As someone with a MUCH larger-than-normal Lego habit, I’ve had Lego Advent Calendars in my home for years. They make the lead-up to Christmas fun, with a new window to open each day. This year, I’ll be reviewing the Lego Friends Advent Calendar. I’ve only had the Friends Calendar once in the past, as I tend to lean more towards the Lego City Calendar, and my sons prefer the Star Wars, Harry Potter, and Marvel Calendars.
Lego Friends 2023 Advent Calendar
Summary
Avoid looking at all of the advent gifts all at once; it makes it more obvious that you’re paying quite a bit for not that much in the way of Lego. Having said that, you get a couple of mini dolls, and eight different animals here, along with a few small models you’re unlikely to keep around .
Pros
- Lots of animals
- A couple of interesting Mini Dolls
- Fun builds on some of the days
Cons
- Some days there’s almost nothing to build
- Model variety is lacking
- Day 17 and 19 might be the same?
Review: Lego Friends Advent Calendar 2023
The box has a flap that can be used as a play area, and each of the doors is open by pushing in on the perforated cardboard. The doors are numbered one through twenty-four, and the back of each door has the building instructions/completed model. Each day’s model is generally fairly simple to build, and by the 25th, you’ll have a small collection of extra parts. In my house, we have Ziploc bags for each calendar’s models, and another small bag for the extra parts. With three or four calendars on the go at any time, there are a lot of small models around.
Every day will offer up a new model, or minifig. Sometimes, there will be parts of a larger build over a number of days, like train cars. The parts are in a small plastic bag nestled into its slot within the box. Spoiler warnings: we’ll be revealing the contents of each day’s model. Let’s see what the Friends Advent Calendar has in store for us.
Partial Spoiler Alert
A note about spoilers… Yes we are about to reveal some of the contents of this surprise advent calendar. We’re only going to go up to Day 12 of 24, so we’re not going to reveal everything yet. If you do you want to see more information about what’s in here please share your thoughts in the comments. We’ll update this later as the holiday nears.
Day 1
The first advent package contains a mini-doll. A little research tells me her name is Autumn, and she was born without the lower part of her left arm. Lego Friends has added a number of new characters with diverse backgrounds and physical and mental differences. Autumn comes with a snowboard and helmet and has her winter sweater on. (Personal pet peeve: you’ll have to choose between Autumn’s hair or helmet, and the other will need to be placed somewhere so it’s not lost.)
Day 2
Day two contains a winter festive arch. This build has a decent number of pieces for an Advent Calendar pack, and of note are the (fairly) new 2/3rd high plates. The back of the door walks you through putting together the arch, and you’ll be left with a few extra pieces. You’ll have a few extra pieces when you’re done (Lego includes these in case the smaller pieces go missing.)
Day 3
Day three is a pretty small bag containing a puppy, a plate for it to sit on, a shovel, and two, well…. Poop pieces. I didn’t love this bag for a number of reasons: First, as mentioned, it’s a pretty small bag, and there’s very little to build. Second, I don’t like it when parts of the bag don’t somehow attach to the other pieces. You have a shovel and two poop pieces and nowhere to secure them.
Day 4
Day 4 is another structure, this time a small dog house (we assume it’s for the puppy from Day 3?) It’s a quick but simple build that reminded me of really old-school Lego, as it uses the red sloped pieces for the roof. No leftovers; everything fits together. I like it.
Day 5
If Day 3 was disappointing due to size, Day 5 is even more so. It’s a kitten and a 2×2 plate for it to sit on. It will take you about 3 seconds to build this, and while the kitten is cute, it’s a bit underwhelming. Seems odd to have two really small bags so close together in the calendar. On the plus side, this is a great calendar for you if you love the Friends animals.
Day 6
A classic staple of the Lego Advent Calendar the snowman. This one makes use of white globe-type pieces, and a red clip serves as a scarf. You get an awesome top hat as part of the deal.
Day 7
Another animal! This one is a small lizard sitting on a few leaf pieces. I have to admit, the new leaf pieces are some of my favorite of all the Lego pieces, so I’m not sad to see them here. The lizard is pretty cute as well. Doesn’t seem super Winter/Christmas-themed; perhaps the leaves and red flower are meant to be holly?
Day 8
Not 100% sure what this model is supposed to be? Perhaps a hoop for the animals to jump through or a playground piece? The build is fun, and I like the curved hoop pieces and the use of the red and blue pieces to keep the structures themed.
Day 9
Day 9 is a larger dog with a 2×4 tile with 2 studs. That’s it. Again, if you like the animals, this calendar keeps delivering. If you’re looking for fun things to build each day, not so much.
Day 10
Day 10 is another structure. Is it a plane? Is it a see-saw? Is it a dog agility structure? Unclear. So, it can be whatever you want! That’s the great thing about Lego. The box shows it being used as a see-saw, so it’s probably that.
Day 11
Day 11 is the second mini doll. I think this one is Leo, who is an athlete of Mexican heritage. If I’m incorrect, drop a comment below. Leo comes with a snowball.
Day 12
Day 12 is a Christmas Tree. Over the years, I’ve amassed a large collection of Lego Christmas trees, from Winter Village sets to Advent Calendars. This one uses a center post with 1×1 bricks with posts and four identical sides that attach to that piece. Simple, looks great.
Our Verdict
You may want to avoid looking at all of the advent gifts all at once; it makes it more obvious that you’re paying quite a bit for not that much in the way of Lego. Having said that, you get a couple of mini dolls, and eight different animals here, along with a few small models you’re unlikely to keep around for long. Is that worth $40ish dollars? That’s up to you to decide. It’s a fun activity that stretches out over the month and something to look forward to each day. Lego Friends isn’t really my thing, so I’d be unlikely to buy this Calendar going forward, but if you have a Lego Friends fan in the house, this might be a great early gift for them.
You can get your Lego Advent calendar from many retailers who sell Lego. Worth noting is that there are several versions of Lego Advent calendars each year, and you can even pick up past year calendars on Amazon if you want to go back in time. You can get this year’s Friends calendar from Amazon.com or Amazon.ca.
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