The history of LEGO minifigures (and the other tiny figures we've created)

Small is awesome. It's true that we are quite partial to all things miniaturised, even when they are actually quite big things (Top Ten Biggest LEGO sets 2020). But there is one tiny thing that occupies a very special place in our hearts. The LEGO^® minifigure.

At four standard LEGO bricks tall *ahem* well into its 40s, the minifigure looks mighty good for its age, even sans plastic surgery, and has been the star of many LEGO stop-motion films and CGI animations, including a raft of LEGO Star Wars™ animated recaps.

Now, we’re not going to spill all the beans because, as any celebrity knows, one needs to retain some mystique to keep people wanting more…and also because we have published literal books with a detailed history of the minifigure, including the most recent “LEGO Minifigure - a Visual History”.

But we have talked to people at the LEGO publishing team behind some of these great tomes chronicling the development of LEGO minifigures and other LEGO people and we’ve a picked a few of their best nuggets of fun trivia and knowledge to share.

It was the early seventies when the bosses at The LEGO Group realised that kids needed characters to populate the awesome LEGO houses, cars, towns and universes they were building.

Early iterations of the figures were quite basic, and couldn’t even walk on two legs, let alone wear the amazing, flared trousers of the period. Nonetheless, although small and non-bipedal, it represented a giant hop in the evolution of LEGO play because… you could actually play with them!

The small LEGO figure released in 1975 with no facial expressions

The LEGO building figures released a year before were larger like this five-person family with brick-built bodies, posable arms and (like all good families) swappable wigs. Imagine the dinner time fun!

The early days. LEGO building figures released in 1974

By 1978, just as disco was dying, they could actually bust a (somewhat awkward) move, becoming more of what you could call an ‘action figure’ with moving arms and legs. They grew hands that could hold stuff and also got that the wry little smile and dot eyes that we’ve come to know and love. Designed by Jens Nygaard Knudsen, these first, recognisable modern minifigures were included in Castle, Space and Town sets.

The first recognisable minifigures

After that, the guises and disguises of the figure exploded. But while the fundamental design has been the same for over 42 years, these little figures have gone through some rather ‘interesting’ phases that they really can’t be classed as minifigures at all. Anyone remember the Fabuland Freddy Fox? He is one of those nostalgic LEGO figures from our childhood that we can’t quite let go of.

Or the unfeasibly long-legged LEGO Technic figure?

Introduced in 1994, LEGO Belville characters were a radically bendy departure from the usual look and feel of LEGO figures…

And in 2016, a proper LEGO baby was born…oh come on! How cute is that? This baby also can’t classify as a minifigure as he doesn’t quite meet the height.

Traditionally, LEGO minifigures were yellow skinned to represent people from anywhere in the world, but in the 2000s minifigures were given realistic skins tones, facial expressions and moulder hair when based on people in real life, or named characters from movies, TV series etc.

These licensed characters first became available in 1999 with LEGO Star Wars and now there are more than 8,000 different minifigure characters. With over 9 billion of the little ones in existence (which is almost 30 times more than the population of the United States), they are perhaps the largest smallest population in the world.

But it is the simplicity and customizability that make the LEGO minifigure so cool, calm and highly collectible. That and the fact that you can’t help but feel affectionate to these adorable mini-icons… So it’s only natural that they have not only unlocked hours of fun play for bajillions of people around the world, but have their own spin-off hobbies and fandoms of stop-motion, toy photography and more.

Long-live the mini-ones!

Mini-facts about LEGO minifigures

• Until 1983, there were only two minifigure haircuts – pigtails and side parting. Now there are more than 200.

• Minifigure bodies were first decorated with stickers. The first to have a print on their body was a train conductor in 1978.

• You can always have a cheerful minifigure. Even characters with sad or scared faces have a happy expression printed on the other side of the head.

• It would take 9,610,000,000 minifigures stacked head-to-toe to reach from Earth to the moon.

• Chris Pratt is the actor with the most minifigure characters – Starlord (Guardians of the Galaxy), Owen Grady (Jurassic World), Emmett and Rex (LEGO Movies).

• 2,642: the number of sets in which black trousers have been included, making them the most popular item of clothing for minifigures

• Minifigures love to build – the construction helmet has been worn by more than 150 characters since 1978.

• Approximately 15 minifigures are produced every second.