As the years have gone on, the collectable LEGO® Minifigures have changed somewhat. The series now features fewer characters, and the outer packaging has changed, but one thing remains unchanged. They continue to offer unique characters and interesting accessories. The latest series of LEGO Minifigures leans into the excitement caused by ‘costumed’ characters. Several have appeared in previous sets, such as the Chicken Suit Guy, Llama Costume Girl and Penguin Boy, to name but a few. Other costumed characters have also included those inspired by objects, foods and dinosaurs. The 28th series focuses solely on animal costumes. These include some great new pieces and some interesting recoloured elements to create the most colourful and fun series of LEGO Minifigures yet. Here’s a look at the Series 28 Animal Minifigures
As with the last couple of series, the minifigures are packaged in boxes. These will be available in various formats. These include the classic ‘full box’ of 36 minifigures, which should give you three full sets. Then there are the 12-character stack boxes. These will give you a full set. This is the type of box I received to review. There are also 6 packs, which often include 6 different minifigures. Due to fan feedback, single packs now include scannable codes. Once they are more readily available, you’ll be able to use apps to scan boxes to find particular characters.
Inside each box, you’ll find the necessary pieces to create each minifigure, their accessories, and a leaflet, which helps with the construction of certain characters. You’ll also find a unique display plate. For the Animals series, the base plate is light green. I hope the trend of including unique display plates with special series continues.
This isn’t the first time a series of minifigures has focused on a singular theme. Beyond the various licensed series, there’s been a Space Series, a Party Series, and a Monsters Series. All 12 characters in this new series are inspired by real animals. Many of which have previously appeared as LEGO animals. The minifigures mostly use the animal figure designs as inspiration for the costumes. Some similar animals have previously been featured in past series, but instead of recolouring existing hood elements, new ones have been created, although some torsos have been reused.
Product Details
Set Name: Animals Series 28 | Set Number: 71051 | RRP: £3.49/$4.99/4.99€ | Pieces: each blind box includes various accessories, baseplate & collectors leaflet | Availability: LEGO Brand Stores, LEGO.com & LEGO retailers from January 1st 2026
Parrot Costume
Parrots were one of the first animal elements to be introduced, so it’s nice to see a parrot costume. This is the only character in the series to use material accessories. There’s a red and blue fin, which becomes the costume’s tail. A new hood element has been used to create the parrot’s head. The same torso used for the Chicken Suit Guy is reused with the winged arms decorated with colours. Daul-moulded legs add detail to the legs. The character also has two different expressions, which match the flamboyant plumes of a parrot. The Parrot Costumer’s accessory is a printed 2×3 box of parrot snacks.
Lion Costume
As mentioned above, there has been a lion costume-like minifigure before, in the form of Luna Lovegood from the second series of Harry Potter minifigures. Although that has a lion’s head hood, a new one has been created for the Lion Costume. The face part peeks through the lion’s open mouth. This looks especially good with the two different expressions featured on the minifigure’s head. The roaring version is one of the best in this series. The print detail on the legs and torso is minimal, but the head and the tail piece, which is slotted over the legs, are what make it look like a lion. The Lion Costumer’s accessory is a simple chicken leg.
Frog Costume
Frogs are a simple element which have appeared in many sets and in many colours. They have even been used to provide details on plants. The Frog Costume is a little more detailed than his smaller companions. The frog head hood is a brand-new element, and it pairs perfectly with the torso and legs. The green dotty detailing around the hands and feet is great, but it’s the character’s face which is the highlight. Along with a happy grin, the Frog Costumer has a face mid-bubble blowing. This neatly connects to the minifigure’s accessories. A 1×1 round brick becomes a pot of bubble solution, and a classic sign element, paired with a pearlensent 1×1 dome stud, becomes a bubble blower.
Crocodile Costume
The croc is another creature which has appeared in quite a few LEGO sets. For the Costume version, the head section offers a similar design to its figure counterpart. The head also includes the tail, similar to some of the past animal-costumed minifigures, such as the Shark Suit Guy. As with most of the characters in this series, the detailing on the torso and legs is minimal, but it doesn’t need to be complex, as the rest of the character is what makes it look like an animal. The head is a generic one, but it does include two expressions. This is one only characters to include a unique element. Along with a rubber ducky, the Crocodile also sports a rubber ring. I’ve not seen the element before, so I assume it’s either new or hasn’t appeared in many sets.
Dalmatian Costume
Joining the Pug Costume Guy from Series 21 is another canine costume. This time, inspired by the spotty Dalmatian dog. As mentioned, although they have similar hood elements, a new one has been created for the Dalmatian. But to truly recreate the unique appearance of a Dalmatian, you need a lot of spots. Thankfully, these are printed everywhere, including arms and the sides of the legs. A rubber tail piece is slipped over the legs to complete the look. The two faces are fun, especially the one with the tongue sticking out. The Dalmatian has a simple 2×2 round tile to represent a Frisbee. I love that this includes the LEGO sportswear brand’s logo.
Goldfish Costume
The Goldfish is one of the animals which doesn’t have an animal figure to inspire it, although it looks a little like the Koi Carp often printed on tiles and used as water decoration. The hood piece is quite chunky; it also includes the tail section. The torso is the same one used for other water-based costumes in this series and past characters, such as Shark Suit Guy. The gold scales look great on the legs and torso. I just wish there were a little more of them. The head used is a generic one, but it neatly peeks through the mouth of the costume. Although it can’t hold it, the Goldfish Costume includes a printed 1×1 round brick, which becomes a pot of fish food.
Cute Bunny Costume
Bunnies or rabbits were one of the earlier takes on animal costumes. A Bunny Suit Guy appeared in Series 7, and the hood piece created for the character has been used several times since. But not for this minifigure, instead, a new hood has been created with one bent ear. The hood is also a little chunkier than its predecessor. The torso and legs are rather plain, but there’s not much that can be done to jazz them up without them. The head is another generic one. The Bunny’s accessories include a basket and a printed egg, suggesting the Bunny may be an Easter one.
Peacock Costume
Joining the Goldfish, which isn’t inspired by an animal figure, is the peacock. Although it lacks any LEGO inspiration, it does reuse a piece previously created for another feather figure. The peacock’s iconic feathered train reuses the piece used for the Series 23 Thanksgiving Turkey. This piece slots over the legs and sits behind the back of the minifigures. It’s quite a hefty piece but has been neatly balanced, so it doesn’t make the minifigure topple over. Although it has the ‘eye’ print on the front part of the train plumage, the back is plain, and to be honest, so is the rest of the figure. It needed a little more detail on the torso at least, to help capture the grandeur of the Peacock’s pattern. But I do like the dual-moulded legs and the new hood piece. It also includes a small sunflower, which uses one of the new flower head elements.
Fluffy Cat Costume
The Series 18 Minifigures included the Cat Costume Girl, but this uses a totally new and far better piece for the head. It’s styled after the fluffy cat featured alongside the Cat Lover from the Series 27 Minifigures. The new hood is a far better representation of a cat, and I like the slight detail on the torso, but the legs are plain. They could have featured a little bit of fluff print or claws on the feet. The head has been previously used, but it works for the character.
Koala Costume
The Series 24 Minifigures included a Conservationist, joined by a tiny Koala figure. That figure has now been ‘blown up’ into a wearable version. Although the new hood element is cool, the rest of the minifigure is a little disappointing. Beyond the different coloured hands and a slight patch of fluff on the torso, it lacks any other detail. Claws on the feet would have been enough to break up the grey. The headpiece has been used before, but I do like the facemask side. The Koala include a green plant element and a boomerang. It is a famous Australian animal after all.
Dolphin Costume
The Dolphin Costume is another with similarities to a previous animal costumed character from a past series of LEGO Minifigures. The Shark Suit Guy has become an iconic character, and his friendly counterpart uses the same torso piece, which features fins in place of hands. It also uses a similar hood piece, which also includes the Dolphin’s tail piece. The legs and torso are plain, but again, this is due to the creature they are inspired by.
Monkey Costume
LEGO fans of a certain age will remember the original LEGO monkey, or you may be more familiar with the recent version. Neither of these really inspires the Costume version. The new hood piece is great and perfectly captures the cheekiness of the animal. So does the head, which includes two equally cheeky expressions. The tail piece used for Monkie Kid is reused here, and what other accessory would you expect a monkey to have other than a banana?
Costumed characters are always popular in various series of Minifigures, so it’s nice to have a whole gang of them in a single series. Despite the love for them, I’ve already seen some complaints about this upcoming series, so it’s once again a case of not being able to please everyone. Although the series lacks any cool new accessories, the various hoods and heads to create each animal more than make up for them. I would say that some of the costumes lack a little detail. I get that these are costume versions of animals and therefore wouldn’t be highly detailed, but some of the animals needed just a few more features on torsos or legs. The LEGO Minifigures Animals Series 28 will be available globally from January 1st.
These were provided to BricksFanz by the LEGO Group for review purposes. The thoughts within this review are those of BricksFanz and do not reflect those of the LEGO Group. Providing a set for free does not guarantee a favourable opinion of the set.
