Happy Valentine's Day!
Posted by Huw,
I'm sure those of you with husbands, wives or partners will be well aware that it's Valentine's Day today.
I hope you are spending it with your loved one but if you happen to have a spare five minutes you might find this survey of romance-related LEGO sets an interesting diversion.
The first 'love-related' model we have in our database is this LEGOLAND California set that was available at the park in 2004. It would have been packaged in a zip-lock bag with this piece of paper showing how to build it.
I do not know if it was produced specially for Valentine's Day, but it seems likely.
Set 2008 released in 2008 was not actually a Valentine's set but was produced as an employee Christmas gift that year.
The following year an identical set in all but number, 2009, was produced for the same purpose.
The next heart to make an appearance was this Monthly Mini Model Build (MMMB) from February 2009.
The MMMB programme had started just a few months earlier: this was the third model.
At that time, the 'sets' were simply tubs of pieces that you helped yourself to in the store, and a small card. For collectors, the value is in the card and some of them that are available on Bricklink will set you back more than you would expect.
LEGO started to regularly release seasonal sets in 1999. However, it would not be until 2010 for those celebrating events other than Christmas and Easter to appear.
40004, a very simple two-dimensional heart, was the first official Valentine's Day set.
Back in the 2000s LEGOLAND parks used to sell glued roses with stems strengthened by a metal rod. This one, produced in 2010, was the first official one, and also one of the few glued models that LEGO has sold at LEGO.com and brand stores.
At £2.99 / $4.99 it was a bit of a bargain, particularly considering the labour costs of glueing it together.
This rose was the February 2010 Monthly Mini Model Build. Again, you would have built it from loose parts in the store so it's not really a set as such.
In 2011 LEGO made two polybag sets for Valentine's Day. 40015, (left) a book, and 40016, bricks and plates with which to construct the letters 'love you'.
I guess the idea of this set was that rather than give it to your Valentine to construct themselves, you would build it and put a photograph or something inside.
2012's 40029 Valentine's Day Box is ideal for when you want to take your relationship to the next level: build it yourself then place the ring inside before popping the question!
2013's 40051 Valentine's Day Heart Box is also perfect for proposing to your favourite AFOL or NAFOL. The top rotates to reveal space for a ring.
In 2014 the emphasis changed from functional to cute.
This heart-holding bear, 40085, was the first of six seasonal animals to be produced that year. It probably looked quite cute at the time but now looks crude and perhaps even freaky compared to similar, more recent, models.
This vignette of a couple enjoying a romantic meal for two washed down with something in stemmed glasses was the first of six seasonal vignettes released in 2015.
There's no room in the little red box for a real ring, but there is space for the somewhat oversized One Ring that the bride-to-be is holding.
2016 saw a return to cute animals for the seasonal sets, the first of which was 40201 Valentine's Cupid Dog.
Those of you in the Southern Hemisphere may well be able to enjoy eating out today, like the couple in 40236 Romantic Valentine Picnic, which was released during 2017.
It looks like they have a veritable feast spread out before them: sandwiches, cakes, pineapple and chocolate.
LEGO went BrickHeadz-mad in 2018, releasing 44 of the blocky characters, including five seasonal ones, of which 40270 Valentine's Bee was the first.
In case you're wondering, as I was, what bees have to do with Valentine's, it seems that St. Valentine is the patron saint of beekeepers.
Seven seasonal BrickHeadz sets followed in 2019, including 40349 Valentine's Puppy.
Perhaps this was the inspiration for the release of a whole range of BrickHeadz pets a couple of years later.
2020 saw the last of the seasonal BrickHeadz, which included 40379 Valentine's Bear, and I suspect some people were glad to see the back of them!
The model has it all: flowers, hearts, and bees!
Also released in 2020 was this cute 40396 Valentine Panda, a monthly mini model build which, surprisingly, is one of only three produced for February between 2008 and 2020.
Sadly, monthly mini model builds are no more: they stopped being a thing at the end of 2020, and I suspect the pandemic had something to do with it.
2021's seasonal sets featured cute models on plinths. 40462 Valentine's Brown Bear was perhaps the weakest of the four, but it does look better in the ABS than in official pictures.
This year's model, 40522 Valentine Lovebirds, is simply spectacular and easily my favourite of them all.
It ticks all the boxes: cute, colourful, fun to build as a couple, and great value for money. It will take some beating in 2023.
That completes our round up of romantic sets. How many have you given to your Valentine?
This is an updated version of an article we first published in 2016.
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22 comments on this article
I haven’t heard the term ‘NAFOL’ before. Not A Fan of Lego?
@Kynareth said:
"I haven’t heard the term ‘NAFOL’ before. Not A Fan of Lego?"
That’s everyone you won’t find here :~)
Happy single awareness day to y’all out there! (SAD for short)
The moment you realize the closest thing to a significant other you have is your lego collection—the thing that will build you up and always be there for you. What a stud.
What about the 40197 and 40165 wedding sets?
And the botanical roses which fulfil a similar purpose to the valentine rose sets shown.
I am sure there are dozens of recent sets I could have included but limited it to those we've tagged as Valentine.
I went on a Valentine's Date yesterday and visited the Lego Store to be surprised by a Valentine's Day themed make and take: Heart-Shaped Jewelry Box 6410992.
@Your_Future_President said:
"Happy single awareness day to y’all out there! (SAD for short)
The moment you realize the closest thing to a significant other you have is your lego collection—the thing that will build you up and always be there for you. What a stud. "
Maybe it's silly, but I find this comment a bit heartwarming. Happy SAD to you as well, friend. :)
My girlfriend bought me 40120 for our first Valentine's together. It was such a great little model--I built a facade of modular building with the same design. I miss the seasonal vignettes.
Happy Hallmark day everyone!
When you say "I hope you are spending it with your loved one" you mean LEGO, right?
I’m single, is there a way to block valentines articles?
FYI this is sarcasm. I hope everyone on Brickset has a wonderful Valentine’s Day!!!
40522 Valentine Lovebirds is one on the bests so far
Very interesting article and bizzarley I have purchased every set from 2010 up until 2018, and then have purchased the love birds this year.
These were given to my wife each year who is a NAFOL, although they did make her smile each year and each one was built, will have to go into my box of partly assembled and partly disassembled box to dig them all out. And put them all on display.
Nice article! I think the LEGOLAND California set link is incorrect though (the image links to a weird URL).
My wife was delighted with 40460 Roses (x3, because you've got to make it a half-dozen) and 40522 Lovebirds this morning, having only just started building Lego.
@Huw said:
"I am sure there are dozens of recent sets I could have included but limited it to those we've tagged as Valentine."
Not a Valentine set per se, but 71025-15 could be considered romantic.
Then again, it really isn’t hard to associate LEGO with romance if that’s your intention. For example, I’m related through marriage to a former LEGO employee who worked at LEGO HQ in Billund, and I attended the wedding. The placeholder cards at the reception were all made of LEGO and customised to each guest :~)
There was also the in-store building event they had a few years ago. I didn't see a set number on the picture of the instructions, so I'm not sure if it's in the database.
https://brickset.com/article/42203/review-valentine-s-day-card
“Happy Un-Satisfactory Marriage Awareness Day to all of you,” he said with a red face.
HUSMAD for short I suppose. :O
@Kynareth said:
"I haven’t heard the term ‘NAFOL’ before. Not A Fan of Lego?"
Narcissist Fan of Lego?
With Everyone is Awesome and whatnot I feel like they should do some romantic sets with LGBTQIA+ relationships, at least a new wedding set with two man and woman (or gender-neutral) face prints and torsos.
Happy Palestine’s Day!
Thanks @huw for making me think about the Forum thread “using Lego for romantic reasons” linked here:
https://forum.brickset.com/discussion/18095/using-lego-for-romantic-reasons-no-not-thatlatest
Always great to use lego to kindle the flame of love in our lives!