Review: LEGO 40516 Everyone is Awesome (Pride Month LEGO set)
May 20, 2021
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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.
