When it came to special offers in the vein of GWPs, the December 2021 LEGO Store Calendar was…sparse. Only one item was listed there, and only available in-store instead of online. That would be a Creator polybag with the figure of a jolly Skiing Santa Claus (30580). It could be earned free for every in-store LEGO purchase over $40, from December 1 to 14. Well, that promo period has come and gone since last week, at least in the US. As Brick Fanatics tells it however, Skiing Santa Claus is still around in Europe. And he’s staying until Christmas Eve.
Indeed, it can be seen as such in the Offers & Sale page of LEGO.com for GB. Creator Skiing Santa Claus (30580) remains active in-store GWP not just in the UK but Europe too. As with the now-ended US edition, the buildable figure polybag is earned with in-store LEGO purchases over 40. That’s in pounds or euros depending on where. It also goes hand-in-hand with the full seasonal set Santa’s Front Yard (40484). This similarly long-running GWP goes for both in-store and online orders over £170/€170. Both it and Skiing Santa are available right until December 24, quite appropriate enough.
In this day and age, when a product never gets an official launch, it may still be available elsewhere. Maybe it’s because the item/s are a limited-run free giveaway to a select few. The LEGO employee Christmas gift-sets spring to mind. Maybe the product launch was cancelled for certain production issues. That won’t stop said items from landing elsewhere, like eBay, where they fetch high online prices. As it turns out, that just happened to a certain seasonal holiday LEGO GWP supposed to run this December. Brick Fanatics has it that Mr. and Mrs. Claus’ Living Room (40489) is worth double-digit dollars in online aftermarket.
Believe it or not, the aforementioned Mr. and Mrs. Claus’ Living Room GWP (40489) is now around $735 on eBay. The online listing of this unreleased set has been flooded with bids. All identities are protected by eBay due to the item being privately listed. If this keeps up, this unfortunate GWP could become one of the priciest LEGO sets yet auctioned in that platform.
The official LEGO statement cancelling Mr. and Mrs. Claus’ Living Room (40489) only stated quality issues as reason. Brick Fanatics theorizes that the “quality issue” might be the Santa minifig. Not only is he carrying a “Naughty List,” his facial expression also seems sour. Santa carried a “Nice List” on Santa’s Sleigh (40499), possibly making this GWP complementary. Whatever the reason, 40489 never went active this December. LEGO reran Santa’s Front Yard (40484) GWP instead.
Every year-end Holiday season, LEGO employees have something to look forward to beyond bonuses and benefits. They get to bring home for free a product from their own hard work, manufactured specifically for the occasion. And in addition to commemorating the gift-giving season, these employee gift sets also celebrate any current theme milestone anniversary. Earlier this week Thomas Andreasen, co-creator of LEGO Ninjago, posted his gift on social media. As confirmed by Brick Fanatics (and made obvious by the revealer), the 2021 LEGO employee gift celebrates Ninjago’s first decade. It also posits how the Ninjago universe observes the Christmas Holiday.
YAY! I got my Ninjago: Temple of Celebrations set today! Comes with 6 lovely Chistmas poems written by your’s truly.
The existence of this set DOES NOT establish Christmas as canon in Ninjago!
— Tommy A … on a break! Quanish was a fool! (@TommyAndreasen) December 6, 2021
As seen in Andreasen’s Twitter post, the LEGO Ninjago Temple of Celebrations (4002021) is this year’s LEGO employee gift. The set has 1,320 pieces and 11 Ninjago minifigures, including a Santa Garmadon. The back of the box contains a dedication from LEGO in eight languages. Andreasen also claims the set contains some of his written Holiday poems. He does add in a disclaimer that the set doesn’t confirm the existence of Christmas in the Ninjago setting. As always, a LEGO employee gift set officially goes only to employees. But Temple of Celebrations might be found on eBay and aftermarket platforms.
Among the promos we got for LEGO’s Black Friday-Cyber Monday event last November were the expected Holiday seasonal GWP’s. After all, Christmas was just the following month – this current month, now. While the Santa’s Front Yard (40484) gift-with-purchase set was quaint, longtime LEGO collectors might have felt it incomplete. LEGO tends to give away two (not in-store) GWPs for Black Friday, but 40484 was all we got. There was supposed to be a complementary set, called Mr. and Mrs. Claus’ Living Room (40489). It never showed all BF-CM weekend, and isn’t being hyped this December. What happened to this GWP?
The Brick Show gives us the answer. Apparently LEGO decided not to make Mr. and Mrs. Claus’ Living Room (40489) available as GWP at all. For all intents and purposes this set may well be cancelled. According to their official statement, this seasonal GWP set failed to meet quality standards. That’s too bad. Looking at the build, you could join Santa’s Front Yard (40484) to its left (“outside” the window). It would make for some improvised modular dynamics. Given LEGO’s announcement, either we’ll never see this set released, or it might be revamped for the next Holiday season. We’re sorry you can’t join us this year, Mr. and Mrs. Claus.
We knew it. We told you so and it happened just like we learned it. Yesterday we talked about the LEGO teaser for what/who the 150th BrickHeadz set would be. The theme/franchise was voted on last year: “Star Wars.” The remaining question was who in the Galaxy Far, Far Away would be given a BrickHeadz depiction. Jedi Padawan/survivor Ahsoka Tano was the leading possibility, and now LEGO has confirmed it. Even better, good old Snips isn’t the only BrickHeadz scheduled to launch in January next year. We have Brickset to thank for this notable update.
According to them, there are four LEGO BrickHeadz sets coming on New Year’s Day 2022. There’s the milestone set #150, Ahsoka Tano (40539). Immediately following in product number is a seasonal personage for Chinese New Year, Lion Dance Guy (40540). Finally, the next two are cute paired doggie BrickHeadz Pets, namely the St. Bernard (40543) and French Bulldog (40544). But enough blurb. Let’s see them:
January 1 next year is shaping up to be a big LEGO launch day as to be expected. These new and upcoming BrickHeadz, with Ahsoka in the lead, certainly makes for a great milestone celebration for this particular LEGO theme.
Even as Black Friday-Cyber Monday goes through this past Friday to this Monday, LEGO’s continually laying out the future. We’ve gotten glimpses of what to expect from them early next year. Speaking of early next year that time’s also when a certain season gets its seasonal LEGO set or several. Earlier this November LEGO put up its upcoming Lunar New Year sets. One is missing however: the Chinese Zodiac Animal set. The year 2022 will be the Year of the Tiger. While a product listing isn’t there yet, we do have images courtesy of Promobricks.de.
Now we know that a LEGO Year of the Tiger (40491) Lunar New Year seasonal set is headed our way. The rather blurry image we have is courtesy of a Declaration of Conformity for Toy Safety Regulations 2011. We can check it out on LEGO’s servers here. Other than the blurry photo we have no other info on Year of the Tiger (40491). If it’s anything like this 2021’s Year of the Ox (40417), look forward to it being GWP per over-$85 purchase. We can expect LEGO to officially reveal this seasonal set soon, ahead of Lunar New Year next year. That’s February 1, 2022.
In case the excitement of the LEGO VIP weekend this past weekend made you forget: that was only the appetizer. The real highlight of November for shoppers is Black Friday/Cyber Monday. For the year 2021 that runs from November 26 to 29. LEGO’s November 20-21 VIP weekend had some special offers recurring for Black Friday. And of course, let’s not forget the LEGO Star Wars UCS AT-AT (75313) launching that day. We’ll also get new treats, some of which go active only on Cyber Monday. The Brick Fan got the scoop on a Cyber Monday VIP gift. LEGO Shop tells us the rest of it.
About that LEGO VIP item, it was spotted by The Brick Fan first on LEGO Shop Australia. They also posted the Black Friday/Cyber Monday promotions, seconded later by the rest of LEGO.com worldwide. What are we expecting this weekend? These:
LEGO Star Wars Luke Skywalker’s Lightsaber (40483) – GWP with the UCS AT-AT (75313), a Black Friday launch
We all know this is coming. With us now in the middle of November, Black Friday draws ever nearer. With that highly-anticipated event come the expected special deals and new releases courtesy of LEGO. In fact, some of those surprises are already known. LEGO’s got big sets like the Star Wars UCS AT-AT (75313) accompanied by multiple GWPs. But the rest remain unknown; or at least they were. LEGO.com Australia revealed even more deals for Black Friday this past weekend according to Brickset. We make note of them even as the other LEGO.com portals officially list the same by now.
Officially, the Black Friday/Cyber Monday period runs November 26-29. But if you’re a LEGO VIP member then the fun starts earlier for you; one weekend earlier in fact. VIPs can get these special deals from November 20 to 21. They will rerun for everybody on the weekend after that. Here’s what LEGO’s got lined up:
Doubled VIP Points (naturally)
VIP GWP: Retro Tin Sign (evoking old LEGO box covers) – collectible with LEGO purchases over $309
VIP Reward Center Sale (discount VIP points on rewards)
Vintage Camera set – 2,000 VIP point redemption, while stocks last
See how advantageous LEGO VIP membership can be? You get a shot at these deals early before everyone else storms in on Black Friday. If you miss it then, there’s always November 26-29. That’s when the LEGO Star Wars UCS AT-AT (75313) launches.
Earlier this week we had our first peek at some upcoming LEGO sets for the start of 2022. Said items showed up in the 4th China International Import Expo over the previous weekend. The venue was rather appropriate considering that two Chinese New Year sets number among the reveals. A few days later, LEGO.com put their listings up, according to Brickset. Now let’s enjoy closer looks at what collectors can expect this coming New Year.
Capture the excitement of Lunar New Year family traditions with this colorful LEGO® toy building set (80108) for ages 8 and up. It features 6 brick-built scenes that are packed with authentic details, and each portrays different festive activities, including food shopping, making good-luck decorations, visiting family and exchanging ‘Hongbao’ red envelopes. There are separate building instructions for each of the detailed scenes so the whole family can build together, and the modules can be arranged in multiple ways to create a unique display.
Role-play fun
The set features 12 LEGO minifigures, including the God of Wealth and a family of 6 people, to bring the scenes to life and let kids role-play their own stories.
Top gifts
Collectible Traditional Festival LEGO construction toys make splendid educational gifts for creative kids and anyone interested in Asian culture. Great for building and playing with solo or with friends and family, they also make eye-catching centerpieces.
Modular play-and-display set showcasing Lunar New Year family traditions – Kids learn about Chinese New Year customs as they build and have festive fun with this colorful LEGO® set (80108)
12 LEGO® minifigures bring each scene to life – the God of Wealth, a stallholder, a couple, man, girl, and a family of 6: dad, mom, grandpa, grandma, a girl and boy
6 scenes that connect in multiple ways – Each of the 6 modules portrays a festive activity, including spring-cleaning, food shopping, making good-luck decorations and exchanging gifts with family
Get in the mood for celebration with this LEGO® Lunar New Year Ice Festival building set (80109) for ages 8 and up. It features a highly detailed winter scene with a brick-built frozen lake, equipment rental shop, sweet potato vendor’s cart, photo booth, chun ice sculpture, vending machine, penguin-shaped sled, ski slope, snow-capped tree and more.
Build, play and display
The joyful scene is brought to life by 13 LEGO minifigures, including a person in a tiger outfit to mark the Year of theTiger, plus a penguin figure and lots of fun accessory elements such as ice skates, a hockey puck, smartphone, translucent-blue penguin ice sculpture and ice-sculpting tools. The set is fun to build solo or as a family activity and makes a wonderfully playful festive centerpiece.
Lunar New Year play-and-display set – Kids can recreate the traditional family fun of a Chinese New Year Ice Festival with this LEGO® set (80109), featuring a-detailed, buildable winter scene
13 LEGO® minifigures with lots of accessories – Includes a person in a tiger outfit to mark the Year of the Tiger, sweet-potato vendor, ice sculptor, mom, dad and children, plus a penguin figure
Buildable winter wonderland – A frozen lake, penguin-shaped sled, ski slope, chun ice sculpture, equipment rental shop, photo booth, vending machine, sweet potato vendor’s cart and more
Role-play Chinese New Year activities – Rent equipment from the shop, skate, play hockey and ride the penguin sled on the lake, carve ice sculptures, go ice fishing and take photos with penguins
Lift off for extra LEGO® Super Mario™ action with Bowser Jr.’s Clown Car Expansion Set (71396) for ages 6 and up. It features a brick-built version of the Junior Clown Car, plus a LEGO toy figure of a Bob-omb for children to add to their Starter Course. Place LEGO® Mario™ and/or LEGO® Luigi™ (figures not included) in the Junior Clown Car and fly it around to collect digital coins. (Note: the 71360 or 71387 Starter Course is required for interactive play.)
Digitally enhanced building and play
Find building instructions for this set on the companion LEGO Super Mario app. The app also offers inspiration for different ways to build and play, and it offers a safe forum for children to share their creations.
Aerial action with Bowser Jr.’s Clown Car – Kids can add an aerial, coin-collecting challenge to their LEGO® Super Mario™ universe with the 71396 Bowser Jr.’s Clown Car Expansion Set
An enemy Bob-omb – The set includes a LEGO® toy figure of a Bob-omb to add to the brick-built levels that kids create
Fly to collect digital coins – Place a LEGO® Mario™ or LEGO® Luigi™ (figures not included) in the brick-built Junior Clown Car and fly it around to earn coins
Add a colorful beach level to the LEGO® Super Mario™ universe with the Dorrie’s Beachfront Expansion Set (71398) for ages 6 and up. It features a Dorrie LEGO figure, which LEGO® Mario™ or LEGO® Luigi™ (figures not included) can ride on. There is a launcher to flick a green shell at the Huckit Crab figure, plus a buildable sandcastle, water fountain and tree, each with cool functions that the player must activate to access the 1, 2, 3 Blocks. (Note: the 71360 or 71387 Starter Course is required for interactive play.)
Companion app
This collectible toy playset makes a super gift for trendsetting kids and is ideal for solo play or social competitions. Check out the LEGO Super Mario app for building instructions, creative inspiration and more fun stuff.
Colorful, brick-built beach level – Kids can add beach challenges to their LEGO® Super Mario™ Starter Course with the 71398 Dorrie’s Beachfront Expansion Set
2 iconic Super Mario™ characters – A LEGO® figure of Dorrie for LEGO® Mario™ or LEGO® Luigi™ (figures not included) to ride on and explore the level, plus an enemy Huckit Crab to defeat
Shell-launching, 1, 2, 3 Block-hunting fun – A launcher to flick a green shell at the Huckit Crab, plus a buildable sandcastle, water fountain and tree, each with functions to reveal 1, 2, 3 Blocks
Solo or social play – Friends and family members can compete to collect the most digital coins, then rebuild the level to set a new challenge
Create an action-packed level with the LEGO® Super Mario™ Big Urchin Beach Ride Expansion Set (71400) for ages 7 and up. It features a roller coaster with a Dolphin LEGO figure for LEGO® Mario™ or LEGO® Luigi™ (figures not included) to ride on while trying to shake the Super Star Block out of the palm tree and topple a Big Urchin. Make Cheep Cheeps ‘leap’ by jumping on the bridge and collect more digital coins for spectacular dives off the springboard and fun interactions with the Yellow Yoshi toy figure. (Note: the 71360 or 71387 Starter Course is required for interactive play.)
Action-packed, buildable beach level – Take the LEGO® Super Mario™ action to the beach with the Big Urchin Beach Ride Expansion Set (71400) for solo or social play
5 LEGO® Super Mario™ toy figures – Yellow Yoshi, a Big Urchin, 2 Cheep Cheeps, and a Dolphin for LEGO® Mario™ or LEGO® Luigi™ (figures not included) to ride on
High-diving, dolphin-riding fun – A springboard to perform dives and a roller coaster to shake the Super Star Block out of the palm tree and topple the Big Urchin
Bridge with ‘leaping’ Cheep Cheeps – Jump up and down on the bridge to make the Cheep Cheeps ‘leap’ and stomp on them to collect digital coins
Create even more action-packed levels with collectible toy Character Packs – Series 4 (71402) for ages 6 and up. Each pack contains a mystery, buildable character with an Action Tag, plus a small build to use as a display stand or to enhance play. There are 10 LEGO® Super Mario™ characters to collect: a Mechakoopa, Para-Biddybud, Stingby, Bully, Freezie, Ant Trooper, Goombrat, Coin Coffer, Scaredy Rat and a baby penguin. Each is designed to be used with a Starter Course set (71360 or 71387), which is required for interactive play.
Collectible LEGO® Super Mario™ toy characters – Give kids extra interactive play options with Character Packs – Series 4 (71402). Each pack contains a mystery buildable character with an Action Tag
10 to collect, build and play with – A Mechakoopa, Para-Biddybud, Stingby, Bully, Freezie, Ant Trooper, Goombrat, Coin Coffer, Scaredy Rat and a baby penguin
Starter Course (71360 or 71387) required for interactive play – One of the Starter Course sets, featuring the LEGO® Mario™ (in set 71360) and LEGO® Luigi™ (in set 71387) figures, is needed for play
Small build in each pack – Kids can use the build as a display stand or incorporate it into the levels they create. LEGO® Mario™ or LEGO® Luigi™ react to the characters in various ways
Don’t forget. These LEGO sets arrive on January 1 of 2022.
We’re counting the days until LEGO’s Black Friday VIP weekend deals this November. And of course, that means waiting for the 15th of the month when LEGO would make its official announcement. Keeping the details out of the November 2021 store calendar must make for more suspense, perhaps. Already we have some clue as to what to expect, such as a new LEGO Star Wars UCS set. We learned that from a leak, and now LEGO Store in Australia may have revealed another Black Friday deal, a gift-with-purchase set in the likes of the LEGO Santa’s Front Yard (40484).
What we have here is called Santa’s Front Yard (40484). A neat Yuletide-themed mini-set, its 317 pieces make it just big to be a GWP. Similarities to LEGO Harry Potter Gryffindor Dorms(40452) can also be seen in having a wall backdrop. The included buildable reindeer is also quite adorable. We’ll probably know more about this set this mid-November.
374 pieces | Gift-with-purchase set valued at $19.99
Celebrate the winter season with the LEGO® building kit Santa’s Front Yard (40484). It’s an icy, moonlit night in Santa’s front yard, where an attentive elf is feeding a cute reindeer by the cold, clear stream with a carrot. This delightful scenery includes a snow-covered North Pole shield and trees, as well as a hand lantern for the elf. An inspiring gift for children aged 9 and over and festive building fun for LEGO fans of all ages.
LEGO® Santa’s Front Yard (40484) includes an elven minifigure, a reindeer, and an icy, moonlit environment with a stream, snow-covered trees, and the North Pole shield, as well as a hand lantern and a carrot element.
With this 317-part construction kit, the Christmas spirit comes up. Festive fun for children aged 9 and over and LEGO® building fun for the whole family.
The LEGO® Santa’s Front Yard set measures over 3.5 in. (10 cm) high, 4.5 in. (12 cm) wide and 3.5 in. (9 cm) deep.
