The latest LEGO® catalog recently arrived in the mail. As a kid, the LEGO® catalog was always exciting. In this modern information (leak) age, I admit it has lost some of its luster. However, I was reminded of the early days of True North Bricks when I would analyze each catalog for content. For old time’s sake, I decided to do it again. This particular catalog includes 60 pages of sets from 20 different themes. While nothing is actually new information, there is still some information we can glean from its pages. Do you need to know it? Probably not. But here are a few useless facts about the January 2023 catalog anyway.
Take everything in this analysis with a grain of salt. The LEGO® catalog isn’t exactly an objective selection of sets. I have no idea how LEGO® Group marketing selects what gets included and what does not. However, I doubt it is random. With that said, I was surprised by the high cost/brick. I’ve been reviewing sets at True North Bricks since 2016. Based on all those sets, my average cost/brick is currently $0.137.
Those are some pricey bricks!
As the cover suggests, the largest amount of real estate in the magazine goes to Friends. That comes as no surprise since the whole theme recently got overhauled. It takes up about 11% of the catalog based on page coverage. However, the largest number of sets advertised goes to the City theme. Incidentally, City also holds the title of worst cost/brick for a theme. That is not surprising either. Even back in the early days of this blog, City was always the worst value theme. Looking for a good buy? Best order the Valentine Lovebirds (40522). Amazingly, it only costs $16.99 while offering $0.057/brick.
That’s it for my useless facts from the January 2023 catalog. Interestingly, I find the January selection lacks a certain wow-factor. Granted, there’s the Jazz Club and the Great Wave. I also love Minifigures Series 24 (which isn’t in the catalog). Otherwise, I feel a little “meh” about the January 2023 sets. In past years, I’ve had long lists of sets to buy in January. Not so this year. What do you think? Let me know in the comments below or reach out on social media.
Until next time,
-Tom
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Excellent synopsis….I was actually a bit surprised to see the magazine in my mailbox. Considering LEGO is supposed to be pursuing sustainability, I would think eliminating print advertising would be the first change to make (especially as you stated there was nothing new to see in the magazine) Still waiting to open set packaged in paper bags too.
Thanks! I agree, paperless is better for the environment and a no-brainer choice. I’ll be a little sad to see catalogs go though, from a nostalgia perspective.