History
The Collectible Minifigures line has been around since 2010, and in that time LEGO has taken the concept in a dozen different directions. Some series have been broad and eclectic, throwing together pirates, monsters, mythical creatures, and office workers in the same blind bag run. Others have gone fully licensed or themed. Series 28 lands firmly in the themed camp, and the theme it picks is one fans have been quietly asking for since single animal costumes started showing up and earning outsized love: an entire series of people dressed as animals.
This is not the first time LEGO has put a character in a full animal suit. The Chicken Suit from Series 9 remains one of the most beloved figures in CMF history. The Turkey Costume from Series 23 turned heads with its enormous hip-mounted tail piece. The Hamster, the Pterodactyl, the Pug: every time LEGO puts someone in a full-body animal costume, collectors go a little bit wild for them. Designer Tore Magelund Harmark-Alexandersen said it plainly at Fan Media Days: they just wanted to go full-on with animal costumes. Twelve figures, twelve new costumes, nothing held back. That kind of commitment to a single idea is what makes a great themed CMF wave.
For context, the previous series was Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse | #71050
, a licensed wave built around the animated film. My four-year-old son preferred that one, which is fair. Series 28 is a full pivot back to the original CMF spirit: original characters, original costumes, and the kind of joyful weirdness that has kept this line going for sixteen years.
The Set and Its Place in the LEGO Lineup
At $4.99 per blind bag, 71051 sits right at the standard CMF price point. Each bag contains one figure, its accessories, and one of the new lime green baseplates that run across the entire series. The green base was a deliberate design choice: the team wanted to suggest an outdoor costume party, and it works as both a thematic tie and a visual cohesion element when you display the complete set together.
This is an easy one to recommend as a full-series purchase rather than a casual grab-a-few proposition. Because every single figure is strong, the blind bag gamble feels lower-stakes than usual. You might end up with doubles, but doubles of this wave are not exactly a hardship. Collectors will want multiples anyway, just to display both builds of the figures that have meaningful alternate faces. Parents of younger kids will find the figures hold up well as actual play figures. They are distinct enough that each one feels like a character rather than a collectible chess piece.
What’s in the Box?
Each blind bag in 71051 comes with one assembled figure, one or two accessories, and one lime green 3x4 plate baseplate. There are no numbered bags to work through and no instruction booklet beyond a simple one-pager with a checklist on the back.
The lime green baseplates are a considered touch. The trans-orange stands from Series 26 Space felt similarly intentional, and it is good to see the team treating the baseplate as a design element rather than an afterthought. Displayed as a complete set, the baseplates pull the whole wave together in a way that a plain black stand never would.
Instructions Booklet
Build experience is not why you buy CMF. Assembling each figure takes a minute at most, and the instruction sheet doubles as a collector checklist. That is all it needs to be. The checklist format is something younger collectors genuinely use, and it is a solid practical inclusion.
Parts Breakdown
For a CMF wave, the parts density in Series 28 is impressive. Every single figure gets a brand new animal headwear element. That is twelve new molds in a single wave, and the quality is high across the board. Beyond the headwear there are new printed accessories, new hip elements, new fabric components, and one genuinely exciting new functional piece.
The standout new element for parts collectors is the Ring with Bar
Trans-Pink Life Preserver with Trans-Pink pattern
that comes with the Crocodile. This is a dual-molded piece in white and trans-dark pink, and it is a meaningful upgrade over every previous life preserver element LEGO has produced. The ring section is 5mm in diameter, compatible with Technic pins and standard studs, while the bar is the standard 3.18mm that fits minifigure hands and clips. It launched simultaneously in three City coast guard sets, but the trans-pink variant is exclusive to this CMF wave. That exclusivity alone makes the Crocodile a priority purchase for parts-focused collectors.
The Frog brings two Satin Trans-Clear dome pieces as bubbles, which are a new recolor and will immediately find use in MOC contexts. The Food Egg
White with Bright Pink Tulips, Bright Light Orange/Green Decorations print
from the Rabbit is an exclusive print on a mold that has been around since 2012 and will be familiar to anyone who has built Succulents | #10309
. The Brick 1 x 2 x 2
White with 'SNACK BOX', Parrot, Pellets print
from the Parrot is one of the more charming accessory prints in recent CMF memory.
The Parrot also brings two cloth fabric tail feathers in different sizes, blue and red, which stack together to create a staggered tail feather effect. Fabric elements always split the LEGO community, but these are well-executed and the staggered sizing is smarter than it looks at first glance. They connect to standard studs when another element is placed on top, so their utility in display and MOC contexts is real.
The Peacock tail piece connects via the hip, similar to the Turkey Costume tail from Series 23, but this version is printed with intricate detail that the Turkey piece did not have. The Wool / Yarn
Dark Pink
ball from the Cat is a welcome color for Dark Pink parts hunters. The Tile Round 2 x 2
Dark Azure with Yellow/White/Black Swirl, White Mountains print
frisbee from the Dalmatian is a new print on a useful mold that will carry over well into custom builds. The Goldfish torso with fins for arms has only appeared six times across the entire LEGO catalog, and Series 28 accounts for two of those six variants in a single wave, which tells you something about how deliberately this lineup was built out.
The Bag / Basket
Medium Nougat
from the Rabbit has been in production since 2012, but the Easter egg print inside it is exclusive to this set. The Monkey’s head print is also exclusive, which counts for something in a wave where the figure is otherwise one of the lighter entries.
The Build Experience
Peacock Suit
The Peacock opens the series with confidence. The new printed hip-mounted tail piece is the star: detailed, colorful, and immediately readable as a peacock. The printing is intricate in a way that the Turkey Costume tail from Series 23 was not, and it shows. The three-part buildable sunflower accessory is a slight oddity. It does not feel as connected to the figure’s personality as the other accessories in this wave, but the figure itself is so visually striking that the sunflower barely registers as a complaint. Both faces work well.
Cat Suit
This is one of the more modest figures in the series. The Cat Suit goes for a soft, minimal look that reads as cute but not particularly memorable next to the more elaborate entries. The Wool / Yarn
Dark Pink
ball accessory is a nice touch and the color is welcome. The sleeping alternate face is charming. But the overall figure is light on detail and light on exclusive elements, which puts it closer to the bottom of the ranking in a wave that otherwise delivers consistently. Not a weak figure in any objective sense. Just the least exciting one here.
Goldfish Suit
The Goldfish is a great example of LEGO making a torso work extremely hard. The fins-for-arms approach is one of the more distinctive designs in the whole wave, and the fact that this torso mold has only appeared six times across the entire LEGO catalog makes the Series 28 variant genuinely notable. The Brick Round 1 x 1
Yellow with Gold Fish print
is a fun accessory that reads as fish food once you clock what the figure is holding. CMF 28 uses two of those six torso variants in a single wave, which tells you how deliberately the design team built out this lineup.
Monkey Suit
The Monkey Suit is not one of the headliners, but it has more going on than it first appears. The head print is the real story: one side shows the character wearing a bandaid, the other has a red tongue-out expression that is full of personality. This is the only set to include this specific head, which makes it worth tracking down for minifigure customizers. The banana accessory is entirely expected and about as exciting as a banana tends to be. A middle-of-the-pack figure, but the head alone earns its place.
Frog Suit
The Frog is one of the best figures in the wave, and it snuck up on me a little. It took a moment to realize the accessory was a soap bubble blower rather than some kind of wand, but once that clicked the whole figure came together. The Bright Light Blue 1x1 round brick with bubbles print is one of those accessories where the concept lands perfectly once you work out what it is, and the alternate face showing the figure mid-blow is genuinely expressive. The new headwear mold is great, the two satin trans-clear dome pieces that represent the bubbles themselves are a useful new recolor, and the detail across the torso and legs is high. This one is going to be fondly remembered.
Koala Suit
The Koala has a lot of charm and a couple of small puzzles. The boomerang accessory is a great detail and a nice nod to builders down under. The eucalyptus branch is plain but contextually appropriate. The sleeping mask on one side of the head is a slightly unexpected choice, though there is logic to it: koalas do sleep a lot. That head is not exclusive, having appeared in a City set from 2023. For a figure with a brand new headwear mold, a non-exclusive face feels like a mild missed opportunity. Still a solid figure, and the midsize legs give it a distinctive silhouette in the lineup.
Dalmatian Suit
The Dalmatian is immediately likable. The tongue-out, out-of-breath alternate face is perfect for the character, and the spot printing extends convincingly across the arms and legs rather than stopping at the torso. The Tile Round 2 x 2
Dark Azure with Yellow/White/Black Swirl, White Mountains print
frisbee is a genuinely good new element that will find plenty of uses outside this figure. It makes the figure feel complete rather than padded out. Marvel fans will note that the spot printing parts have some potential for custom Spot builds, which is a fun bonus.
Crocodile Suit
This one is a personal favorite. The combination of the rubber duck accessory and the new life preserver ring creates a figure that immediately tells a small story: someone dressed as a crocodile, inexplicably ready for a pool party. Or a Peter Pan MOC. The Ring with Bar
Trans-Pink Life Preserver with Trans-Pink pattern
is a better piece than any previous life preserver LEGO has produced, and the Trans-Pink color is exclusive to this set. If you are only planning on buying one Crocodile, buy two.
Dolphin Suit
The Dolphin sits in the middle of the pack, and it is comfortable there. The headwear mold has a built-in tail, which gives it more sculptural presence than the smaller headwear pieces, and the clam with the diamond accessory is a fun detail. The overall figure does not have the personality of the Frog or the Crocodile, but it is a well-executed design that will look good in a complete display. Not one that demands multiples.
Rabbit Suit
The Rabbit’s standout is the basket. The Bag / Basket
Medium Nougat
mold has been in production since 2012, but the Easter egg print inside it is exclusive to this set. The Food Egg
White with Bright Pink Tulips, Bright Light Orange/Green Decorations print
will be familiar to botanical set fans. The figure itself is pleasant but not a standout. Its seasonal nature does make it a natural display piece around spring, which is something.
Lion Suit
The Lion is a strong figure with one genuinely weak accessory. The mane headwear is excellent: sculpted with real depth and texture, and readable as a lion at any scale. The dual-color tail with its darker tufted end is a nice new element that adds to the overall silhouette. The leg printing helps ground the costume read. And then there is the turkey leg, which is there because LEGO needed something and a turkey leg is a classic prop. It is not offensive, but in a wave where almost every other accessory tells a small story, the turkey leg just sits there. The figure more than compensates with everything else it brings.
Parrot Suit
The Parrot closes the wave and it closes it well. The wings-for-arms torso is a callback to the Series 9 Chicken Suit Guy, one of the most popular figures in CMF history, and the Parrot version updates that concept with wings that carry their own color printing. The large new headwear mold captures the curved beak of a macaw convincingly. The two fabric tail feathers, one larger blue and one smaller red, stack together to create a staggered tail effect that reads as genuinely parrot-like from behind. And the Brick 1 x 2 x 2
White with 'SNACK BOX', Parrot, Pellets print
is exactly the kind of accessory print that makes CMF special: small, specific, and funny. A great figure to close on.
The Finished Product
Displayed together, the twelve figures of Series 28 make one of the most visually cohesive CMF lineups in recent memory. The lime green baseplates do real work here, tying the figures together without making the display feel uniform. The range of silhouettes, from the compact Koala to the elaborate Peacock tail to the Parrot’s fabric feathers, creates a genuinely interesting shelf presence.
Every figure has two expressions to choose from. The alternate faces are not afterthoughts here: the Frog’s bubble-blowing face, the Dalmatian’s tongue-out panting, the Monkey’s bandaid-and-tongue combo, and the Cat’s sleeping expression are all genuinely good uses of the double-sided head format.
Play viability is high. These are not fragile display-only figures. The accessories are sturdy, the headwear is well-seated, and the figures themselves are standard minifigure construction underneath the costumes. They drop into any City, Friends, or custom build without looking out of place, because a person in an animal costume is, by definition, a person in an animal costume: inherently plausible in any setting.
The Real Talk
The Good Stuff
Twelve figures, twelve new headwear molds, and not a single one that feels like it is just filling a slot. The parts selection is strong for any CMF wave, with the trans-pink life preserver ring alone justifying multiple purchases of the Crocodile. The lime green baseplates are a thoughtful touch across the board. The accessories consistently tell small stories about their characters rather than just existing as generic props. The Frog, the Crocodile, the Parrot, and the Peacock are all genuinely great figures. The whole wave has a tonal consistency that makes it feel designed rather than assembled, and that is harder to pull off than it looks.
The Not So Good Stuff
The Cat and the Dolphin are the relative weak points of the wave, though “weak” here only means “not as interesting as the other ten,” which is an unusually high bar. Neither brings exclusive head prints or landmark accessories, and both feel slightly underdeveloped compared to the figures around them.
The Koala’s non-exclusive face is a mild surprise given the new headwear mold. The turkey leg on the Lion is uninspired and feels like a placeholder rather than a considered choice. The sunflower on the Peacock is fine but disconnected from the character in a way that most of the other accessories are not.
It is also worth being upfront about what this series is not: it is not a high-parts-count wave in the traditional sense. These are minifigures. The build experience is measured in seconds. If you want something to sit down and assemble over an evening, this is not it. The value here is entirely in the characters, the parts, and the display.
Should You Buy It?
Yes, and probably more than one of each if you care at all about the parts side of things. For display collectors, buying a full set of twelve and then a second round of your favorites is the obvious move: most of the best figures in this wave have meaningful alternate faces worth showing off simultaneously.
For parents of younger kids, these make excellent play figures precisely because they are so immediately readable as characters. A child does not need context to understand the Frog or the Dalmatian or the Lion. They just work.
For parts collectors, the Crocodile is the priority purchase, followed by the Parrot for the fabric elements and the Peacock for the hip-mounted tail. The Goldfish torso is worth attention for anyone who did not grab it from its earlier appearances.
And for the builder who wants to display a complete CMF wave and have it actually look good as a group, this is one of the strongest waves for that purpose in recent memory. The lime baseplates, the variety of silhouettes, and the consistent quality across all twelve figures make Series 28 a display wave as much as a collectibles one.
Final Score
Build Experience: 1/10 - CMF figures take under a minute to assemble and that is fine, because that is not the point.
Design: 10/10 - Twelve figures, twelve new headwear molds, and no dead weight anywhere in the lineup.
Parts Quality: 9/10 - The new life preserver ring, exclusive prints, useful recolors, and a Dalmatian frisbee that will find a second life in a hundred MOCs.
Playability: 10/10 - Every figure has two faces, sturdy accessories, and enough personality to drop into any play setting without needing context.
Overall: 10/10 - One of the most cohesive and consistently strong CMF waves in years, and the one I am most glad to have on the shelf.