LEGO Friends magazine & mini-sets

If you live in Europe, you are likely to have come across the LEGO Friends magazine at your local newsstand. This magazine is produced under license from the LEGO Group by the German publisher called Blue Ocean Entertainment AG. They sell the German edition, but various publishers in Europe offer the magazine translated in their language. I have seen versions in German, English, French, Dutch, Italian and Polish.  

This monthly magazine first came out in late spring/early summer 2014 in Europe, and attached to every issue is an exclusive LEGO Friends mini-set. 










Typically, there are two comic stories in each issue, and one of them contains a scene featuring the toy attached to that issue. In the picture below, you can see a comic page showing the scene with the kitchen, photographed together with the kitchen mini-set that came with the same issue.


A LEGO Friends animal figure is included half the time (usually with every other issue), and a page in the magazine introduces the readers to the featured animal with photos and a little information. No mini-doll has been included in the mini-sets.

Here are some photos I took of all the mini-sets I have received so far. No official set names are given either on the packets or in the magazines.



















Which sets do you like? These models will look especially good displayed with a few of your Friends mini-dolls


The magazine is 36 pages long including the front and back covers. In addition to the comic pages, there are usually two or three posters (part of the magazine pages), and pages with puzzles and mazes, crafts and occasional cooking recipes. Many issues contain information about the Friends characters and popular LEGO Friends sets. 





Unfortunately, the magazine is not sold in the area where I live, so I have been buying the UK version published by Immediate Media Company. There are a few online newsagents where international subscriptions are accepted, and including the shipping I pay a little less than US $10 for each issue.  

Although a little expensive for what you get due to the international shipping cost, perhaps a subscription to this magazine may be a perfect gift for a big LEGO Friends fan during the holiday season, and something rather unexpected if the magazine is not sold in your country. The LEGO Elves magazine is also available in a similar format bi-monthly.