This article is about the LEGO Minifigures (often referred to as LEGO People by newbies). It goes over everything you need to know about the LEGO Minifigures including their size or scale, the first LEGO Minifigure, the rarest Minifigure, the best place to buy, and other important answers you should know.
Let’s get started.
Table of Contents
What is a LEGO Minifigure?
Commonly referred to as a “Minifig”, or simply just “fig”, LEGO Minifigures are small plastic figures or characters, usually found within LEGO sets, although they are also sold separately as collectibles in blind bags or custom-built in LEGO stores.
LEGO Minifigures connect to LEGO bricks and usually consist of 9-10 parts, though certain unique Minifigures can have as few as 7 or more than 10 parts depending on the character they are intended to portray.
Some LEGO Minifigs are named as specific characters either from a licensed film, television, game franchise, or of LEGO’s own creation. However, many are unnamed and are simply designed to fit within a certain theme (such as pirates, police officers, and astronauts).
LEGO Minifigures were first produced in 1978 and have been a massive success, with over 4 billion figures produced worldwide and collected by both adults and children.
Types of LEGO Minifigures
There are other types of figures from LEGO sets, such as Duplo figures and mini-doll figures.
Duplo Figures
Duplo Figures are similar to the LEGO Minifigures but are specific types of figures and much larger than typical Minifigures found in most LEGO themes. They are only used in the Duplo theme to represent people in the sets.
They are designed for children from 1.5 years to 5 years old and are much larger than typical LEGO figures, making them easier to handle and less likely to be swallowed by younger children. However, despite their size, Duplo Figures are compatible with traditional LEGO bricks.
The first Duplo Figures didn’t have arms or legs like Traditional LEGO Minifigures but were later updated with a more detailed design with posable legs and arms as well as realistic skin tones.
Mini-doll Figures
Often referred to as just a mini-doll, Mini-doll Figures are a variant of the LEGO Minifigure introduced in 2012 for the LEGO Friends Theme.
The Mini-doll Figures are around 5mm taller than the standard LEGO Minifigure and are intended to be more realistic and stylish than the standard LEGO Minifigures, to comply with girls’ requests.
Mini-doll figures are similar to the standard LEGO Minifigures, having four parts: the legs, the torso, the head, and the hair or headpiece. However, their legs can not be moved separately while the arms can be moved up and down, but unlike other standard Minifigs, the hands can’t be turned around.
What Was the First LEGO Minifigure?
The Police Officer Minifigure was the first ever LEGO Minifigure, introduced in 1978.
The Minifigure was brought back in the LEGO Minifigure Series 18 to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Minifigure. However, there was only 1 Police Officer Minifigure in every box, making it the most sought-after Minifigure of the year.
Can You Buy LEGO Figures Individually?
Yes, you can buy LEGO Minifigures individually without having to buy an entire LEGO set.
What Is the Best Way to Buy LEGO Minifigures?
The best way to buy LEGO Minifigures is on the LEGO website or LEGO Stores or on Amazon. There, you will get authentic Minifigures at the actual retail price because you are buying directly from the company and not from someone who’s looking to gain profit.
What Is the Rarest LEGO Minifigure?
A gold reproduction of bounty hunter Boba Fett, from the original Star Wars trilogy, is the rarest and most expensive LEGO Minifigure ever made.
Only two of these Minifigures were produced by LEGO in 2020 and they were made of solid 14-carat gold and valued at $11,495.95 (£8,115) apiece, each part of a boxed set of three, also including silver and plastic versions of Boba Fett.
The Minifigures were given away as competition prizes at San Diego Comic-Con and the Celebration V Star Wars festival, both held in 2010.
Do LEGO Stores Sell Individual Pieces?
Yes, LEGO Stores sell individual pieces and you can buy pieces to replace your missing pieces or to build something unique.
Read more about where to buy LEGO pieces here.
How Can I Get Cheap Minifigures?
You can buy cheap LEGO Minifigures on the LEGO website, LEGO Stores, Amazon, Bricklink, Brick Owl, eBay, and other marketplaces that sell LEGO products.
What Scale Are LEGO Minifigures?
LEGO Minifigure scale is usually 1:40 or 1:45 based on the Minifig size.
What Are LEGO People Called?
LEGO People are called Minifigures, Minifigs, or just Figs.
What Size Are LEGO Minifigures?
LEGO Minifigures are usually 1 x 1 x 1.75 inches or 0.63 x 0.63 x 0.39 inches depending on the age and theme.
How Tall Are Real LEGO Minifigures?
The typical height of a LEGO Minifigure is around 4 centimeters (1.6 in).
What Is the LEGO System Scale?
There is no single LEGO System scale. However, there’s a Minifigure scale which is the size most LEGO sets use.
Why Do LEGO Minifigures Have Yellow Skin?
LEGO Minifigures were chosen to have Yellow skin to avoid assigning a specific ethnicity in order to promote the idea of racial neutrality.
Are LEGO Minifigures Customizable?
Yes, LEGO figures are highly customizable and parts from different figures can be mixed and maxed to result in many combinations.
Is LEGO 75192 a Minifigure Scale?
Yes, the LEGO Millennium Falcon 75192 is constructed at a Minifigure-scale and measures 84cm in length.