It’s been a while since I’ve reviewed a series of LEGO® Minifigures, but I’ve managed to find a box early and as an added bonus it actually contains a full set of 12 characters, unlike Series 22 with didn’t even contain a single full set of characters and to add insult to injury, the box was awash with Chili Costume Fans. The 23rd series of collectable minifigures features 12 new characters to collect and although it’s not a themed series such as Monsters or one of the many licensed series, there is a running theme of costumes. So ahead of their official release on September 1st, it’s time to meet the Series 23 crew.
In 2021, the LEGO Minifigures format changed from 16 collectable characters down to 12. This also saw the box size change from 60 packets down to 36. The outer box has changed again and has ditched the lid flap. The shipping outer now acts as the covering for the entire box but can be popped out to display the retail packaging. Inside you’ll still find two rows of 18 packets.
The individual packets are still the regular foil-based bags. So they can still be easily ‘felt’ to decipher the character contains within. The cardboard box packaging is expected to be introduced alongside one of the 2023 LEGO Minifigure series.
Nutcracker
The Nutcracker is one of five characters included in Series 23, which have a connection to Christmas. The dual-moulded legs work nicely for the soldier-like character’s boots, although the buckles detailing is achieved through print and it does let a little white bleed through. The same can also be said for the red tabs on the waist section of the legs. I assume they are meant to represent the tails of the Nutcracker’s jacket. A brand new piece is used for the Nutcracker’s hat, which also features a couple of tuffs of white hair. Accessories include a golden sword, a printed 1×1 round tile featuring a nut and a gold-coloured epaulette.
Sugar Fairy
The Sugar Fairy is partly connected to the Nutcracker and is represented by a young girl in a simple fairy costume. This also includes a ballerina tutu, nicely connecting the character to the famous ballet performance. The butterfly-like wings make a return and feature a little bit of print detail. The Sugar Fairy also includes another new element in the form of a Sugar Cane. It looks exactly as you would expect a Sugar Cane to look but oddly, it doesn’t feel like a LEGO element and I can’t put my finger on why.
Snowman
Amazingly, this is the first time a minifigure snowman has ever been created. There have been various takes on snow-built people, but none of which have solely used the legs, torsos and heads often associated with a minifigure. This version isn’t technically a real snowman as underneath the unique new snowman headpiece is a rather warm-looking minifigure face. Although the torso is quite plain, the pairing with a scarf piece and the new head section with a carrot nose makes it one of this series’ better characters.
Reindeer Costume
Another symbol of the festive season is the reindeer, which was recently transformed into an extremely popular creature piece. The minifigure version has taken its inspiration from that creature. Not only is the costume the same colour as the reindeer creature, but the new hood piece has also been styled after it. Although it’s lacking the white fur around the eyes and the antler are much different. The Reindeer Costume wearing also includes a present accessory, complete with a printed lid and a heart-shaped ginger biscuit tile.
Christmas Elf
When the Holiday Elf was introduced in Series 11, it became an extremely popular minifigure. Variants of the character have been included in many sets including a couple of the Winter Village sets. Although female versions of the character have been created with different coloured hats and faces, this one introduces a new elf hat, complete with pigtails. Although the character uses the same fixed short legs as the previous elves, the version here is dual-moulded and it makes the elf uniform look so much better. The Christmas Elf is one of the few characters in this series to include an accessory. A small dome element, complete with print detail is used to cover a small house, and the result is a cute little snowglobe.
Turkey Costume
It’s not just Christmas covered with the latest series of characters, Thanksgiving also gets a look in with the Turkey Costume. This uses a recoloured version of the torso used for the Chicken Suit minifigure. It also features a new element and a recoloured one, required to make it look like a turkey. So the hood piece used for the Easter Chick has been reused for a turkey head and it is joined by a brand new piece to recreate the turkey’s fan-like tail. This sits between the top of the legs and the torso. I like how the sections sandwiched between the legs and torso have a little feather-like trim. The character also includes a pumpkin element.
Wolf Costume
This is an odd inclusion as it’s not technically connected to any of the other characters, apart from the fact a wolf might partake in chewing on a turkey if given the chance. There certainly isn’t a connection to Thanksgiving. Despite it appearing to be a quite boring character, it does use a new hood piece, where the character’s face can now be seen. Plus it still looks like a LEGO wolf and the character’s facial expressions are fun, even if one appears to show the ‘wolf’ huffing and puffing, despite the lack of a piggy foe in this series.
Cardboard Robot
This is another random character, which isn’t an issue but does seem odd when so many of the others included in this new series are linked to characters or occasions. Still, it’s a fun-looking character, which looks as if it’s been inspired by the previous CMF robots. One thing which is a little disappointing is the print detail, it’s too neat in places. If this is a costume crafted from cardboard and pens, then the print detail should represent that with wobbly lines; as if drawn by a child onto the carded surface of a box. However, I do like the new piece used to create the box-like head of the robot. Accessories include a 2×2 printed tile and some scissors.
Popcorn Costume
Food costumes are always fun, but this one lacks the excitement of previous Food Mascots. It is styled after a popcorn carton, one which is often associated with US cinemas or fairgrounds. This requires a unique new piece, which sits over the head and much of the body and is styled to look like a retro carton of popcorn. It’s a fun little character but feels like it’s lacking an accessory.
Ferry Captain
Despite being another seemingly random character, the Ferry Captain is a great minifigure. It includes a brand new tiny ship piece, which can be worn by the character. When it is, it looks like the minifigure’s taking a ride in a tiny ship. But even without the ship costume, the minifigure on its own is quite nice and a perfect companion for the LEGO Titanic set or any other nautical-themed set.
Knight of the Yellow Castle
As most LEGO fans will know the LEGO Group recently celebrated its 90th anniversary. Yet, this series of LEGO Minifigures have largely ignored this important milestone. Only this lone character seems to link to the LEGO Group’s long history and even then, it’s purely via the character’s name. The infamous ‘Yellow Castle’ is one of the most iconic LEGO sets. Supposedly this little knight has been inspired by that set. Apart from the crest printed on her armour and shield being similar to that featured in the classic 70s set, the link is minimal. Still, it’s a fun character with plenty of parts used to creature her armour, including a helmet and body armour plate. The best thing about this character is the amazing little hobby horse.
Green Dragon Costume
This isn’t the first time a Dragon Costume-wearing character has appeared in a LEGO Minifigures series. The first appeared in the 18th series of LEGO Minifigures which also celebrated 40 Years of LEGO Minifigures. The version in that series was red, this time around it’s green and includes a set of wings, a tailpiece and a dragon-like hood piece. It’s basically the same minifigure, although this time around it’s a female character wearing the suit.
Overall
It’s an interesting series of characters and each of them has their highlights. But it’s also a series which feels conflicted. As some of the characters have a connection to each other and various seasonal holidays, the other characters feel like their inclusion is totally random. Now, I know what you’re thinking – well that’s the case with other series. Yes, it is, but those have 16 or now 12 unconnected characters unless it’s a themed or licensed series. I really do like the idea of a series of original characters connected in some way by a theme, event or season. But it should be the entire series, not just a couple of characters. It’s also a really big shame that this series wasn’t used to celebrate 90 Years of Play. It would have been amazing to have a series featuring some classic characters from past LEGO sets. Despite that, it’s still a nice series of characters, some are better than others, and some are better than expected. I can see most of the Christmas-themed characters being really popular as they can be integrated into Christmas displays.
The 23rd series of LEGO Minifigures will be available from September 1st. There are available in single packets and in boxes of 6 from LEGO.com. With many third-party retailers also offer them in full boxes of 36. In most cases, buying a full box will result in 3 full sets of 12 characters. However, this isn’t completely guaranteed.
Series 23 Single Packets: UKIrelandUSCanadaGermanyDenmarkAustraliaNew Zealand
Series 23 6 Pack: UKIrelandUSCanadaGermanyDenmarkAustraliaNew Zealand
