Review: 41124 Heartlake Puppy Daycare

Welcome to Heartlake Puppy Daycare! Will it be your puppy’s home away from home? 

This set was provided by the AFOL Relations & Programs team (AR&P) of The LEGO Group for the purpose of sharing set details with fans.
Opinions provided here solely reflect those of our reviewer. 
Photographs are property of Friends Bricks and are not directed by TLG in any fashion.

To be honest, I did not know such a thing as dog daycare existed until I found out about this LEGO Friends version. Apparently, it is a place where owners can leave their dog during the day. 


Box Front

This set has the standard box design, with no indication of it being in any special sub-theme. 


Box Back

A few of the play features of the set are shown on the back. Those fun images will make you want to open the box and start building and playing immediately!


Box Top




Box Contents: 1 Booklet, 3 Bags, 1 16x16 Cool Yellow Plate, 1 8x16 Bright Green Plate, and 4 Sticker Sheets.

That’s right; 4 identical sticker sheets!! 

I know I always put stickers slightly crooked and get a little frustrated, but I don’t think I need 3 extra sheets… 

When I first open the instruction booklets, I always go to the last few pages to see how the new sets are presented for advertisements.

I was so glad to see the familiar Heartlake City map was brought back! 

There is also a page featuring the new Amusement Park sub-theme. How exciting!


But now is not the time to drool over that big roller coaster set! 

Let’s open Bag 1! 


Inside Bag 1 is another bag for smaller pieces. 

Mia’s head and Andrea’s torso were in this small bag while Andrea’s head and Mia’s torso were placed directly in Bag 1. I’m guessing this apparently inconsistent way of bagging mini-doll parts helps in weighing and packaging pieces. 

This set comes with two mini-dolls and two puppies.

Mia mini-doll included in this set is the basic one. 

You may feel you have seen Mia in this exact style in dozens of sets before, but this is actually the newer version of Mia’s signature look with the updated shirt design; this is just the second time this particular version of Mia appeared in a set.

The more interesting of the two mini-dolls is definitely Andrea. 

It’s nice to see she got a whole new outfit! Both the torso and the leg pieces are quite special for a mini-doll enthusiast like me. 

First, this is the first time this particular style of skirt has appeared with dark-skinned legs. 

And then the new torso! 

You have probably noticed something a little different with it other than the fact that it’s a brand new shirt design. 

See her neck? This is one of the rare cases where the mini-doll bodice has not been molded in the skin color. 

Thanks to this innovation, mini-dolls can now enjoy turtleneck tops!

Currently, the only other mini-doll torso with the bodice not molded in a skin color is that of Kristoff from 41066 Anna & Kristoff’s Sleigh Adventure. 

You may remember Toffee the Pug from 41112 Party Cakes released in early 2016. He’s back, and of course, just as cute as before. His tail and the wrinkles on the back of his neck are especially adorable.


And here’s Luna the Husky. She is a brand new character, and currently only available in Heartlake Puppy Daycare!


Although she is new, she is made from the existing fox mold first used as Flamy the fox in LEGO Elves in 2015. 

Luna and Flamy do not have an accessory hole in the head unlike Toffee. There is one in their busy tail instead.

After meeting all the characters in the set, we are starting with the small builds. 






The rest of the pieces in Bag 1 is used to make 2/3 of the building structure. 


The “Open” sign sticker does not look centered, but I put it where the instruction booklet suggested. Now I kind of wish I had put it right in the middle. 
Oh well… I have three extra sticker sheets if I ever decide to change it!


The inside is still bare at Building Step 17.

Now let’s continue onto Bag 2.


The small bag in Bag 2 contains a few pieces of interest.


The dog biscuits! 


And the 1x1 ¼ Circle Tiles!


Some of the pieces in Bag 2 are used to furnish the building. 

The bathtub and the grooming area is on one side. Note the two of the 1x1 ¼ Circle Tiles are placed in the two front inside corners of the bath tub. The bath mat is a nice touch. The grooming area features a rotating table and grooming accessories. 

I’m obviously not familiar with dog grooming, but does this kind of place actually have a mirror?! 

The other side of the facility is where the puppies eat and sleep! 
The beds are labeled with their names. The sticker on the wall by the beds has an old-fashioned alarm clock, and that’s how I realized those labeled areas were their beds.

The eating area is simple and quite nice with colorful bowls and jars of food. There is also a small desk with a computer and a phone for communicating with customers.

Through the side door built especially for them, the puppies can go out to the yard. 

At Building Step 50, the play area is not complete yet, but the outside wall got some very nice details like the water access and the dog door.

Now all the pieces from Bag 2 have been put together. Let’s open the last bag!

Yes, I was looking forward to getting these brown fences!! The fence piece is very common in white, and how nice it is in brown also!

And here’s what’s in the small bag.


With those pieces from Bag 3 in place, the garden and the top of the building are finished.

I especially appreciate the shape of the roof (or should I call it awnings?) which no other buildings in Heartlake City currently have.

Have you noticed that the sign above the front door is shaped like a bone?

I think the fire hydrant is perfect for this dog-themed set. By the way, this is the third one we have encountered in Heartlake City.


The completed garden has a box of toys and a merry-go-round. The grass is accented with a few stepping stones. Applying the tiny dog paw stickers perfectly onto the 1x1 round tiles was a little tricky. 

This is what the complete daycare facility looks like from the back. 

The wall clock shows the different time than the alarm clock in the sticker by the dog beds, but I suppose that’s a minor inconsistency.

Combined with the characters and the small builds from earlier, the entire set looks like this when completed.


As usual, there are some extra pieces left.


Like I said earlier, I’m not familiar with dog daycare. So I got Andrea and Mia to show me what goes on in this lovely new place in Heartlake City!


Toffee and Luna are full of energy! They are coming through the door and ready to play!


Toffee is waiting for Mia to throw the stick. Luna has just returned the yellow ball to Andrea and is getting a treat!


The two puppies have become good friends and enjoy the spinning ride together!


After running around and playing for a while, the puppies are now very content. Now it’s time to go inside and take a bath and get clean.


The puppies are now comfy in their own bed… They’ll take a nap until the meal time.



Mia: “Hey, Andrea, what are you doing?!”


Andrea: “I’ve just refilled the bowl with dog food. I’ve done it just like it’s shown in Step 47 in the instruction booklet.”


Mia: “But that’s NOT dog food! Don’t you remember seeing me on the back of the box scooping up that brown thing off the ground?! 


Andrea: NOOOOOOO!!! 

………….

41124 Heartlake Puppy Daycare is another excellent addition to the ever growing Heartlake City. This is Year 5 of LEGO Friends, and it’s nice to see the design team could still come up with a new animal-oriented facility that is neither a vet’s office nor a pet salon. 



Though the building itself is small compared to the pet salon from 2013 (which was also $29.99), I think Heartlake Puppy Daycare has a unique and very charming facade. 

It can be enjoyed as the puppy daycare, of course, but it has the versatile look that could also work as a restaurant, a boutique, a flower shop or a design studio. 

No matter what business you may choose for this lovely building, it will look very nice either on its own or displayed among other Friends buildings.

Although I'm a cat person and I don't know nearly enough about dogs, I highly recommend this puppy daycare!

Maya