Review: 41403 Mia's Play Cube

All Cubed up and ready to treat pets of any color -- Mia is a Vet with heart!


Package front shows the cube open with all the Vet equipment installed, yet lacking our newly re-colored pet patient. This cardboard packaging is similar to the Heart Boxes, yet the cube itself protrudes out. This is Series #1 of Play Cubes with surprise pets.

Review: 41402 Olivia's Play Cube

Our budding scientist, Olivia, gets a cubed Chemical Lab -- just beware of green slime!

Package front shows Olivia just outside her new Lab above the actual cube which protrudes out of its cardboard pack. We see this is Series #1 of surprise pets.
It's very much like the Heart Box packaging.

Review: 41401 Stephanie's Play Cube

Loving to bake since 2012, Stephanie now has a mobile kitchen cube to share her sweet success!


Package front shows the cube open, yet without the surprise pet. These are a similar cardboard design as used for the Heart Boxes, except the cube is physically protruding out. It's noted this is Series #1 of at least two.

Review: 41400 Andrea's Play Cube

Andrea can go on the road with her new play cube -- complete with stage -- and her rockin' gold lightning bolt face paint!


Package front shows cube built without surprise re-colored pet -- because there are 4 different colors you may get. This package is similar to last year's Heart Boxes, although the cube itself actually protrudes outside of the cardboard.
This is series #1 of at least 2, and the side bevels show a collage of all the newly colored animal pets in this series.

Review: 41397 Juice Truck

Heartlake City now has a fruity drink truck to quench the thirst of Friends in the sun!


Box front with art-doodles on purple flanges shows set at the beach outside of HLC. The BFF heart, mini-doll cameos are standard, yet this is labelled with red round inset of 4+ (previously Juniors). These types of sets are in several themes for allowing young builders a way to learn.

Review: 41396 Puppy Playground

Minding one puppy is hard enough ... yet Mia can manage two on this playground!


Box front shows Mia offering Coco a treat reward for trying the merry-go-round, while Cookie attempts the slide on a skateboard.
The round red inset on the bottom left denotes this as a 4+ "Learn to Build" set for that age range. We have our mini-doll cameo inset, the BFF Friends heart, and purple faux flanges.

Review: 41391 Heartlake City Hair Salon

A new hair salon opened around the corner, let Nina show you the latest Heartlake City styles!


Front box art shows this salon near to downtown HLC. We have the 2020 adjacent purple framing, along with standard doodle drawings on purple flanges -- along with BFF heart and mini-doll cameo insets. The scene inset gives us a glimpse of how well the salon's mirror works.

Review: 41389 Ice Cream Cart

Popsicle or Cone? This cart has several flavors, so get yours quick before Stephanie has to dash!


Box front for the smallest in this packaging type has merely printed purple flanges, yet the new dark purple adjacent framing, BFF heart, and mini-doll cameo.

Review: 41395 Friendship Bus

Hop on board the Friendship Bus for a tour of HLC! You'll just have to wait until after a quick tennis match.


Box front shows the bus parked on the outer part of HLC, in a park or wooded area. The 2020 purple adjacent corner framing, standard flanges, BFF heart inset, mini-doll cameos, and another image of the bus being driven as an inset, all take back view with this big bus!
It's a very large, long box -- which is needed for 778 parts!


Box back shows a few functions of the bus, with insets showing even more things to do. The animated image of Olivia with her remote-control flying heart robotics challenge creation (from Midwinter Nights Dream episode), makes me happy.

Review: 41390 Andrea's Car and Stage

A matching car and stage is sooo Andrea! This bright striped convertible is hard to miss on the beach strand. Roxy has ice cream for the breezy drive with Andrea -- as Pepper flew past and landed on the stage already.


Box art shows us that Andrea's Stage is on the beach. Her new Friend, Roxy is along for the ride. This is the smallest size box to have purple doodle graphic flanges, and we have the standard BFF heart inset, scene, and mini-doll cameos.
I like Pepper flying in from HLC!


Box back shows how her boombox fits. Andrea is thinking of a song.


Box top with a few fun elements and names of our characters for this set.

Review: 41394 Heartlake City Hospital

Heartlake City is getting bigger -- so another hospital has been built for Friends 9th year -- 2020. It certainly has a Beach-vibe with its teal and vibrant coral.


Box front shows this new hospital in a neighborhood with downtown HLC in the distance. A few shops on the left look new-ish. Standard doodled flanges and BFF heart inset, with 2 dark purple frames on opposite corners which seem to be the new 2020 box graphic. The mini-doll cameos show us a new character, and the left side scene inset is also standard now.


Box back shows us why there's a visit to the hospital. When I first saw the product images, I thought perhaps Ethan fell off the HLC Restaurant sign he was tagging last wave. However, it appears to be the classic slippery 'ol Banana!


Box top shows fun elements, Ethan, a full view of new Dr. Maria, and Emma as the core mini-doll for this set. This box also has last year's LEGO Life ad rather than "Instructions PLUS" so we'll see if the instructions are the new type.

Review: 41392 Nature Glamping

Glamorous Camping is what the word Glamping represents -- Friends enjoy Nature as much as a beautiful setting! Get ready to relax, pamper yourself and meet the wildlife!


Box front shows Glamping in a forest meadow between trees at sunset -- with dark purple framing two corners of the image. Regular BFF heart, mini-doll cameos, and bottom left inset of a glimpse inside the tent.

Review: 41393 Baking Competition

Let's start LEGO Friends 9th year with a Baking Competition show in Heartlake City!


Box front has the same doodle graphics on the purple flanges and BFF heart insert top right that started last year. The bottom left insert shows cake layers, lest anyone think the cakes are one big Duplo piece. The overall set-scene image appears upon a stage and it seems 2020 boxes have dark purple adjacent corner framing. Mini-doll cameos let us know the name of a new character.


Box back shows all the fun, like rotating the top cake sign to land on which flavor of cake contestants must bake. The inset image of baking tools shows all the great pieces we get to use!


Box contents: Instructions book, sticker sheet, three numbered bags, and loose in the box -- a white Wheel Ø56x22 with Spokes -- as the first time in any color other than metal cool silver diffuse (BL color: speckled black silver), which first came in the 2007 Castle Dwarves' Mine set.

2020 LEGO Friends sets - January wave

41389 Ice Cream Cart - 97 pieces

LEGO Lead User Lab survey

Help the LEGO Lead User Lab to better understand the AFOL community’s interests ...
They are keen to explore interests to know how to better add value with Lead User Lab. Please take this first survey to explore several areas for now: Jewelry, Customization and Lights.

Hope you can help with your valuable input and opinions.
Survey Link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/WM8LBZY
Thank you!


Update: Deadline for this survey is November 11th ---

The LEGO Group to pilot LEGO® Audio & Braille Instructions

One of the pilot rollout sets is: 41365 LEGO® Friends Emma's Art Studio

The other three sets included as part of the pilot rollout are:

•   11001 LEGO® Bricks and Ideas LEGO® Classic  
•   60207 LEGO® City Sky Police Drone Chase
•   70821 The LEGO® Movie 2™ Emmet and Benny's 'Build and Fix' Workshop!

-  Pilot phase is August 28 – Dec 31

  Inspired by blind entrepreneur, Matthew Shifrin, the new building instructions will help children with vision impairment build and learn through play using LEGO bricks

 

-  How it works: AI software translates LXFML data (LEGO Exchange Format Mel Script) from visual instructions to text based descriptions for braille and voice commanded instructions.

 

-  The instructions will be available in all markets through www.legoaudioinstructions.com as a free service for all and new instructions are expected to launch on the same site early 2020.  (See more images of the process there now.)

2019 LEGO Friends Advent Calendar

2019 LEGO Friends Advent Calendar - 41382

With a Christmas festival theme -- behind the 24 doors of the box are 24 bags of parts to create decorations for your Christmas tree ~ including a Mia mini-doll, and other "buildable" daily creations including: a snowman, a hamster sled, a train engine, two penguins and robots Zobo and Zobita!

  ~~~

Review: 41379 Heartlake City Restaurant

An evening out for Pizza or Spaghetti at this new Italian dining spot is just what Emma needs tonight! Ethan has secured a table on the upper Patio. Let's see what chef has on the menu and enjoy this lovely architecture.

This Friendly neighborhood restaurant, designed by Wes Talbott - formerly of the LEGO Elves team, has been placed just a few miles from downtown Heartlake City -- as we can see its skyscrapers in the distance. Having designed so many of the whimsical Elves sets, it's a pleasant surprise to see such a realistic creation from Wes.
This is a very wide box, with the now standard doodle graphics on the flanges and the "teamwork" heart motif with the 5 Friends.


Box back let's us see inside the kitchen and a few cameo insert images of features and activities.
Thumb-push tabs seem to be more common on large boxes now; they used to be only on small ones. My box was smashed a bit coming to the USA from the EU; it can't stand on its own, so I've had to photograph it lying flat -- which isn't ideal, since it's as big as Mia's House box.

New 2019 LEGO® Friends Gear

LEGO® Friends Ceramic Mug - #853891