Review: LEGO 41717 Mia’s Wildlife Rescue

May 16, 2022 | 3

Continuing with my Summer 2022 early reviews, I’ll also be taking a look the new wave of LEGO Friends sets, which are due to be released in June 2022 in UK/Europe, and August 2022 in Australia and North America.

The Summer 2022 wave of LEGO Friends are once again filled with awesome new sets that take the Friends minidolls to new settings. My first review from the wave is 41717 Mia’s Wildlife Rescue which excitingly introduces 2 new LEGO animals – a Giraffe and baby Zebra.

I’m a big fan of LEGO animals, even the Friends variants, so this was a really fun set to knock out, and I wanted to surprise my 5 year old daughter with a brand new set that isn’t on LEGO shelves yet.

Let’s jump into the review!

Special thanks to the LEGO Group for providing this set and the rest of the Friends Summer 2022 wave for review.

41717 Mia’s Wildlife Rescue Set Details

Name: Mia’s Wildlife Rescue
Set Number: 41717
Pieces: 430
Price: AU$79.99 | US$49.99 | £44.99 – Buy from LEGO.com [AUS] [USA] [UK] [Amazon] [Amazon Australia]
Exclusive to: N/A
Theme: Friends
LEGO Designers:
Release Date: 1 June 2022 [UK & Europe] 1 August 2022 [USA, Australia, Canada]

Unfortunately, it looks like the Friends sets have also been tainted by the new white manual design. I’m not a fan of these at all, and they really take out the vibrancy of the set packaging and design.

It just looks so sterile and unimaginative.

Here’s a look at the sticker sheet – Friends sets get a pass with stickers, as I’ve always enjoyed the cute illustrations, of which there are so many here! The stickers are one of the highlights of the set, and kids like my daughter seem to like them.

Stickers are almost a currency for kids, so they’re much less taboo.

There are 3 minidolls included in the set, with 2 new characters introduced – from left to right we have Dr Makena, Mia and Joaquim.

I believe Joaquim and Dr Makena are new characters!

Here’s a better look at the minidolls – Dr Makena is dressed casually with khaki 3-quarter trousers, a sleeveless denim jacket, and a pink top. Mia has her Safari shirt on, and so is Joaquim. Joaquim has badges all over his shirt, which suggests that he’s some sort of scout, or safari guide.

The set ticks all the right diversity boxes – it’s great to see more male minidolls, and I love that we’re seeing more of these African/African-American hairstyles in sets. The braids on Dr Makena’s wig are especially nice.

The star of the set – the Giraffe stands really tall. It’s really exciting to see LEGO finally give us a Giraffe, albeit a Friends version which has more cartoony eyes, but it’s a great looking giraffe.

Strangely, the giraffe feels unexpectedly light – almost like it weighs less than it should. I’m not sure if its because its hollow, or LEGO have been ultra-efficient with the plastic used for this mould.

Here’s a look at how tall the Giraffe is – a Friends minidoll can almost fit in between its legs!

Here’s a comparison with the Duplo Giraffe.

And here’s a comparison with the Giraffe Suit Guy from LEGO Movie Minifigures Series 2.

The Giraffe isn’t the only new African animal introduces, we also get a baby Zebra! Not quite a full-grown Zebra, but this is still pretty good, and is just a recoloured LEGO Foal.

Like the Giraffe, this is a “Friends” version which has cartoony eyes.

Like the Giraffe, I’m stoked to finally get a System Zebra, and I can’t wait for a full-sized one. Hopefully as a LEGO version too.

To begin, here’s a look at a small rocky outcrop, which features a skinny tree. A scorpion lurks within a lair, and there’s even a small waterfall next to it.

There is a small play feature, where you can “push” the Scorpion, making it pop out from its cave on unsuspecting explorers!

Not Mia!

This area is quite basic, but I like the use of the bright light yellow base.

And for foliage fans, the Plant Leaves 6 x 5 come in Sand Green, I believe for the first time ever!

There’s also a brightly coloured ATV for Dr Nakema to zip around the safari. It’s very, very loud, but the colours work surprisingly well together, and there’s the Wildlife Rescue Center logo sticker on the front.

There’s a small case behind, which contains samples, and curiosities that can be taken back to the centre for more study.

Curiously, the ATV doesn’t have a steering wheel, which begs the question how you steer it!

Here’s a look at the Wildlife Rescue Center – it’s essentially a remote Veterinary Hospital, specially built for Safari Animals, and features a very unique white, and orange colour scheme.

It’s a good-sized building that will easily fit in with other Friends structures, and I especially like the eye-catching orange pillar out the front, and the small garage where the ATV can be parked.

There are lots of glass panels, which give it a modern look, and I imagine with sprawling safari vistas, the inhabitants would also want great views of its surrounds.

Here’s a closer look at the orange pillar, which is covered with gorgeous traditional African-inspired artwork – it’s about 18-studs high, and features charming drawings of Giraffes, Elephants, and Zebras.

Oh, and I love this little gecko/lizard sticker on the exterior!

There’s an small balcony/observation deck on the upper floor, with some leaves that the Giraffe can lazily munch. There’s a bench, that also doubles as storage for leaves that can be fed to the giraffes.

Here’s a look at the back of the Wildlife Rescue Center – for a small building, it makes great use of the space, with a Lab on the Upper floor, a sink and weighing station on the ground floor.

The sink has a tap, bottle of handwash, and a great sticker, which has a cute “no-germs” illustration on it, as well as paper towels to dry your hands.

Here’s the scale, and at the back are shelf stickers with a bookshelf, first aid kit, and some test tubes/medicine on the lower level.

There are clips for Friends vet/medical accessories – to store a mint-coloured stethoscope, syringe, and otoscope, as well as a large weighing scale.

The weighing scale can also be removed, to reveal storage for more accessories.

There are also clips on the central pillar, with a clipboard with the zebra’s vitals, as well as a tablet/phone.

It seems with the main Friends girls in different settings for this wave, they still keep in touch via video call – in this, Mia has Andrea, who looks like she’s in the same dress as what she’s wearing in Andrea’s Theatre School.

Oh and out the front is a wall-calendar, with a cute baby elephant and its mum, with the date 22 April circled – likely the birthday or significant date of the graphic designer.

Beneath is an ant farm!

On the upper floor, is a large room where more tests can be conducted on sick animals. There is a “control centre” with a large colourful map of the Safari, with the locations of all the animals – hopefully we’ll get more elephants soon!

There’s a microscope, which has a tiny bug being studied in a petri dish.

And on the right, is an X-Ray machine – the stickered glass panel features an X-ray of the Baby Zebra which is really neat. Looks like it broke its front leg, the poor thing.

What I liked:

• Two new animals – a Giraffe and baby Zebra!
• Exciting new African setting with an attractice structure
• Plenty of play features and rooms inside
• Diverse minidolls
• Great graphics on the sticker sheet that add so much flavour to the set

What I didn’t like: 

• I’d like maybe one or two smaller animals
• Giraffe feels quite light
• Could use more foliage

FINAL THOUGHTS:

For a LEGO Friends set, this is a really competent and complete set that offers a ton of playability and interactivity. With 3 minidolls, and 2 exciting new animal, there’s so much play potential here, and whether you’re buying this set for yourself, or a younger child, you won’t be disappointed.

The Giraffe and baby Zebra are big drawcards for me as they’re animals that have never been done in System before, so animal collectors will have a field day here. I also appreciated the diverse minidolls, something that other themes can and should take lessons from.

The Wildlife Rescue Centre is also well-designed. Unlike most Friends buildings, which are usually pastel coloured, the white and orange make it look more neutral, and less “girly”, and it works really well as a Safari/Wildlife hospital.

The interiors are plenty of fun, and I think this set also has great educational value, to teacher younger builders about African animals, as well as the importance of Wildlife Rescue.

If you’re a fan of LEGO Friends, this is a great set to add to your collection, and I’m glad that it doesn’t cost an arm and a leg. It’s maybe a bit pricey, but as it’s a Friends set, it should go on discount which is when it becomes a really compelling purchase.

If you’re a fan of LEGO animals, and want more African animals, you won’t be disappointed at all!

Rating and score: 3/5 ★★★✰✰

Build [3] – A very easy, and simple build – suitable for younger builders
Real Value [3] – Decently priced – building is a little small, but the Giraffe and baby Zebra make up for it
Innovation [3] – I really like the design of the Wildlife Rescue Center, especially the orange feature pillar
Coolness [4] – Very excited for the debut of the Giraffe and baby Zebra
Keepability [4] – New Animals and a great-looking outdoor hospital make this a great set to keep around

Thanks so much for reading! 41717 Mia’s Wildlife Rescue will be available in UK & Europe on 1 June 2022, and in North America (US & Canada) and Australia on 1 August 2022.

Be sure to keep your eyes out on the blog for more Summer 2022 LEGO Friends reviews in the coming days and weeks!

Special thanks to the LEGO Group for providing this set and the rest of the Friends Summer 2022 wave for review.

What do you think of 41717 Mia’s Wildlife Rescue and the introduction of the giraffe and baby Zebra?

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