This week we look at 2SLGBTQIA+ representation and the Fab 5 as we continue the diverse minifigures series. In June of last year, LEGO® introduced the fantastic set, Everyone is Awesome. This set celebrates the diversity of fans and the 2SLGBTQIA+ community. This statement of support for diversity and inclusion was, for the most part, well received by LEGO® fans and beyond. I certainly know many non-AFOLs who picked up the set to display it proudly at home or in the workplace. Despite the support, some folks questioned whether LEGO® was just checking a box to say they had addressed diversity. However, a few months later LEGO® released the Queer Eye – The Fab 5 Loft.
This set is particularly important as it is the first LEGO® set to depict real 2SLGBTQIA+ people as minifigures. Today we will look at the main characters of Queer Eye – the Fab 5. Each minifigure represents one of the five main characters. Each member of the Fab 5 specializes in a particular field. Antoni Porowski is the food and wine expert. Bobby Berk is the design expert. Jonathan Van Ness is the grooming expert. Karamo Brown is the culture and lifestyle expert. And Tan France is the fashion expert. Overall, these minifigures look fantastic. Let’s take a look at the Fab 5 one-by-one for this week’s diverse minifigures series.
Antoni Porowski
I’ll start off with a cool fact – Antoni Porowski was born in Canada! His minifigure is wearing medium blue jean shorts with tall white sports socks. On top he is wearing a tight white t-shirt accessorized with a red neckerchief. He also has a second torso with his trademark leather jacket complete with minifigure skull. I really love this jacket! The back of the leather jacket says, “Rebuild the World”, a nod to the LEGO® campaign. Interestingly, the back of Antoni’s real jacket says, “Thyme is on my side”. This makes sense given he is the food and wine expert. He has a light nougat duel sided head. One side has an open smile and the other has a puzzled expression. Both sides have stubble. Antoni shares the same hairpiece in dark brown as eight other minifigures including Chandler (Central Perk).
Jonathan Van Ness
Jonathan Van Ness’ minifigure has flashy silver striped legs with a metallic silver belt and black boots. He is wearing a plain black sleeveless shirt. He also has a second torso – a dark blue shirt with “Love is Love” printed in various colours. Jonathan identifies as gender non-confirming and non-binary and often wears long flowing skirts. It would have been nice to see LEGO® include an alternate skirt bottom for Jonathan. He has a light nougat duel-sided head with a full beard and a curly moustache. Both sides are smiling. One shows a toothy grin and the other is more of a laughing expression with the tongue visible. As the grooming expert, Jonathan has beautiful long hair, and his hairpiece reflects that. The same hairpiece was also used for Sally (Disney Series 2) and Phoebe (Central Perk), though this is the first time we’ve seen it in dark brown.
Karamo Brown
Karamo Brown is the culture expert focussing on life coaching and therapy. His minifigure is wearing black pants without any printing, which is definitely on the boring side. Similar to Bobby, it would have been nice to have a bit of printing on the legs. However, Karamo’s torso more than makes up for the drab pants. He wears a sweet pink bomber jacket. Bombers are a signature piece in his wardrobe. He also comes with a second torso – a flashy floral baby blue bomber. This one is even more awesome than the pink bomber.
Karamo is the only member of the Fab 5 without a duel-sided head. This is particularly unfortunate and a missed opportunity for LEGO®. AFOLs have been asking for greater representation for people of colour. Of the few brown-toned minifigures, most have a scowl or angry face. My guess is LEGO® was reluctant to include a duel-sided head because Karamo is bald, and his baseball hat wouldn’t hide the alternate expression. However, the least LEGO® could have done is provide a second head with an alternate expression. Fans certainly would have appreciated that.
Bobby Berk
Bobby Berk’s minifigure has dark orange pants and a short-sleeved patterned button-up shirt. While the shirt is printed on the front and back, the pants have no printing at all. It would have been nice if his pants would have at least had pockets printed on them. However, it is hard to be disappointed in the pants when Bobby come with such an awesome shirt! His outfit is certainly practical for a design expert. Sadly, Bobby doesn’t come with a second torso. Bobby also has a duel-sided light nougat head. Both sides have his nougat beard and mustache. One side has an open-mouthed grin while the other has a smirk. His hair piece is not particularly unique, as 20 other minifigures have it in the same colour – medium nougat.
Tan France
As the fashion expert, I expected Tan France’s minifigure to be on point. And he doesn’t disappoint. He wears a smart sand green suit with a stylish patterned shirt underneath. I really like that the back of the torso isn’t plain but has pleat markings instead. Similar to Bobby, Tan also doesn’t have a second torso which is unfortunate especially for the fashion expert. Tan’s head is nougat to reflect his darker skin tone reflective of his Pakistani decent. Like the rest of the Fab 5, with the exception of Karamo, Tan also has a duel-sided head. Both sides feature bushy eyebrows and grey stubble. Tan’s fantastic flat-silver hairpiece was made specifically for him. However, it appeared in Everyone is Awesome first due to the latter set having an earlier release date. We have also seen this hairpiece recently on the blonde Figure Skating Champion in Series 22.
2SLGBTQIA+ Representation
As the first real 2SLGBTQIA+ people represented in minifigure form, the Fab 5 was an easy choice for the Diverse Minifigures Series. The decision to make the Queer Eye set and the Fab 5 minifigures is an important statement from LEGO®. In addition, the minifigures themselves are fantastic. They have nice facial expressions and facial hair, awesome outfits, and some great hairpieces. If you are looking to add greater representation to your MOCs, you’ll definitely want to pick up the Fab 5. Moreover, the Fab 5 also gives us nice nougat and reddish-brown minifigure heads and hands from Tan and Karamo. Which Fab 5 character is your favourite? Let us know in the comments below or reach out on social media!
Play well folks,
-Krista (she/her)
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