@imemine98 said:
" @Zander said:
" @ambr said:
"I note the 6+ age as younger kids may think they are sweets with all those pastel colours!"
Hmmm. Age 6+ but the set includes stickers for birthday celebrants aged 1 to 5. Inappropriate/unsafe move by LEGO?
@Huw , Suspect that all packaging doesn’t include the piece count (except where required by law) because it adds to visual clutter on the box/packet and LEGO has market research showing it detracts from perceived value: ‘I’m paying how much for so few parts?’
You forgot to add a goat to your review ;~)
"
I thought the same thing but it could be used to help a 39-year old like myself who would need to use two stickers. "
You would also need two tiles, one for each digit. More of a problem for you is that there’s no ‘0’ sticker. I doubt it’s LEGO’s intention that the stickers be used for the tens - or hundred for CFOLs (not that you can do 100, 101 etc with those stickers)!
@ambr said:
"I note the 6+ age as younger kids may think they are sweets with all those pastel colours! If you feel talented you possibly could place all the 8 cupcakes closer together and attempt a larger image? It will be interesting to see what other uses people can find for the cupcakes, Lego fairground Waltzer maybe?"
I think the cups have GBC written all over them...
@CCC said:
"I'm surprised at the price. I was thinking it was going to be something ridiculous like £5 a cupcake, so this does seem not too bad. I wonder if these ones will sell well. I remember being able to buy boxes of the similar birthday packs 852998 for £10 a box (66% off) as they obviously didn't sell well back in 2012/13, but that was before the massive increase in popularity. "
But remember that most of the pieces in this set (as in almost all Dots sets) are tiny 1x1 pieces that are worth next to nothing. Makes the price seem less impressive already. I bet this will get discounted just as massively as the entire Dots range. Not that I would complain, I got lots of really nice pieces dirt cheap that way.
These cupcake shells are certainly interesting pieces. When I first saw the photos, I thought LEGO may have risked total protonic reversal and crossed the System and Duplo streams. (Duplo has had cupcake parts for a little while now.)
Instead, we have a similar but likely more useful System part in some rare colors. I wonder how the base radius lines up with other round parts. 4x4 on the inside, but maybe 6x6 on the outside or slightly more accounting for the ruffles. I may need to get one and compare it with a 7x7 Technic dome.
@Dash_Justice said:
"The new cupcake pieces in grey or black would certainly be useful for space MOCs!"
That's exactly what I was thinking!
@bookmum said:
"This is nice. Much better than some of the nonsense you get in party bags (plastic whistles and balloons I'm looking at you....)
"
The fun there was to stretch the end of a balloon over one of the whistles, and try to blow it up as big as you could in one breath.
@Reinier said:
"I'm turning 40 soon. Depending on how many guests we are allowed to invite then I may need a few of these sets."
Haha! Just turned 43 last week, got a lord of the ring theme cake from my wife. I felt like a kid, but hey, who cares, it was great and yummie :)
@lordofdragonss said:
"Lovely set indeed! But Is there just ONE sheet of stickers? This is so wrong.
ANd are these supposed to be cut by ourselves???"
I think is just a guide for some adult to divide the big sticker sheet into small ones so it would be easier for kids in group to grab just one
^ Yes, exactly.
This is a fun looking set & the price surprised me in a good way.
On the list for middle daughter's birthday
About piece count, I once took 2 sets of the same price to the fruit and veg section of the supermarket to weigh them so I could the best value for money.
So the challenge has been set to make use of the new cupcake piece in the next modular building in the most interesting way.
@imemine98 said:
" @Zander said:
" @ambr said:
"I note the 6+ age as younger kids may think they are sweets with all those pastel colours!"
Hmmm. Age 6+ but the set includes stickers for birthday celebrants aged 1 to 5. Inappropriate/unsafe move by LEGO?
@Huw , Suspect that all packaging doesn’t include the piece count (except where required by law) because it adds to visual clutter on the box/packet and LEGO has market research showing it detracts from perceived value: ‘I’m paying how much for so few parts?’
You forgot to add a goat to your review ;~)
"
I thought the same thing but it could be used to help a 39-year old like myself who would need to use two stickers. "
But there is missing a number 0, I will be 50 this year. So sad that I could not make my age.
ah, but there are apollo studs for the 0's
@cody6268 said:
"To paraphrase Play Doh--fun to build, NOT to eat! You know, I find it really funny Play Doh has used that tagline for years, and 99% of the Play-Doh products advertised on TV are play food.
THe funny thing is that there's just 11 candles; and the years go up to just 14 on the sticker sheet; as opposed to including two each of single digits in smaller stickers. LEGO knows that AFOLs will buy this set too, right? "
Fun story, I interned for Hasbro as a brand writer a couple years back and my supervisor was the lead brand writer for Play-Doh. She certainly had some stories to tell... every brand had different sorts of considerations for the language used in advertising copy, but Play-Doh in particular was very strict about never describing the things that could be made as any sort of "food" without a modifier making clear that it WASN'T (e.g. "pretend pizza" or "silly spaghetti"). And yet, cooking remains one of the more popular subjects for kits and assortments, probably because the ways you knead, shape, extrude, or otherwise form it have a lot in common with various methods of cooking and baking..
@Videofronta said:
"But there is missing a number 0..."
I already made that point. Scroll up, my friend. Scroll up.
I wonder if it's possible to fit a CMF bag in one of these. If so, I know what I'm doing for my brother's next birthday!