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Miss M’s Top 10 Lego Minifigures!
The world has been consumed with the Lego Minifigure since 1978, and there is no denying that the popularity of these Minifigures continues to soar to new heights. Instead of looking at all the newer Minifigures that have been on our wish lists for the last few years, I wanted to take the time to share with you all my top 10 Lego Minifigures from yesteryear! It was difficult to come up with 10 Minifigures, as I have had a long love affair with these cute little brick-heads, but there’s always a top 20 for next time, right?
10.
Black Falcon Minifigure 1987
I grew up in a special time when fantasy and castle elements were quite common in the toy aisle. Being a girl was slightly difficult though because there wasn’t that much fantasy/castle type toys available in the pink aisle. However, thanks to the joys of Lego I was able to have my own castle to build in any way I saw fit. I was obsessed with castles, and this Black Falcon Minifigure forever reminds me of my first castle. I was enthralled by all the possibilities for my imagination. The helmet was cool looking and though I was slightly put off that there wasn’t a princess or female warrior minifigure at the time, it didn’t stop me from enjoying the excitement of these minifigures interacting in their own special setting. (Besides, with a quick wig change, the castle minifigures could easily become warrior women in a heartbeat.)
9.
Forestman Minifigure 1990
I
wasn’t what you would call a hardcore Lego collector, but there was something
magical about building your own world to play in. Every time there was a new
set or new minifigure, I instantly felt transported to a new place that I just
had to visit. The Forestman series was like a Robin Hood-like sub theme of the
Lego Castle series. I thought they were so cute. All that green! Also, the
v-neck on this particular Forestman is enough to make this minifigure more
gender neutral. (It wasn’t always some sausage block fest in my world of make
believe.)
8.
Shell Gas Attendant Townsperson Minifigure 1986
One
of the first larger sets I ever got was the Legoland Service Station 6378 and
it was awesome for two reasons. One, it came with a female minifigure which I
feel like were more rare back then. The second cool thing about this item
was that she had some product placement going on, and it is this product
placement that has made Lego such a unique toy brand. I recall thinking it was
so cool to own a service station that had a logo that I was able to see in real
life. As awesome as it is to play in a fantasy world, sometimes it is also fun
to play make believe in a world that is all too familiar.
7.
Spaceman Minifigure 1979
Ok,
so here’s the thing. I loved castle/fantasy themes and I also loved the town
themes from Lego because I loved building wonderful large mansions and other
things. The Lego space themes were always a bit different though. I was unsure
what to think about the space sets. They just seemed like they were for cooler
more edgy kids. Could I be an edgy Lego space themed kid? Apparently I could,
because I found myself addicted to the different types of pieces used in the
space set. The original space themed sets had some cool spacemen or spacewomen.
The primary colors and the space symbol on the chest piece have just always
been so iconic.
I
also liked the little packs on the back. I’ve never been to space, so I don’t
really know what it is like, but with Lego, I sure felt like I was able to
visit all kinds of faraway worlds and galaxies.
6.
Blacktron Future Generation Minifigure 1991
The
space odyssey changed in the 90’s for Lego as the space theme got down with the
makeover! Blacktron Future Generation was actually a sequel from the Lego
Blacktron characters of the 80’s. Blacktron minifigures were thieves trying to
rip off the other space faction M:Tron. I loved Blacktron for the cool symbol
on the chest and the neon green visors over the helmets! Neon colored plastic
is amazing.
The
visors flipped up to reveal that simple Lego face. This minifigure really shows
off just how inventive the Lego space system sets would end up becoming.
5.
Townsperson Minifigure 198?
This
was one of my favorite minifigures as a kid. She actually came with a brunette
wig, but I ended up placing a red hair piece on her instead, and it has always
been one of my favorites. I have always loved this red wig. It is just so red!
The necklaces were also a nice touch, as if to say that this was a classy
minifigure. Even though there are various minifigures that could be either
gender, it was nice to have a minifigure that was specifically meant to be one
of the girls.
4.
Captain Redbeard 1989
Part
of my Lego obsession was fueled by my cousin Joe. He was a few years
older than me and was a Lego Maniac. As a result I ended up finding Lego cool
well past the time I should have gotten over them. In the beginning of my Lego
collecting there were the big three: Legoland Town, Space, and Castle systems.
Then something happened in 1989. The Pirate themed systems were released. And
though I had no real desire to own pirate toys, even I knew that this new theme
was the bee’s knees.
Captain
Redbeard was simply everything. From the peg leg to the hook hand, all the way
to the beard, this minifigure broke all the rules and showed me that there were
all kinds of ways to look at Lego.
3.
Maiden Minifigure 1990
Released
in a castle set, this Maiden minifigure was actually the reason I wanted the
set for Christmas. This was an essential minifigure for me, because it marked
yet another change in how the Lego minifigures were going to look. She had a defined
body and lips! Not to mention a princess hat! She also had a brick piece for a
dress. It all felt so new and cool.
She
was actually an upgrade from an earlier version of the Maiden minifigure from a
castle set from 1989. I love the subtle upgrades to the face. I know that
bigger lips were not necessarily warranted on a minifigure, but I thought it
was very cool.
2.
Ghost Minifigure 1990?
I’m
not sure if the ghost minifigure came out before 1990 or not, but I know life
has never been the same since. I can remember that exact feeling I had when I
first saw the ghost minifigure. The world was never going to be the same! The
ghost glowed in the dark! That should be all there is, but there’s more. The
design of this minifigure is pure perfection and added such a thrill to
collecting Lego. Like with most minifigures, I couldn’t help but wonder what
Lego would come up with next.
1. Paradisa
1992
Now
here’s the thing, I realize this list is totally subjective, but for me my
favorite minifigure is from the Paradisa system, a sub theme from the Town
sets. I realize that Lego sets in general can be for boys and girls, and I was
always fine with the adventurous aspects of the regular sets. However, there
was something really nice about a set of Lego systems that had a girly touch to
it. Look, I can totally get down with castles and space, but I am also a girly
girl so pink bricks and minifigures with eye lashes were certainly something I wanted
to quickly collect.
A
fun bathing suit is always needed for the town sets and the accessories with
this Lego series was just fun.
Of
course, to add to all this was the male minifigure to the series. He has a Speedo
on! (I am assuming the little strip of his bathing suit is meant to be a Speedo.)
I just loved everything about the Paradisa line, and I still do. It reminds me
of going on vacation, both in the real sense and in the sense that I was
certainly taking a break from the more traditional looking Lego sets.
That’s
about it for this look at some Lego Minifigure goodness! I hope this list
brought back some cool memories. What were some of your favorite Lego Minifigures
from yesteryear? I certainly have more, and maybe one day I will add them to
another list. Until then, take care everyone and keep building!
Mason Posted on Nov 25, 2013 at 04:38 PM
If I had to choose a favorite toy I would choose LEGO hands down! We had Space, Castle, Pirates, Town, and even some Wild West themed sets.
Some of my favorite figures are ladies, because the figures were so often gender neutral. The first minifigure gal I ever owned was the Ice Planet female figure, very cool! Then there was the female Islanders figure. And that's actually all I ever owned as far as girls go!
Vaporman87 Posted on Nov 16, 2013 at 06:06 PM
I don't remember ever being that big on the minifigures. I think my time spent with Legos was focused on trying to figure out new ways to build whatever it was I wanted to build. Doing it with just the standard blocks was a challenge for a kid, but I like giving it a shot.
MissM Posted on Nov 15, 2013 at 06:48 AM
Thanks for the comments! I am glad this was a fun read for you all. Fulton, you are so right. Everything requires special bricks now for sets. It is so frustrating at times to finish a set if the pieces are missing. It's always that random piece too!
vkimo, I am so glad you mentioned the Paradisa set! I loved that series so much. I wish I could transport myself to those sets all the time. lol
And Vaporman, Lego has been evolving their minifigures for quite some time. The pirate really showed off just how creative that could be. I forgot to mention that the pirate minifigures were the first to really sport different facial expressions through the use of beards and facial hair. It is all so interesting and fun.
Fulton4V Posted on Nov 14, 2013 at 05:54 PM
These are so cool. I had bunch of the regular sets and a couple of specialty sets. Then they got sold a one my moms many yard sales. I wasnt playing much with them but man I wish I had them now. Everything uses special pieces now. Not like it used to be where you just had to build it from regular blocks no matter what it was.
vkimo Posted on Nov 13, 2013 at 02:42 PM
Haha nice article! I had/have a few of these. The ghost came with the Knights Castle set, which was basically the premiere Lego castle at the time. I have the Paradisa set at home and it acts as a Zen Garden of sorts for me because anytime I'm stressed I just look at it and imagine I'm there.
Vaporman87 Posted on Nov 13, 2013 at 10:10 AM
Wow. Nice collection Miss M! I don't know why, but I was surprised by the amount of creativity that Lego put into these figures of the past.
I associate all the little creative touches and added flourishes with today's Lego figures. I don't know why I didn't realize how far back Lego has actually been playing around with the original design of the minifigs, and coming up with new and different ways to play around with the concept.
Out of the bunch, I would say the pirate takes the cake... at least in terms of uniqueness.
Great list Miss M! Thanks for this.
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