Seasonal Parts and Minifigs We Need!

[Karalora]

With @Robert8 having just concluded a magnificent "Spooky Calendar" of one Halloween-themed minifig per day throughout the month of October, I am now thinking about the holidays ahead, and the sorts of things TLG really ought to produce to meet our seasonal MOCing needs. I'll start with Thanksgiving, since that's the next big seasonal event in the US with lots of fun imagery.

Minifigs: There's no two ways about it: We need us some Pilgrims! A he-Pilgrim and a she-Pilgrim, please, for that classic greeting card, salt-and-pepper-shaker vibe. For those who want to create a full "First Thanksgiving" tableau, we also need some Wampanoag Indians, as all the indigenous Americans LEGO has produced so far have been of the Plains tribes.

Animals: We have a cooked turkey, but what about the live ones? They're so picturesque! Since Thanksgiving is also usually considered the definitive autumnal holiday and woodland animals are a big part of autumn imagery, this is a good place to insist upon minifig-compatible squirrels, foxes, rabbits that aren't pet-store white, and maybe some crows to eat up all the leftovers.

Food: This is what Thanksgiving is all about, of course, and that cooked turkey doesn't just need its own "before" picture--it needs some side dishes! Apples and pumpkins and bread and carrots exist and are plentiful, but I'd also like to see ears of corn (not just as a minifig costume), grapes, maybe some squashes/gourds (iconic to the holiday, even if not everybody likes them as food), and most of all, a nice big cornucopia to be the table centerpiece.

Other: Keep expanding the color palette of various plant elements and please make the soft plastic foliage in fall colors easier to come by!

What else do we need to improve the tone of our Thanksgiving/harvest season MOCs? (Or feel free to post your wishlists for other holidays.)

[1963maniac]

I wanted to make a Bethlehem style nativity for Christmas. But when I found out what a camel cost, Whew! There are Duplo lambs but no Lego sheep. Is there a donkey? How about a baby in a blanket? Middle Eastern style minifigures are also needed.

[Robert8]

The pilgrims are the obvious needed characters here.

For an autumn scene, I think a female scarecrow would be nice inclusion in a CMF wave

[Fuppylodders]

6 hours ago, 1963maniac said:

I wanted to make a Bethlehem style nativity for Christmas. But when I found out what a camel cost, Whew! There are Duplo lambs but no Lego sheep. Is there a donkey? How about a baby in a blanket? Middle Eastern style minifigures are also needed.

There was this baby in a blanket

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/123697777605

There is also the same mould of Harry Potter baby in blanket, but has some Harry Potter specific print on it which could easily be wiped off with careful application of acetone or whatever other people use. 

Lego sheep would definitely be cute! Imagine a whole pen of them 

[Digger of Bricks]

21 hours ago, Karalora said:

There's no two ways about it: We need us some Pilgrims! A he-Pilgrim and a she-Pilgrim, please, for that classic greeting card, salt-and-pepper-shaker vibe.

Of course, I wholeheartedly second this suggestion!   

Outside of Thanksgiving, I've also really wanted to see a pair of "Dickensian" carolers much like @Robert8's designs for awhile now... 

[tafkatb]

I would like to see a menorah element - or really, literally anything at all related to Hanukkah. 

[Karalora]

You know what else would be nice for fall? Marbled leaf elements. Two--two--two fall colors in one!

[MAB]

Pilgrims would be good, as they would be ideal for (English) Civil War hats and outfits. But keep those huge buckles off the hats.

Edited November 3, 2020 by MAB

[1963maniac]

On 11/2/2020 at 4:59 AM, Fuppylodders said:

There was this baby in a blanket

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/123697777605

There is also the same mould of Harry Potter baby in blanket, but has some Harry Potter specific print on it which could easily be wiped off with careful application of acetone or whatever other people use. 

Lego sheep would definitely be cute! Imagine a whole pen of them 

Thanks for the tip!! That baby is perfect!

[Karalora]

6 hours ago, MAB said:

Pilgrims would be good, as they would be ideal for (English) Civil War hats and outfits. But keep those huge buckles off the hats.

I tend to think TLG cares more about whimsy and recognizability than strict accuracy for historical recreationism. Just saying that if we do ever get Pilgrims...they're probably gonna have the iconic buckles.

I was just over on Bricklink seeing what people are selling the deer (from the Elf Clubhouse) for and YIKES. Let's add that to the list of "things that exist but need to become more common, pronto".

[Karalora]

People seem eager to jump-start Christmas this year (and who can blame them?) so let's move this thread along, shall we? What Christmas-themed items does LEGO owe us?

Minifigs: There are so many Christmas characters we have yet to see! This could end up being a very long section of the post indeed, so I'll just give my top picks (with the usual nod to @Robert8):

• Mrs. Claus: We got her in the Santa's Workshop set, but the only unique element was the skirt--she had a princess bodice and a queen hairdo and she just didn't do it for me. We need a properly designed version.
• Angel: TLG tries to avoid explicitly religious content, but we got a kid in a devil costume in S14, so maybe this would also work out if it was clearly a costume.
• Snowman: A common mini-build in advent calendars and Winter Village sets, but I think we're all holding out hope for a minifig version, a la Frosty. (Olaf does not count.)
• Nutcracker: One of the all-time classic Christmas characters. And while we're at it...
• Sugar Plum Fairy: Sort of a candy-themed fairy in a tutu, yes?
• Jack Frost: Can you tell I love folkloric characters?

Animals: I'm going to reiterate my desire to have that deer become more available, because again, yikes. Another Christmas animal we could use is a cardinal, which gets featured on a lot of greeting cards because it a) stays active through the winter and b) is bright red (the males, anyway). The mold could also be used for blue jays, waxwings, and any other crested songbird.

Food: It is bloody criminal that we have gone this long without a candy cane accessory.

Other: The snowflake element in trans-clear, plus a smaller version in all the cool-toned transparent colors. The cherries in white, to be used as mistletoe berries. Smaller "palm" leaves so that we can build nice-looking evergreen trees at a more manageable scale than the behemoths we get using the palm leaves as they are. Reintroduce the pine tree with white marbling. Keep expanding the teddy bear color palette.

[lifeinplastic]

One thing that doesn't just relate to seasonal items (although essential for a Thanksgiving/Christmas) is there is no grey-metallic knife and fork counterpart to the spoon (like the one in The Ninjago CMF line). You can get weird blue and yellow ones from the Friends line but these don't fit very well for a posh restaurant or festive dinner scene.

It would have also been good to have elf hats/torsos/legs in different colours

Finally, I'd like a brass band to play carols (with moulded instruments).

[MAB]

21 hours ago, Karalora said:

Another Christmas animal we could use is a cardinal, which gets featured on a lot of greeting cards because it a) stays active through the winter and b) is bright red (the males, anyway). The mold could also be used for blue jays, waxwings, and any other crested songbird.

Location is a problem here. I'd prefer a brown bird with a dark orange breast, as we use (European) robins as our Christmas bird.

 

[Karalora]

19 hours ago, lifeinplastic said:

It would have also been good to have elf hats/torsos/legs in different colours

The red hat has been out for a while, and a dark pink one (plus a matching torso) has just been introduced, so there's that.

1 hour ago, MAB said:

Location is a problem here. I'd prefer a brown bird with a dark orange breast, as we use (European) robins as our Christmas bird.

 

Ah, good point!

[Lion King]

On 11/16/2020 at 9:51 AM, Karalora said:

 

• Angel: TLG tries to avoid explicitly religious content, but we got a kid in a devil costume in S14, so maybe this would also work out if it was clearly a costume.

That kid in devil costume is from S16, not S14. :) 

Anyways, I 100% agree with you a kid in angel costume could work. I don’t think it has religious content. Howver, i haven’t seen anyone in angel costumes outside the churches? So - I will say a kid in angel costume could go as a Halloween trick-or-treater instead? 

Edited November 29, 2020 by DBlegonerd7

[Robert8]

Also they already made an angel

The Weeping Angel, that clearly looks like a judeo-christian angel

[Lion King]

5 minutes ago, Robert8 said:

Also they already made an angel

The Weeping Angel, that clearly looks like a judeo-christian angel

And Weeping Angels have scary faces if you blink... O.o

Edited November 29, 2020 by DBlegonerd7

[Karalora]

2 hours ago, DBlegonerd7 said:

That kid in devil costume is from S16, not S14. :) [/quote]

Was it? I could have sworn it was part of the Halloween Monsters. *double-checks list* So you're right! Thanks for the correction.

2 hours ago, DBlegonerd7 said:

Anyways, I 100% agree with you a kid in angel costume could work. I don’t think it has religious content. Howver, i haven’t seen anyone in angel costumes outside the churches? So - I will say a kid in angel costume could go as a Halloween trick-or-treater instead? 

It's true that people tend to wear angel costumes as part of Christmas pageants with a religious message. But I think that absent that larger context, as a standalone CMF, it could squeak by.

1 hour ago, Robert8 said:

Also they already made an angel

The Weeping Angel, that clearly looks like a judeo-christian angel

There is no shortage of humanoid figures with feathered wings in general. The Flying Warrior could easily be construed as a martial angel.

[Lion King]

Since we have Chinese New Year sets, I am hoping we would get Day of the Dead (Mexican celebration). I think it’s very interesting to have. 

 However, it’s not same as Chinese New Year because we have Chinatowns everywhere. I think LEGO pushed sets into Chinese market (along with Monkie Kid sets as well). 

We ahve some Mexican heritages in United States but not everywhere, does it? 

[williejm]

On 12/1/2020 at 5:37 PM, DBlegonerd7 said:

Since we have Chinese New Year sets, I am hoping we would get Day of the Dead (Mexican celebration). I think it’s very interesting to have. 

 However, it’s not same as Chinese New Year because we have Chinatowns everywhere. I think LEGO pushed sets into Chinese market (along with Monkie Kid sets as well). 

We ahve some Mexican heritages in United States but not everywhere, does it? 

I agree, and tbh I’m surprised it hasn’t surfaced in one way or another - especially after the Disney Coco film made it much more global.

on seasonal parts, noticing some nice ‘winter’ sweaters/jumpers in the new ice rink winter set. Coupled with the festive sweater in BAM, and Star Wars advent - we are getting a decent collection of Lego chunky knits for the winter holiday season! 

[Karalora]

@Robert8 designed a couple of Calavera figures in the Day of the Dead style, but I agree it would be lovely to see some official rep from TLG. Even just a skull with some extra printing suggesting sugar skull decorations would be nice.

[Karalora]

Now that Christmas is past, let's move on, shall we? What else happens in winter?

New Year's Eve/New Year's Day:

Minifigs: Baby New Year and Father Time/Old Year.

Food: The wine bottle with a printed label that suggests champagne.

Other: People often wear cheap, glittery gold or silver top hats for New Year's parties. So...the top hat in gold and/or silver, please? (As a commonly available part, that is, rather than one component of a special edition collectible minifig that is currently going for FOUR FIGURES on Bricklink.)

Valentine's Day:

Minifigs: Come on, LEGO, where's my Cupid? Call him "Love Sprite" if you want.

Food: A heart-shaped tile printed with an image of chocolates.

Other: We have a pretty nice rose piece, but it only comes in red and light orange. I'd like to see it in more colors--particularly, for Valentine's Day, pink and white. Tiles with printed Valentine card designs would also be good.

[Robert8]

You would think a Cupid minifigure is a no brainer considering they release a set for St Valentine each year.... but nope :/

[Lion King]

I have a few ides to add for New Year’s Eve and Valentine’s Day!

As for New Year’s Eve, LEGO should include a built-brick TV with the printed tile displaying a countdown ball. And maybe glittery necklaces (gold or silver), printed on torso?

As for Valentine’s Day, I think LEGO should introduce a new mold that looks like a paper cone, it’s where we can put flowers in it. So it would look like one minifigure suprises their significant others with bouquets in paper cone. And... a teddy bear mold, the pink love printed on its belly. 

LEGO Cupid, where are youuuuuu!

[Karalora]

Maybe Cupid is too similar to a conventional angel? That's the only reason I can think of for why we don't have him yet; he's a very recognizable figure.