Unless you’ve been living with the cast of Utopia, you know LEGOs are insanely popular with just about everyone on the planet. In fact, this year, LEGO earned itself the top spot as the world’s most-profitable toy company. There are LEGO theme parks and discovery centers, LEGO hotels, TV shows based on LEGOs and this year’s box-office smash The LEGO Movie. But at the core, it’s the beloved, old-school bricks that have earned the company fame, fortune and much adoration. No wonder there are already rumors of a shortage for the holidays. In other words, it’s time to get shopping. Here are some of our favorites from this year. LEGO Duplos are the perfect way to start younger kids off with bricks that are just the right size. The LEGO Duplo Deluxe Box of Fun ($49.99 at Toys R Us) has two cute figures as well as animals, decorated bricks and a wagon base. Manufacturer’s suggested age: 18 months–5 years If your preschooler is already obsessed with superheroes, give her this fun LEGO Duplo Batcave Adventure ($44.88 at Walmart).
It features Batman, the Batwing, Batcave, Batarang and the Caped Crusader’s sneaky nemesis Catwoman. Manufacturer’s suggested age: 2–5 years This year, LEGO introduced Juniors, a nice stop for kids who’ve mastered Duplos but aren’t quite ready for the classic sets. (The sizes will fit with the classics, but some of the shapes are already pre-made, so the process is a bit easier and less intricate.) The LEGO Juniors Pony Farm ($29.99 at Target) has enough figures and bricks to fully immerse an animal lover for hours. Manufacturer’s suggested age: 4–7 yearsWith Juniors Knight’s Castle ($49.95 at Barnes & Noble), young builders create a thrilling play space while a brave knight fights to protect his king’s treasure. The popular LEGO Friends line focuses on five female friends from Heartlake City. During their initial debut, the friends stayed close to home, but now they’re ready to head afield. For kids who love being in the great outdoors, Andrea’s Mountain Hut ($9.99 at Toys R Us) has spot-on details like a campfire, marshmallows, camera, map and squirrel.
Manufacturer’s suggested age: 5–12 years LEGO partners with other huge brands to create licensed products like its Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle sets, which expand on the story children know and love. ), Leonardo tries to stop Karai as she races away on her motorcycle with a stolen mutagen canister. It wouldn’t be Christmas without LEGO’s advent calendars, a sweet way to celebrate this special month with your family. ), City Advent Calendar ($29.95 at Amazon) or the Star Wars Advent Calendar ($39.99 at Toys R Us). Manufacturer’s suggested age: 5–12 years for the Friends and City calendars; 6–14 years for the Star Wars calendar From top left: LEGO Friends Advent Calendar; Star Wars Advent Calendar; and City Advent Calendar If your child is ready for her own train set, check out the awesomely detailed City Train Station ($62.50 at Kmart) and City High-Speed Passenger Train ($134.99 at Target), with a motorized locomotive with remote control. Manufacturer’s suggested age: 6–12 years for the Train Station;
6 years and up for the Passenger Train LEGO has Star Wars fans covered and then some, with a whopping 25 new Star Wars sets created this year. Go old school with the Millennium Falcon ($9.97 at Walmart), which is nicely priced for a stocking stuffer and includes the always-brilliant Han Solo. Manufacturer’s suggested age: 6–12 years ) that features characters from Guardians of the Galaxy. A new partnership this year between LEGO and Disney resulted in six princess sets. I’m particularly enamored of Rapunzel’s Creativity Tower ($39.95 at Barnes & Noble) because it’s so lovely and intricate. You’ll get plenty of bang for your buck with the Creator line: Each set can be built three different ways. ), or use the pieces to build a cute squirrel or teddy bear. Manufacturer’s suggested age: 7–12 years ), Mia pilots the chopper, and her friend Matthew handles the off-roader as the duo races to save a baby bear (aw!) in peril. The Ultra Agents are all about daring missions and fighting crime, and the sets have a digital twist: They come with a downloadable app that lets kids delve even deeper into pretend play.
With the Ultra Agents Riverside Raid ($11.99 at Kmart), they can build a quad bike and jet speeder, and then make sure Ultra Agent Max stops a bad guy from stealing toxic compounds. My son is particularly obsessed with superheroes, so he loves Batman: The Joker Steam Roller ($44.88 at Amazon) and its five mini figures, including the most compelling bad guy around, the Joker. Manufacturer’s suggested age: 7–14 years The LEGO Movie Cloud Cuckoo Palace (left) and The Flying Flusher For the gear-inclined, the Technic sets all have detailed functionality as well as a two-in-one design. For example, the realistic LEGO Technic Snowmobile ($14.99 at Walmart) can be rebuilt into a speedy snow motorcycle. Manufacturer’s suggested age: 8–14 years I’d try to explain the elaborate mythology behind the Legends of Chima, but it’s super complicated, so I’ll cut to the chase: good versus evil, humor and terror, tons of action and battles, and a Cartoon Network series that brings the storyline to TV.
With the Eris’ Fire Eagle Flyer ($23.99 at Target), Eris and her flyer can save Lagravis (good guy) from Strainor (bad guy), who has stolen Lagravis’ CHI (the source of life for Chima creatures). Dude, that’s not cool. If your child prefers ninjas, the Ninjago line has her name on it. Check out the cool X-1 Ninja Charger ($34.97 at Walmart), Kai’s insane fighting machine that allows him to do battle with the Nindroids. Brand-new Hobbit sets have just been released right in time for this December’s movie. ) is seriously cool for J.R.R. Tolkien fans, LEGO lovers and everyone else.Start with a cafe that serves up treats, and head over to the bike shop. Then rebuild this as an auto repair shop or flower shop. Manufacturer’s suggested age: 9–14 years I find childlike delight in LEGO’s Winter Village Series, with a rose-colored view of everything holidays. ), with its sleigh, reindeer, Christmas tree and, of course, Santa and Mrs. Claus. Manufacturer’s suggested age: 12 years and up