2023 Friends Rumours, Leaks, Information And Discussion

[Lemerbrix]

New episode out: “welcome zac”

Spoiler

So, zac made his debut, not a very likable character, but he’s alright, paisley is alright in this episode, she constantly gets frustrated with zac treating her like his personal butler, I love that they actually admitted a character flaw of zac, but resolve it at the end, zac making friends with all the new main characters, I did state earlier in the fourm that I wonder how the episodes will acknowledge autumn’s limb difference, and this episode does in a sweet way where paisley notices autumn’s limb difference and helps her with the books she was setting down, Aliya trying to make zac a perfect first day was nice, but the plot was mixed, overall a 7.5/10

Spoiler

Jordin appeared too! (Between Luna and pickle guy)

 

 

[Killian]

8 hours ago, Lemerbrix said:

New episode out: “welcome zac”

  Hide contents

So, zac made his debut, not a very likable character, but he’s alright, paisley is alright in this episode, she constantly gets frustrated with zac treating her like his personal butler, I love that they actually admitted a character flaw of zac, but resolve it at the end, zac making friends with all the new main characters, I did state earlier in the fourm that I wonder how the episodes will acknowledge autumn’s limb difference, and this episode does in a sweet way where paisley notices autumn’s limb difference and helps her with the books she was setting down, Aliya trying to make zac a perfect first day was nice, but the plot was mixed, overall a 7.5/10

  Hide contents

Jordin appeared too! (Between Luna and pickle guy)

 

 

Can't believe I forgot that was today 😅     Fortunately it eventually came up in my YT notifications.

We need minidoll backpacks.

Was that the old Lego Trains logo on Zac's backpack? The modified Lego Space logo on Nova's folder was a fun Easter Egg, though it felt unrealistic that they didn't say the name of the game. 

Pretty sure we got a rear view of the Downtown Flower and Design Stores set across the street from the school. The Unity Street section looks pretty different from the set.

I wonder if Aliya's parents and Zac's parents don't get along? She said she hadn't seen him in years.

Paisley has zero chill. And what was the deal with Zac trying to wrestle Paisley's guitar off her? It didn't really fit his character, it was more like the writers just wanted to contrive an incident. I wish we'd got a new print for the minifigure guitar in the sets that matched the one in the show.

Was good to see Jordin in the Student Council meeting. Hopefully characters from the sets, such as Niko,will have decent roles in the show instead of how Girls on a Mission had major characters who never got made as minidolls like Carter, Dr Alvah and Jeremy.

Was hoping we'd hear Charli speak, but we probably never will.

Can't believe that not only are Lego playing into the Irish people are pale with red hair stereotype, but they have Paisley being preoccupied with Luck too. I'm surprised they didn't dress her in Green. I expect her dad is a secret Leprechaun 🙄🤣

Nova is 100% a Nindroid, that's why that one Soccer girl looks like Nya, she's come from Ninjago to track down the rogue Nindroid.  🤣 Come to think of it, robots would explain why all the Cafeteria Workers are identical 🤔🤣

Nova's gamer tag was Lollipop in the special, but now it's Supernova? Maybe it depends on the game or Console?

I wonder if our next school themed set will be the Gymnasium with the sports court and interior and exterior climbing walls? Would be a good way to get several minidolls wearing the sports kit and the Gym Teacher. I can tell how the decoration on the outside would be built with tile bricks.

I hope we eventually get minidolls of the green haired backgrounder, the backgrounder with Mei from Monkie Kid's hairpiece in lavender and the silver haired Student Council member.

I'm interested to see how Nova's character will develop, I can't currently imagine her even noticing a stray dog; let alone rescuing one.

 

It was a decent episode, nothing too special. Hopefully we get more world building soon, and see more of the sets in the show.

I wonder what the release schedule for new episodes will be like? Hopefully they'll come out pretty frequently. I wonder how many they have planned?

[Lemerbrix]

1 minute ago, Killian said:

Can't believe I forgot that was today 😅     Fortunately it eventually came up in my YT notifications.

We need minidoll backpacks.

Was that the old Lego Trains logo on Zac's backpack? The modified Lego Space logo on Nova's folder was a fun Easter Egg, though it felt unrealistic that they didn't say the name of the game. 

Pretty sure we got a rear view of the Downtown Flower and Design Stores set across the street from the school. The Unity Street section looks pretty different from the set.

I wonder if Aliya's parents and Zac's parents don't get along? She said she hadn't seen him in years.

Paisley has zero chill. And what was the deal with Zac trying to wrestle Paisley's guitar off her? It didn't really fit his character, it was more like the writers just wanted to contrive an incident. I wish we'd got a new print for the minifigure guitar in the sets that matched the one in the show.

Was good to see Jordin in the Student Council meeting. Hopefully characters from the sets, such as Niko,will have decent roles in the show instead of how Girls on a Mission had major characters who never got made as minidolls like Carter, Dr Alvah and Jeremy.

Was hoping we'd hear Charli speak, but we probably never will.

Can't believe that not only are Lego playing into the Irish people are pale with red hair stereotype, but they have Paisley being preoccupied with Luck too. I'm surprised they didn't dress her in Green. I expect her dad is a secret Leprechaun 🙄🤣

Nova is 100% a Nindroid, that's why that one Soccer girl looks like Nya, she's come from Ninjago to track down the rogue Nindroid.  🤣 Come to think of it, robots would explain why all the Cafeteria Workers are identical 🤔🤣

Nova's gamer tag was Lollipop in the special, but now it's Supernova? Maybe it depends on the game or Console?

I wonder if our next school themed set will be the Gymnasium with the sports court and interior and exterior climbing walls? Would be a good way to get several minidolls wearing the sports kit and the Gym Teacher. I can tell how the decoration on the outside would be built with tile bricks.

I hope we eventually get minidolls of the green haired backgrounder, the backgrounder with Mei from Monkie Kid's hairpiece in lavender and the silver haired Student Council member.

I'm interested to see how Nova's character will develop, I can't currently imagine her even noticing a stray dog; let alone rescuing one.

 

It was a decent episode, nothing too special. Hopefully we get more world building soon, and see more of the sets in the show.

I wonder what the release schedule for new episodes will be like? Hopefully they'll come out pretty frequently. I wonder how many they have planned?

I heard that at least 10 + new beginnings

i just noticed that the orange haired guy that laughed at paisley is on student council (and has that new hairpiece from the BTS set)

in the special, adidi and Matilde (who I’m still convinced are girlfriends) we’re playing a candy crush-like game, so maybe nova crushed them with lollipops?
also, I’m thinking, since “nova” is likely a nickname, what is nova’s real name? It’s not like Lego would go out of their way to change the marketing if/when nova’s real name is revealed, I mean, a lot of Star Wars merchandise had to be changed when the child/baby yoda’s name was revealed to be “grogu”

we do need new backpacks, hopefully if we get an expansion to the Heartlake international school, we get a proper minidoll backpack

im hoping episodes come out weekly, probably not daily, as that would be too much for this fourm 🤣

I think charli is also on student council, between Luna and orange haired guy

imagine if pickle guy’s name ends up being “Rick”, I’ll be saying “I called it!”

for terms of Aliya and zac, we haven’t meet either of their parents yet, so we’ll probably have to wait

one thing I’m kinda worried about is that, since aliya lives in an apartment complex, we won’t get a proper “house” for her

Probably got more thoughts in my head, but that’s all I got for now

lemerbrix out!

[Killian]

12 hours ago, Lemerbrix said:

since “nova” is likely a nickname, what is nova’s real name? 

imagine if pickle guy’s name ends up being “Rick”, I’ll be saying “I called it!”

one thing I’m kinda worried about is that, since aliya lives in an apartment complex, we won’t get a proper “house” for her

There are instances of people just being named Nova by their parents. I assumed mostly in America? I think it's only become popular in recent years though, you mostly hear it being a child or teen name.

If he's called Rick, his surname better be Roll 🤣     I wonder why Lego don't give surnames to main characters in Friends? Ninjago/Nexo Knights/Hidden Side etc characters got surnames. It feels weird in cartoons when someone's in a situation where a surname would be used and it becomes conspicuous by it's absence. 

Maybe a future big set around the size of the Main Street Buildings and Downtown Flower and Design Stores will be an apartment complex? It'd be a good way for Lego to get more people to buy an expensive set if it's where a main character lives. Lego City is getting one this year and they reuse set ideas from Friends for City and Vice Versa all the time.

[Lemerbrix]

1 minute ago, Killian said:

There are instances of people just being named Nova by their parents. I assumed mostly in America? I think it's only become popular in recent years though, you mostly hear it being a child or teen name.

If he's called Rick, his surname better be Roll 🤣     I wonder why Lego don't give surnames to main characters in Friends? Ninjago/Nexo Knights/Hidden Side etc characters got surnames. It feels weird in cartoons when someone's in a situation where a surname would be used and it becomes conspicuous by it's absence. 

Maybe a future big set around the size of the Main Street Buildings and Downtown Flower and Design Stores will be an apartment complex? It'd be a good way for Lego to get more people to buy an expensive set if it's where a main character lives. Lego City is getting one this year and they reuse set ideas from Friends for City and Vice Versa all the time.

I think it’s implied that nova is a nickname

the only times in Lego friends history that we got surnames for characters was in girls on a mission, and those characters weren’t even in the sets!

usually with Lego friends houses for main characters, the price (in the us) is $70 (though Olivia’s house has $75!) we’re probably not going to get a house for Aliya, then

i should probably MOC houses for the other main characters besides autumn, Aliya and Leo (I already did his house)

[Killian]

Just ordered these

 

Oh, and I finally opened, built and reviewed the set I bought on January 1st

 

 

11 hours ago, Lemerbrix said:

we’re probably not going to get a house for Aliya, then

My prediction based on the Heartlake map locations is that we'll get an apartment building with apartments for Aliya and Zac in one set

[Lemerbrix]

12 hours ago, Killian said:

Just ordered these

 

Oh, and I finally opened, built and reviewed the set I bought on January 1st

 

 

My prediction based on the Heartlake map locations is that we'll get an apartment building with apartments for Aliya and Zac in one set

That makes sense, $140 for technically 2 houses

[Lemerbrix]

2 updates

#1 I’ll be getting the dog rescue center soon

#2 I’m working on a new building for Heartlake city

[Killian]

I got mail!

 

 

***

And there's a new hey Friend episode where Andrea Libman seems to be doing her Fluttershy/Nyad/Pinkie Pie voice more than her Autumn voice maybe?

 

[Lemerbrix]

34 minutes ago, Killian said:

I got mail!

 

 

***

And there's a new hey Friend episode where Andrea Libman seems to be doing her Fluttershy/Nyad/Pinkie Pie voice more than her Autumn voice maybe?

 

It's not part of the main series, but still interesting

[TeriXeri]

Ok, so current minidoll distribution : 

• Liann : 6 sets + 1 polybag
• Autumn : 6 sets
• Leo : 5 sets
• Aliya : 5 sets
• Olly : 5 sets
• Paisley : 4 sets 
• Nova : 3 sets
• Zac : 3 sets

I know this is only the first wave of sets, of likely many to come, but would be nice to see at least a little more Zac and Paisley in a small set this summer, especially Paisley currently only is in a pyjama variant in the smallest Room set.
 

I do love the variations in outfits overall, and each character having a distinct style of clothing even in just 1 wave of sets, is noticeable.

Will be even more interesting to see how the characters will look in the upcoming Beach/Sea and Winter/Skiing subthemes.

Edited March 31, 2023 by TeriXeri

[Lemerbrix]

25 minutes ago, TeriXeri said:

Ok, so current minidoll distribution : 

• Liann : 6 sets + 1 polybag
• Autumn : 6 sets
• Leo : 5 sets
• Aliya : 5 sets
• Olly : 5 sets
• Paisley : 4 sets 
• Nova : 3 sets
• Zac : 3 sets

I know this is only the first wave of sets, of likely many to come, but would be nice to see at least a little more Zac and Paisley in a small set this summer, especially Paisley currently only is in a pyjama variant in the smallest Room set.
 

I do love the variations in outfits overall, and each character having a distinct style of clothing even in just 1 wave of sets, is noticeable.

Will be even more interesting to see how the characters will look in the upcoming Beach/Sea and Winter/Skiing subthemes.

I mean, just today I got my second Zac minidoll, though a picture of him in a unseen outfit is on lego life, and seems to be a beach outfit, there's also a list of summer sets with a 4+ beach buggy for $10

Lego life pic:

[Lemerbrix]

This fourm needs some attention, so I’ll do just that!

after seeing this Matilde outfit in “new beginnings” I wanted to recreate it, so I found this Emma minidoll, and swapped the torsos, and it worked! Should probably start looking into buying Matilde her (possible) girlfriend…

[Lemerbrix]

new friends episode: fright night

Spoiler

So, we got more screen time for nova, which is nice, a few details I noticed were autumns lab coat sleeve being just slightly higher than her limb difference

Also, I think this is what autumns stable will look like:

this episode is churro’s orgin story, but, while on the topic of pets, that mystery dog from the picture in autumn’s house could have been revealed, I expect to see him/her in the stable set

I also think nova is being coded as autistic, as being autistic myself, I noticed a lot of similarities between me and nova, the episode also fully acknowledges autumns limb difference, with liann asking about it, the episode was very hilarious, definitely feels like a Halloween episode, but was very good, probably better than “welcome zac”

ill give it a 8.5/10

 

[Killian]

A barn full of Dogs and Autumn leaves chocolate unattended?! Hope a Veterinarian set is coming soon.

Finding out they all hung out without her won't help Paisley's shyness. 

Looks like the upcoming stable set will give us Henry. Maybe we'll get a sheep too, I don't think the Friends sheep mould has been used in a long time.

This episode adds more weight to the Liann has ADHD theory.

I was surprised that Aliya had never been horse riding considering she's constantly being coded as a horse girl.

I wonder if the Bernese Mountain Dog puppy is related to Daisy?

Looks like Milo and Popsy are still looking for homes.

Good to get another named adult character. I wonder if the Science teacher will show up in minidoll form eventually?

[Lemerbrix]

30 minutes ago, Killian said:

A barn full of Dogs and Autumn leaves chocolate unattended?! Hope a Veterinarian set is coming soon.

Finding out they all hung out without her won't help Paisley's shyness. 

Looks like the upcoming stable set will give us Henry. Maybe we'll get a sheep too, I don't think the Friends sheep mould has been used in a long time.

This episode adds more weight to the Liann has ADHD theory.

I was surprised that Aliya had never been horse riding considering she's constantly being coded as a horse girl.

I wonder if the Bernese Mountain Dog puppy is related to Daisy?

Looks like Milo and Popsy are still looking for homes.

Good to get another named adult character. I wonder if the Science teacher will show up in minidoll form eventually?

Yeah, I found the fact that popsy is still in the barn strange, as mrs hale did imply she wanted to adopt popsy

milo is just a farm animal

i also think that Aliya has never been horse riding strange too, maybe her parents just won’t let her?

The real dogs we needed to rescue were the friends we made along the way  are in autumn’s stable 

[Lemerbrix]

Well, I’ve officially acquired Matilde’s girlfriend!

And maybe the whole set… (please ignore the mess)

10/10 set btw

[DragonElves]

The beach set has been revealed, I won’t be buying it for myself but it’s a nicely executed set, I really like nova’s face-she seems to get all the best faces!

[Lemerbrix]

Just saw it, W for Lego friends, F for my wallet

This set uses a lot of that new fern element from the Rivendell set, and it’s nice to see charli in this set, they have a new outfit, too

i wonder who Dia is, I would make a joke and say she’s Stephanie’s daughter, as she looks similar to her and Kenny, but idk

is this the first Lego friends set to include a technic function that complex? We’ve had small pushing functions, and a drop tower, but this looks a bit complicated, also, this is the 2nd Lego friends set to have a 12+ rating, after the downtown flower and design stores

also, I’m a bit confused on what the 1x2 tile is supposed to be between the ballon animal and the international school, I thought it was Gali from bionicle, but idk

also, this set creates a massive paradox with the international school set, does this mean Lego friends is a brand within the world of Lego friends? Or does the international school have its own buildable play set, like this SpongeBob scene:

I know it’s a stretch, but idk anymore

[Aanchir]

That new beach park set is OUTSTANDING! Here's a link to it on BrickFanatics for those who haven't seen it. I'm very surprised that they're releasing a second 12+ Friends set so soon — I don't think that even Ninjago has had more than one 12+/14+/16+ in a single year. But the level of detail certainly justifies it!

All the brick-built animals from the rides and signage look fantastic — the seahorse in particular makes very creative use of the new dragon horn piece from this year's Ninjago sets for its neck and tail! The coastline itself is also brilliantly constructed using Brick Yellow curved slopes, two shades of azure plates, and Tr. Light Blue 1x2 curved slopes for the waves. I think those and the Tr. Yellow curved slopes used extensively for the seahorse's fins are the first time we've seen that piece in any transparent color, unless an earlier example has slipped my mind or escaped my notice.

The use of Tr. Bright Green Opal (Satin Trans-Bright Green) curved blade pieces as seaweed and Bright Yellowish Green fern pieces as palm fronds is also extremely inspired, and I hope we see those parts used again in those ways across other sets. The boardwalk itself is nothing special in terms of building techniques, but still shows an impressive standard of detail.

Parts and building techniques aside, the park attractions are also really fun, varied, and creative. I've already spoken about how great the spinning ride's animals look, and hopefully the function looks just as fun and dynamic in motion as it does in a still image! The wave pool even on its own would be a neat, well-constructed feature that we rarely see in LEGO water park/swimming pool sets, but adding an augmented reality surfing game with a screen and camera helps it feel even more unique (and well-suited to Nova's love of gaming).

The squid and pirate themed shooting gallery with microscale ships, squids, and water cannons is a clever nautical twist on the more generic target shooting games we've seen in other fairground sets from themes like Duplo, City, Creator, and even Friends itself. Though I suspect it MUST be rigged, since they're offering up a LEGO set as big and expensive as this year's Heartlake International School as one of their prizes! And of course there is a snack bar for refreshments — nothing too unique or novel there other than the palm-frond awning, but the Reddish Brown and Medium Nougat log hut construction definitely fits in beautifully with the overarching boardwalk/seaside aesthetic.

 

It's great to see another appearance from Zac and Nova. In Nova's case, this is perhaps the most "active" we've seen her, since her primary passions and hobbies we've seen are more indoor-focused, and she wasn't in any of the camping-related sets from the first wave. We don't really get a great look at either her top or Zac's, but I can see that hers has some kind of game controller graphic. Its short sleeves are well suited to this sort of summertime outdoor activity. Her taste for contrasting bright and dark colors is also in keeping with what we've seen of her fashion sense in other sets, and the same goes for the vibrant tones of Zac's clothing.

Not sure what to make of new character Dia. Both the texture and color of her hair are very similar to Nova's. Coupled with their similar skin tones, that could suggest that she and Nova are family — but could also make it less jarring if you choose to put Dia on the surfing game instead of Nova.

I might be imagining it, but it kind of looks as though Charli is wearing a chest binder underneath their tank top. Charli already gave me queer/nonbinary vibes when they first showed up in the diner set, and if anything, their beachwear in this set reinforces that impression. Their tank top's graphic design has an amazing retro look perfect for the beach, and their metallic blue sandals are likewise a very stylish and eye-catching choice!

 

Edited April 16, 2023 by Aanchir

[Lemerbrix]

@DragonElves and/or @Killian, I’m assuming the new magazine released in the U.K, are the 2023 friends in May’s issue?

[Killian]

2 hours ago, Lemerbrix said:

@DragonElves and/or @Killian, I’m assuming the new magazine released in the U.K, are the 2023 friends in May’s issue?

Oh yeah, it should have released 3 days ago. I'd better go get it and see who it says will be there in the next one.

 

[Lemerbrix]

16 minutes ago, Killian said:

Oh yeah, it should have released 3 days ago. I'd better go get it and see who it says will be there in the next one.

 

Nice! Post your results

[Killian]

17 hours ago, Lemerbrix said:

Nice! Post your results

Tried 7 Newsagents today and couldn't find it. It's always released in very limited quantities, so maybe they're all sold out? Or the release has been delayed or cancelled?  Imma try a different town tomorrow.

Also, the animals in the new minifigure theme look like Friends animals?

 

[Lemerbrix]

4 minutes ago, Killian said:

Tried 7 Newsagents today and couldn't find it. It's always released in very limited quantities, so maybe they're all sold out? Or the release has been delayed or cancelled?  Imma try a different town tomorrow.

Also, the animals in the new minifigure theme look like Friends animals?

 

Good luck!

The 2nd image isn't very clear, but the first image very much!