Review: 41421 Baby Elephant Jungle Rescue

Set: 41421 Baby Elephant Jungle Rescue
Year: 2020
Pieces: 203



Oh No! A baby elephant is stuck in the swamp! Hold on! Emma and Stephanie are on their way!



The box front shows our jungle rescuers arriving in a forest scene where the baby elephant is stuck. The jungle sub theme BFF heart insert in the upper right corner shows all our friends in their new rescue attire. The bottom right character insets let us know that Stephanie and Emma are included in this set. And the bottom left corner shows that this set supports National Geographic Explorers.



The back of the box features the simple mechanism for rescuing the baby elephant. It also shows Stephanie and Emma caring for the baby elephant post rescue. Emma is featured in graphic form, painting the jungle scenery. All 5 friends are illustrated in their new jungle attire on the bottom left corner. Typical doodles are scattered across the layout. We also see the half-moon knockouts for opening the set as this box is glued rather than being sealed with tape. 



The scene slice side of the box shows Stephanie and Emma preparing to rescue the elephant, while the other side shows a palm branch, doodles, and the Instructions Plus logo. The top shows Emma as the 1:1 part size ratio display, and also features the new baby elephant, Stephanie, and several of the accessories available for this rescue mission. The bottom has the typical product warnings and recycling information. 

Time to open up the box and see what's inside...



... two parts bags, one instruction booklet, an ad for Legoland Resorts & Discovery Centers, a small sticker sheet, and a very adorable baby elephant. 



How cute is that new baby elephant?! It's so happy to be rescued! This is the same mold as the new baby elephant in set 41424 Jungle Rescue Base, but in light royal blue instead of lavender. The baby elephant has a stud on its back and a pin hole in both its head and trunk. So like most Friends animals, it's ready for a hair bow or crown. 



According to the instructions, we don't need the baby elephant until we get to parts bag 2. Setting it aside for now, here's a closer look at the sticker sheet. 



I appreciate that there are only 3 stickers in this set.

Time to open up bag one.



Bag one has two smaller bags of parts. Other than the new mini-doll outfit for Emma, I don't think there are any new or rare parts here, but I always like getting more of the coral hearts, and the newish 3-leaf plant stem is super useful when building terrain.



Building starts with Emma and a walkie-talkie. Emma is wearing the new tan jumper (or pinafore) with ruffled skirt that also appears in set 41423 Tiger Hot Air Balloon Jungle Rescue. I love the pockets on the bib of her jumper and the detail on the straps. She's wearing a colorful jungle print top, and lavender lace-up boots. I'm not sure I would wear a skirt in the jungle, but it's a very cute look for Emma.



Before we get to building the rescue truck, we build a little trailer. I happy that it has multiple clips for holding accessories: binoculars, a syringe, a spoon, a bottle, and still clips leftover. There is also a little box to hold a plant stem to feed the baby elephant once it has been rescued.



After the trailer, we build the cute little truck. I really appreciate friends vehicles; they are nicely detailed for their size. The truck is wide enough for two mini-dolls to sit side-by-side if you arrange their arms correctly, and the steering wheel is attached with a clip with bar piece which allows it to tilt up and down. This makes getting the driver in and out much easier. A hook is included which can be attached to the back of the truck instead of the trailer (we'll see what this is for after the build is complete), or it can be stowed in the back of the truck when pulling the trailer. 

The truck also uses two of the three stickers - the Jungle Rescue logo for the truck hood and the license plate. The Jungle Rescue logo fits really well with the Friends theme while clearly conveying this sub theme. I suspect that the license number "JLS 19" is an easter egg left by the designer, but I don't know the reference. 



With bag one complete, we only have a few left over parts, but there are some nice ones. 

Here are a few more shots of the completed truck and trailer before we move on to building bag two:









On to bag two, and the baby elephant!



Bag two has one extra bag of small parts. The 1 x 1 round tile (in the inset) is a new color - satin trans-light blue. This set uses one and includes one extra. The color has a sparkle/shimmer to it. I first saw this color on the 6 x 6 inverted radar dish in set 43183 Moana's Island Home. That set did not have any 1 x 1 round tiles, and I haven't found reference to its use in another set. It seems like a good part to show up in the Dots line, if it hasn't already. The vibrant coral and bright yellow 5 petal flowers are new colors for this year. The only other new pieces are the torso and legs for Stephanie. The rest of the parts are all good, useful pieces, and can you ever have too many flowers? I don't think so. Too many spiders? Maybe. 



Stephanie is wearing an olive green vest and cargo shorts. The vest has nice detail with a pocket and sunglasses, and an azure lining that shows on the collar. She is wearing an azure, purple, and coral top under the open vest, and a coral belt. Her look is finished with purple sneakers with olive soles. This is a new look for the Jungle Rescue sub theme and also appear in set  41432 Alpaca Mountain Jungle Rescue. Very cute and ready for adventure. 



Bag two builds the swamp terrain that the baby elephant gets stuck in. The tree build is fun with the palm leaves providing the necessary jungle flavor. The warning sign uses the last of the stickers. Is it supposed to be a mini-doll sinking in the swamp? I'm not sure. It doesn't seem like a clear image for a warning sign, and it definitely didn't help the elephant avoid trouble. 

There are just a few spare parts from bag two, but the new satin trans-light blue 1 x 1 round tile is a standout, and I look forward to seeing more of those in other sets. It's also nice to get extra flowers in the new colors. I can never have too many flowers, and color options are always good. 



Here's a closer look at the terrain without the elephant.



And the back of the terrain.

At the end of the instructions are two pages showing the real-life baby elephants that inspired this set. 





Now that we are done building, let's take a closer look at the completed set and the play features.



Emma and Stephanie coming to the rescue.



Grab hold and pull the baby elephant out!



Here's a closer look at how the hook is used to rescue the baby elephant. It is a simple but effective play feature.



The baby elephant is safe. Let's take it back to base for a complete checkup.



Summary:

Overall this is a fun build. The vehicle is compact but fully usable. The terrain sets the scene. The mini-dolls are stylish in their jungle rescue outfits. The baby elephant is totally adorable. I think kids would have a lot of fun playing with this, and it makes a good jumping off point for a larger MOC or to combine with other sets from this sub theme.


Disclaimer: 
This set was provided by 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.