Ever since I was old enough to play with toys, I was a LEGO girl. I had boxes and boxes of those colorful bricks, but my favorite thing of all was the minifigures. They were little lumps of plastic with faces, nothing special to the non-LEGO lover, but I adored them.
Later on, LEGO bought the rights to multiple big franchises and soon, many of my favorite characters were made into minifigures! So it’s a hard, hard job narrowing down the 12 best ones, let me tell you. Do I select the most iconic ones or the ones that made me the happiest? In the end, I did both! Here are the best LEGO minifigures to pick up this year. Ooh, and bear in mind they make fantastic holiday gifts for your geeky friends … or a fantastic gift to give yourself if you are, in fact, a geek.
12. Benny the Spaceman (The LEGO Movie)
Remember the LEGO astronaut sets from the ’80s? There was always an issue with them where the bottom part of their helmets would break. Well, that happened to Benny of The LEGO Movie, and he doesn’t care. So Benny comes pre-“broken” and with his front decal partly rubbed off, just like in the film. Look at that winning smile! If you already have some classic LEGO astronauts, Benny looks great as part of the group.
11. Grogu (The Mandalorian/Star Wars)
Baby Yoda himself! This scene-stealer was introduced in the very first episode of The Mandalorian and fans went WILD for him. Suddenly, you couldn’t walk into a shop without seeing Grogu’s face staring out at you. So, of course, he needed his own minifigure, and he got one! His only flaw is that he is very small and easy to lose, as is also the case with his backpack accessory. But he’s a Baby Yoda that can fit in your pocket! How could you resist?
10. Buzz Lightyear (Toy Story)
When I first heard that there was a Buzz Lightyear minifigure, I was curious as to how that would work. He’s not really a character who lends himself very well to the LEGO look. But see what a great job they did with this 2010 Buzz! His head looks so squishy. He was part of multiple Toy Story sets when Toy Story 3 came out, and now you can purchase him solo as well.
9. Storm (Marvel)
It’s REALLY hard to pick a LEGO minifigure from the X-Men line. There are so many good ones! But ultimately Storm wins because of how lovingly detailed she is (and her perfect smile). She comes with two lightning bolts and a fabulous cape. If you want to collect all the other X-Men, you totally should, but Storm deserves to be front and center of your display.
8. Hot Dog Guy
This is one of the most iconic LEGO minifigures of all time. Hot Dog Guy is delighted to be wearing his hot dog costume and he can pass his enthusiasm over to you. He’s so popular he also comes in keychain and even plush form! LEGO loves the hot dog guy and you should too. Put him outside the hot dog stand in your LEGO city!
7. Doc Ock (Marvel)
There are many a Doc Ock minifigure out there (including one in keychain form that I dangled off my bag for most of high school) but this one is my favorite for how well it captures the comic book character. He has a reversible head so you can change him from manically happy to angry whenever you like, and he comes with some LEGO dynamite and, of course, those famous arms.
6. Joker (The LEGO Batman Movie)
Joker has not had a very good 2024, what with the release of the widely panned Joker: Folie a Deux. But at least he still has some of the best LEGO minifigures around! This particular Joker is from The LEGO Batman Movie and I personally am unsettled by his big toothy grin. And “unsettling” is exactly what Joker should be. And yet, on top of that, he’s also somehow kind of … adorable.
5. Maleficent (Disney)
The most elegant of all the Disney baddies, Maleficent is now available in LEGO form. And isn’t she perfect? She holds her staff—whatever you do, don’t separate her from the staff, it will get lost—and looks disdainfully at you. This minifigure has only been around since 2016 and is pretty cheap as far as minifigures go, but that makes her even more of a favorite of mine. LEGO shouldn’t cost the earth!
4. William Shakespeare
To build or not to build? That’s the question this flawlessly detailed William Shakespeare minifigure asks with his parchment and quill. The answer is, of course, build! We’ll never know what the real Shakespeare looked like, all we have to go on are old paintings, but I like to think he would have looked similar to this little yellow guy.
3. Jack Skellington (Disney)
Is there a more perfect combination than The Nightmare Before Christmas and LEGO? No, no there is not. Make your spooky dreams come true with this grinning LEGO Jack Skellington, who comes with a stand and a little LEGO present with snowflakes inside. Don’t just display him from Halloween to Christmas, have him out all year round!
2. Darth Vader (Star Wars)
Darth Vader is without a doubt THE most iconic villain in cinema, and he’s been available in LEGO form for a long time now. I also had a Darth Vader keychain that hung off my backpack and it was the pride of my collection—until his leg fell off, anyway. Treat your Darth Vader better than I treated mine, folks. And make sure you get the one with the red lightsaber!
1. The Ghost
The LEGO figure everyone remembers from their childhood. I certainly remember mine! He came with a castle but he was without a doubt the main attraction, because who doesn’t love a spooky ghost? This is the updated version (the original glow-in-the-dark ones are hard to get hold of) but he has the same style and scariness. Your LEGO collection simply isn’t complete without a ghost in there somewhere.
Published: Nov 1, 2024 10:27 am