LEGO Series 12 Minifigs

Here in the US the latest wave of collectible minifigs debuted on October 1st. Today I spent about an hour at Toys’R’Us fondling countless individual packages trying to feel out all 16 of them. I was mostly successful – able to snag 14 of the 16. The stock was already pretty picked over so I went through every package that was there. I’ll have to go back and try for the other two another time.

Much like all the other series, 12 is the usual mix of typical figures without much fanfare, a few similar or follow-ups to previous ones, and a few pretty neat new ones.

I’m a fan of the costume figures, so I love the new Pig outfit, complete with curly tail on the back. The Gamer with the controller is another favorite, as is the Wizard. The Jester is pretty great too, especially with the two playing card pieces that go along with it. I like the Pizza Guy because of the doofy face, cap, and the pizza box – a great prop piece for future photos.

The lifeguard and the fairytale princess are two throw-aways as far as I’m concerned. The spaceman with the drill gun isn’t far behind. I’d swear one is supposed to be Katniss from The Hunger Games – but according to the LEGO website she’s a “dinosaur hunter.” Sure LEGO, sure. The Swashbuckler is almost too similar to the musketeers of the past. And the female Genie is a good pairing with the other Genie from before, too.

The Hun Warrior was one I couldn’t find today (along with the princess), but hopefully I will soon as it’s another I like.

For those of you yet to embark on the perilous journey of deciphering the shapes of pieces in an opaque bag here’s a little hint: I bring a Sharpie with me to the store and write the names of the figures on the package as I figure out what they are. It helps me keep track of what I’ve found, and what I need to find. Plus if you come across any extras it’s easy to hand them off to fellow searchers who join you, standing there in the middle of an isle looking like a moron.

Here’s what today’s haul brought in – in case you haven’t seen them in person yet!