Every now and then, LEGO does something absolutely delightful, groundbreaking and important that demonstrates that why they’re not only THE leading toy brand in the world, but also ahead of the curve in advancing progressive social issues.
Introducing a very special LEGO set – 40516 Everyone is Awesome to celebrate and commemorate Pride Month – a monthlong celebration of the LGBTQIA+ community, overcoming struggles that they have endured as a marginalised community.
The set will be released on 1 June 2021, and will retail for US$34.99 / AU$59.99 / 30GBP and will be available from LEGO.com and LEGO Brand Retail Stores.
See below for regional pricing and links:
- LEGO 40516 Everyone is Awesome [US] – US$34.99
- LEGO 40516 Everyone is Awesome [AUS] – AU$59.99
- LEGO 40516 Everyone is Awesome [UK] – £30.00
- LEGO 40516 Everyone is Awesome [EU] – €34.99
- LEGO 40516 Everyone is Awesome [CAN] – CA$44.49
I was honoured to be provided a set to review, so I hope you enjoy this quick review!
Special thanks to LEGO for providing this review set.
Name: Everyone is Awesome
Set Number: 40516
Pieces: 346
Price: US$34.99 / AU$59.99 / 30GBP [USA] [AUS] [UK]
Exclusive to: LEGO Brand Retail Stores, LEGO.com
Theme: Merchandise / Promotional
Release Date: 1 June 2021
LEGO is no stranger to championing progressive causes that align with their brand values – from promoting renewable energy via the Vestas Wind Turbine to acknowledging Black Lives Matter and donating money to advancing racial equality.
This set design was led by Vice President of Design Matthew Ashton who remarked:
If you haven’t already, be sure to also watch this designer video to hear directly from Matthew, and his experience growing up.
“I wanted to create a model that symbolises inclusivity and celebrates everyone, no matter how they identify or who they love. Everyone is unique, and with a little more love, acceptance and understanding in the world, we can all feel more free to be our true AWESOME selves! This model shows that we care, and that we truly believe ‘Everyone is awesome’!”
The set makes great use of the instruction manual to educate on the purpose of the set, and how it reflects LEGO’s values of diversity and inclusion.
Here’s a look at the box design, which works well as this is technically an 18+/Creator Expert set.
The neon-like colours work well against the black backdrop and the set title is an inclusive spin on Everything is Awesome from The LEGO Movie, which is coincidentally performed by Tegan & Sara, both of whom are openly gay and vocal supporters of LGBTIQA rights.
The set is a charming burst of rainbow colours, featuring the following shades, and the introduction of monochrome minifigures, fondly called “monofigures” which have a small niche within Adult LEGO fans.
- Black
- Reddish Brown
- Red
- Orange
- Yellow
- Green
- Blue
- Dark Purple
- Bright Light Blue
- White
- Dark Pink
The minifigure selection is brilliant, and for many LEGO fans, will represent an easy, out of the box way to kickstart your LEGO monofigure collection.
We get new elements and brightly coloured hairpieces and colours were selected to reflect the original rainbow flag, along with pale blue, white and pink representing the trans community, and black and brown to acknowledge the diversity of skin tones and backgrounds within the LGBTQIA+ community.
In all but one case no specific gender has been assigned to the figures, who are intended to “express individuality, while remaining ambiguous”.
The exception, a purple minifigure with a highly stylised beehive wig, “is a clear nod to all the fabulous drag queens out there”, said the designer, Matthew Ashton, who initially created the set for his own desk.
These are absolutely brilliant, and I love just how well they look lined up together.
The stand itself is a great way to display them, almost looking like paint streaks flowing down and painting these minifigures, and they’re positioned at an angle to create a pleasing visual effect that communicates depth particularly well.
The curves are also really nice, and has a gentle way of referencing a rainbow without it looking too much like an actual one.
Here’s a look at the base which have studs for the minifigures to be affixed to. The build is entirely studless which should please SNOT devotees.
You can also display it upright like this is you like.
The minifigures are absolutely the highlight of the set, and although this set is primarily designed to be displayed on a desk or surface, you can by virtue of them being minifigures display them in all sorts of different positions and poses.
Here they are next to a Grimms Rainbow.
This is a fantastic use of LEGO’s influence, and medium to promote a great message of inclusivity and diversity, and it’s great to see LEGO so openly support LGBTIQA+ rights.
I have many friends who identify as gay, lesbian or bisexual including people very, very close to me, and I showed them the set to get their thoughts. They’re not hardcore LEGO fans and I was eager to get their perspectives.
Here’s what they said
Great to see such a big brand express support, especially when they do have a lot to lose given a key audience is children, which is always a particularly sensitive audience to serve.
- love that it inclusively incorporate not just the original pride flag but also the trans flag colours + the diversity of skin tones to recognise intersectionality.
- The use of intentionally ambiguous gendered mini figures helps lend a “we are all the same humans” view and also supports those who do not identify as male or female.
- and doing all this in a way that’s obvious but not intentionally excluding non-queer people, cause it just looks nice and simple and a great statement piece to be able to display.
- not sure how the packaging will be but it’d be great if there was some info on pride month for people to read alongisde the build itself
-Anonymous
I love the idea of the set. To be offical seen and it to be so inclusive. It a little disappointing they are limiting the scope of it being seen to only lego brand stores; rather than the wider retail community; but I understand from a marketing point of view why they did that. It’s great it’s not gender specific; and includes all
It’s Intresting they mentioned the inclusion of the rainbow flag in smaller sets; and they brick heads bride n groom as a separate set. I’d love them to create a wedding topper with two brides / grooms
As a statement set for the work desk it’s great. I’ll be buying as many as I can to give to friends and family for weddings / gifts / etc
-Wade
This is most likely one of the most important LEGO sets released in 2021, and I’m exceedingly proud to be a LEGO fan and blogger.
What I liked:
- An absolutely beautiful message in a gorgeous, eye-catching set
- Monofigures are awesome!
- Makes for an amazing gift to LGBTIQ friends and family, or to display as an ally
What I didn’t like:
- Availability could be wider
Final Thoughts:
It’s not been easy to be part of the LGBTQIA+ community, and their freedoms and equal rights has been a hard-fought struggle, which is why Pride Month is such an important time.
Beyond just a toy or a display piece, this is a watershed moment for LEGO where they advance their brand beyond just a toy, and use their influence and reach to stand for equal rights and acceptance.
As a “toy”, this is a really great set – accessible, affordable, and most importantly carries a great message with it. It’ll make a really great gift for allys or those that identify as LGBTQIA+ and is something to proudly display wherever you are.
Taking the message out of it, the monofigures are an excellent expansion to minifigure accessories, and they’re just fun to add to your collection, even if you’re a veteran monofigure collector, or are new to this.
My only concerns are that this will be an extremely popular set, and judging by the reception this has been getting online, I fully expect this to sell out.
Scalping and reselling are an unfortunate part of any collectible hobby, and I really hope that people do not intentionally choose to profit over this set. Hopefully, LEGO would’ve expected that demand will be high and there will be thousands of these sets produced.
With Pride Month approaching, I can absolutely recommend this set to anyone and everyone, because everyone is awesome.
40516 Everyone is Awesome is proof that with just a few colourful interlocking plastic bricks, you can send a strong message that it is truly possible to Rebuild The World into a more tolerant and inclusive place.
Rating: 5/5
40516 Everyone is Awesome will be released on 1 June 2021, and will retail for US$34.99 / AU$59.99 / 30GBP and will be available from LEGO.com and LEGO Brand Retail Stores.
What do you think of this set’s design and the minifigures? Will you be picking one up at launch? Let me know in the comments!
Special thanks to LEGO for providing this set for review.
Just finished building it. Not a particularly interesting kit, tbh. But awesome colours, and has already led to a fun discussion with the kid about diversity and inclusivity. Big thumbs up.
I’m hily offended by this rilece from lego not bicuse of the contagious implyd by the set but that it actually flies in the face of what this TOY and the ethics that sround that ment both as a company and to the consumer it has bin my understanding that leggo was made for all to play and creat in a pecful hamonius way anyway and that views were those of the creator not imposed by the company are go company pocy not to introduce religion war or common divides in cultur into ther sets so as to allow for fremided choice and play it sadns me to see this set as it has truly destroyed what I value in this product SHAME ON YOU LEGGO for selling out to cancle culture and your own surplus morales for popular best opinion shame suffice to say I will no longer be pechersing leggo 😔😔😔😔😡😡😡😈
LOL, excellent mickey take 🙂
lmao act like they care pop off with your homophobic sh-ts lmao
What are you trying to spell here. Lego will be fine without homophobic customers. They don’t cater to those.
Phil, what you’ve just said is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard. At no point in your rambling, incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul.
I’m 99% certain that that was a parody, not an actual genuine troll post. For one thing it’s got too many correct spellings and has a coherent structure for it to be genuine. Can you imagine such a person actually being able to string these few words at the end together: “suffice to say I will no longer be”.
Being a Lego fan is the only thing I still have, since I’ve been away from my family because of my sexuality and their religion.
So this new set will mean so much to me. Can’t wait to build it and keep it on my desk!
The arms-length message is solid. But in a time when people want to read into everything, maybe they should have made it so the mini figs all stand side by side instead of one color being in front of all the others. Make the color stripes 4 studs wide so each fig has enough space.
Perhaps you could rotate the heads 45 degrees to the left, like the blue one in the middle, so that their faces line up? Or perhaps arrange them in a conga dance like the one on the side of the box?
You can customize the set they said anyway you choose. So line them all up, put your preference in front of the colors you feel are lesser or line then all up in a line, geez. It’s legit they’re able to be built created and moved by the person playing with them.
OK the UK price is £31 (£30.99) !
I know Matthew Ashton, he comes from a village just a few miles from where I live and I follow him on Twitter so I must own this piece of history 🙂
As a man with sexual fluid, I am pleased with this set! It’s not really about LGBT+, because this includes people of colors, according to the set’s “Everyone is Awesome”! It’s a nice touch. Definitley, it wil create a positive impact! 🙂
However, I am disappointed very very little. Why, you may ask? Where are minifigures with disabilities? Such as wheelchair, hearing aid/cochlear implant, guide dog, guiding stick, etc? You see, I am a deaf-blind Lego fan here so I feel like I’m not exactly represented by this set. I mean, “Everyone is Aweosme” I supposed to be a celebration for EVERYONE, you know? That’s all I wanted to say. 🙂
Lego already has figs who need accessibility aids. There are wheelchair needing figs, cochlear implant, and seeing eye needing figs in their City theme sets.
They’ve existed for a few years now.
I want this for my classroom (I teach middle school). If it’s going to sell out, I need a strategy to make sure I get one. Nice job, LEGO.
Do they even allow that kind of thing in middle school classrooms? (High schools, maybe, but surely not middle or elementary.)
Oh, yes. This is part of 7th grade health. I have had three students talk to me about their preferred pronouns and identity in this year alone. There are posters promoting inclusion all over campus. It’s a far cry from what was taught back in my day. I am thankful.
Huh. Where I live, not even the openly gay teachers do that kind of thing. The prevailing wisdom (among all teachers) is that 7th grade is a little early to question one’s sex. When you say “health”, is that a general term or part of a physical ed curriculum?
Middle Schoolers are already questioning their sexuality. The thought in our state is that we need to give them accurate information and support their social emotional well-being. It’s included at each school as a separate class or as part of the PE program. Many students can’t come out to their parents and need a safe, supportive place.
I actually don’t teach the curriculum since I’m a math teacher, but I want students to know that my classroom is a safe haven. LEGO is a great tool for engaging students. Many great discussions will be stirred by it’s presence on my desk. I’m excited for this.
Yikes. 7th grade isn’t early to know how you feel as a kid. 7th graders are already talking about girlfriends and boyfriends and who they like.
For some, especially in my region, it’s early.
Kids might not be able to put into words the feelings they are having, but believe me when I say they know something is different about them. The region you are in doesn’t change that. Sounds like your region just doesn’t have representation that these kids can actually identify with and that makes things harder for them. I feel sorry for them.
Yeah, that’s what I mean. Even the liberals don’t really care. It’s kind of a, “Oh. You’re queer? Yeah, saw that coming. What’s for dinner?” mentality. The queer community in my area has a nice mindset, I think. We don’t want hostile focus, but we don’t need everyone giving us special attention and treating us like orchids in the middle of January.
I never thought I’d stay up to midnight to get a set from the online shop, but I just set a reminder for this one. Can’t wait to build it with my little one. He gets lots of messages from his parents about inclusivity, but having a Lego set on the them with some nice messages in the instructions? That too is awesome!
But Jay, please push down the blue curved bricks. That gap is all I can see. 😉
My wife is non-binary. Coming out had been a very difficult process for her because some people in her immediate family were downright toxic in their responses, seeming to almost take offense that “The Girl” does identify as simply a girl anymore – as if it some act of rebellion instead of simply allow the world to see her as she is.
Seeing this set brought tears to my eyes. I’m totally ordering it for her, as a surprise. Our daughter (5) and I will build it in secret and leave it for her to find.
How utterly fantastic and unexpected!
However the black box and 18+ branding looks even more ridiculous here.
It does make the colors pop. (18+ to inoculate themselves against parents who wouldn’t want this readily available for their children. Standard issue for companies like LEGO.)
Agree the black box makes the colours pop but the 18+ is ridiculous – it is inconsistent with the otherwise very positive messaging of the set – either you support inclusion or you don’t – you shouldn’t pander to the bigots by limiting the age.
It’s just symbolic. Nothing is stopping anyone from buying this for their kid. Another reason could be the inherent lack of playability (like the Skyline sets), or the fact that, among Lego fans, LGBT activism is a profession largely limited to AFOLS. (Speaking as a gay person myself, and totally off-topic for this forum, I think that calling a Bible-believing Christian a bigot is on the same plane as calling Jesse Jackson a racial slur. I know you didn’t call anyone out by name, but that’s the only group that opposes this thing consistently.)
Fingers crossed this isn’t too hard to buy!
And that it signals greater representation in wider release sets in the future.
This set. Sends a powerful message that everyone is awesome except for white people. The message would have been even more inclusive and powerful if he had added a light nougat figure to represent white people. That way everyone was included. But no. He had to exslude white people. Becuse white people apparently aren’t allowed to be awesome or proud.
Yellow figures have been used to represent whites for decades. It’s only with movie tie-ins that fleshtones started to be used.
I mean… there is a literally white minifigure in the center of the trans flag, and I’m not sure what pride flag you’ve been looking at that has Caucasian flesh toned stripes. Not to mention LEGO figures, even ones representing white characters have always been yellow unless a licensed property. There’s no exclusion happening here. And again, what pride flag do you have with a white skin tone stripe?
On the subject of trolls, wouldn’t it be great if Lego did a Troll Bridge set? 🙂
I mean I hope this person is a troll because if they’re serious… blimey.