A Look at LEGO® Christmas Sets From Past to Present
Welcome back to the 12 Bricks of Christmas Past! This is my countdown of traditional Christmas subjects done over the years in LEGO® form. Seasonal LEGO® sets are always a huge hit over the holidays. So for the next 12 days – the traditional Christmas amount – I’m going to look at a particular subject and see the offerings past to present. There’s some fun stuff to explore so check back each day 😉 Click below for previous articles and read on for today’s topic!
- DAY 1: ELVES! 🧝♀️
- DAY 2: PRESENTS! 🎁
- DAY 3: WREATHS! 🟢
- DAY 4: X-WINGS! ✖🚀
- DAY 5: NUTCRACKERS! 🥜🔨
- DAY 6: TRAINS! 🚂
- DAY 7: GINGERBREAD! 🍪🏡
- DAY 8: SNOWMEN! ⛄
- DAY 9: CHRISTMAS TREES! 🎄
It’s Day 10 of the Bricks of Christmas Past. Time to get ready for the big guy’s arrival! Our last 3 entries are going to look at the traditional modes of transportation for St. Nick himself. We’re going in order of appearance: Reindeer >> Sleigh >> Santa. Now some sets feature a bit of everything so I will do my best to spread out the topics and not leave too much for the last day. Rudolph and co. are the first friends we’ll be looking at. Like a lot of the Christmas topics, we will see some evolution in designs; from the blocky to the wonderfully molded. On Dasher, on Prancer, on blizzard, on Nixon….wait….I’m getting mixed up. Anyhoo, read on!
Santa on Reindeer / Promotional Item / 2002 / #1129 / 34 pcs
Our first reindeer is a blocky little number from 1999. This is a promotional item that came with certain Milka Chocolate products in Germany. In the box you appear to get a foil wrapped chocolate Santa and small LEGO® build. It’s a classic brick-built aesthetic that we’ve seen a few times over the last 10 days. Santa even makes a cameo. You don’t see too many depictions of Santa riding the reindeer, but hey, it must happen from time-to-time if the sleigh’s in the shop.
Reindeer / Seasonal Polybag / 2002 / #10070 / 26 pcs
Our next reindeer is another blocky gem from The LEGO® Group. This time the reindeer gets the spotlight. The ‘mouth’ area is giving me major DUPLO® vibes however….or some kind of duck creature? You decide.
Reindeer / Japanese Polybag / 2003
This next set is a polybag that was sold exclusively in Japanese LEGO® Brand stores. The set details are slim, but it’s a pretty unique build. It’s blocky, but I like how abstract and tall this one is – sets it apart from the other offerings. And it’s the only allusion to Rudolph on this entire list.
Reindeer / Creator Polybag / 2011 / #30027 / 66 pcs
2011’s reindeer entry starts to see a little more detail in the design. Thankfully. It’s s small build but it’s pretty cute, especially that giant head and wee legs.
Reindeer / Creator Polybag / 2016 / #30474 / 77 pcs
Our last polybag is another ‘cartoonish’ build with improved details and it also comes with a couple of gifts. Some nice parts usage for the antlers here. And the bells on the collar are a fun touch.
Advent Calendars / Seasonal / 1999-2020 / 9-17 pcs
Reindeer are far less common in advent calendars compared to our last few topics. But there are some cute entries for sure in the Friends, Star Wars and City themes. The mico-built reindeer and sleigh is pretty great given the scale. I also love the reindeer rocking-horse. Er, rocking-deer? Either way it’s adorable. And reindeer R2-D2 is way too funny. Rein2-Deer2? I think it works.
Reindeer Ornaments / Seasonal / 2013-2020 / 21-34 pcs
The selection of reindeer ornaments has the traditional brick-built and ball options. I’ve also covered another ornament set (#854050) in Day 8’s Snowmen entry if you want to see more. The newest bauble is definitely the most adorable. And 2018 really stamps the memory clear as day on the build 😉
Reindeer / Seasonal / 2014 / #40092 / 139 pcs
Our final brick-built reindeer entry for Bricks of Christmas Past is the largest. 2014’s Reindeer is a small set that sees non-Rudolph as the star of the show. The brick-build elements are fun and there’s clever, expressive details. It’s very identifiable as a seasonal build along the lines of Chinese New Year, Easter, Thanksgiving, etc.
Santa’s Sleigh / Seasonal / 2021 / #40499 / 343 pcs
Last on our list is 2021’s most popular Christmas set. Santa’s Sleigh released in October 2021 and sold out immediately. I don’t think it’s come back into stock at all yet. Lovingly termed ‘The Reindeer Battle-Pack’ by AFOL’s, this is a great set with a really detailed sleigh, accessories and – most appealingly – 4 molded reindeer figures. This new animal mold first appeared in 2020’s Elf Club House (10275). Multiply them by 4 and you get half of Santa’s transportation crew. Several people no doubt bought 2 sets to get all 8 members. Grab one more and it’s all 9 characters for seasonal accuracy.
Maximum horespower
Today’s Bricks of Christmas Past is our only animal entry on the list. In a way, reindeer are the animal mascots of the holidays. I can’t say i’ve ever seen a reindeer in the wild, but they always come to mind for the season. There’s no official Rudolph set from LEGO® at this point, most likely a rights thing. But grab a red piece or some red paint and you’ll be good to go. But what do you all think of today’s topic? Did you manage to snag a Sleigh set? Are you fan of the new reindeer animal mold? Is Rudolph part of your annual holiday viewing? Please comment below and on our social channels to let me know. And as always, keep on brickin’. 🧱
-Frank
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