Review: LEGO Minifigures Series 16

October 1, 2016 | 31

Now that things have settled down at home and I’m getting used to the idea of being a dad, I’m very happy to finally bring you my review of LEGO’s latest set of minifigures – Series 16!

LEGO Minifigures Series 16 officially went on sale in September and has been available in most of your usual toy stores. There was a strange occurrence this year in which LEGO started selling Series 16 early in the USA – possibly because the Disney Series sold out so quickly.

If you’d like to check out some of my previous LEGO Minifigure reviews, check out the Minifigure Series Reviews  section in the Review Hub.

After strong runs with Disney Series and Series 15, LEGO have set the bar really high for its much-loved Minifigure Series in 2016.

If you’re new to LEGO’s Collectible Minifigure Series, the premise works like this – each blind bag costs $5 ($4 in the US) and contains a “mystery” minifigure. The blind bags are yellow for Series 16, a throwback to Series 1, which kicked off the entire minifigure-collecting craze.

Here’s a look at the leaflet included in each blind bag which serves as a checklist for all the characters in the series.

On the other side of the leaflet, we have an advertisement for the official LEGO Minifigures site which contains a wealth of trivia and multimedia content featuring Series 16 characters. Some of them are quite well made!

We also have instructions for the Cute Little Devil and Ice Queen, to help younger kids who might need some guidance on how to assemble all the parts together.

Here’s the breakdown of each box of Series 16 minifigs, which should give you an idea of the relative rarity of each minifigure. Like previous series, each box should guarantee 3 complete sets of minifigures. Here’s the full list and their quantities in each box!

5x Banana Guy
5x Desert Warrior
5x Spy
4x Mariachi
4x Cute Little Devil
4x Hiker
4x Rogue
4x Dog Show Winner
4x Spooky Boy
3x Babysitter
3x Scallywag Pirate
3x Cyborg
3x Ice Queen
3x Penguin Boy
3x Kickboxer
3x Wildlife Photographer

If you click the name of each minifigure, you’ll instantly jump to the corresponding minifigure review! For the “feelers out there”, my reviews also contain a “How To Find One” section with actual tips on how you can best identify the minifigs in their blind bags.

If you’re new to my LEGO Minifigure reviews, I use a 5-point scale review scale to rate each minifig. Here’s what the numbers mean!

5/5 – I love it
4/5 – I really like it
3/5 – I like it
2/5 – I don’t like it
1/5 – I didn’t really like it
0/5 – I hate it

Now all of that is out of the way, let’s get into my Series 16 review!

Banana Guy “Did somebody say BANANA?!?”

Series 16 character description and quotes lifted from LEGO’s Character Profiles page.

Whenever somebody at a party mentions bananas, you can bet that the Banana Guy will be there. He’s just a wild and crazy guy in a banana suit who loves two things: bananas and partying. It doesn’t matter what kind of party it is; as long as there’s music and dancing, he’ll be boogieing down banana-style until either the party ends or the Gorilla Suit Guy shows up.

The Banana Guy never takes his banana costume off in public (he doesn’t want anybody to slip on the peel, which the Clumsy Guy definitely appreciates), so nobody is quite sure who’s behind those sunglasses and that grin. But there’s one thing about the Banana Guy that can be said for certain: he’s an excellent source of potassium!

If you think Hot Dog Man was the silliest minifigure ever, meet Banana Guy, a banana-obsessed minifigure dressed up as a Giant Banana.

LEGO definitely took  inspiration from one of the internet’s most ancient memes – the dancing Banana from Peanut Butter Jelly Time. Quick confession: I was obsessed with this song at one point in time and had it as my phone ringtone.

I was very impressed by a couple of things. Firstly, the Banana Suit itself, which is made out of solid plastic. The design is great and it fits very well on the minifig. If the mould wasn’t impressive enough, I really loved that LEGO went the extra mile and printed the words “Banana!” on the suit itself.

Here’s a better look at the LEGO Banana Suit from the side. It really captures a real banana’s curved shape quite well. It’s a bummer that LEGO didn’t include any banana accessories – I just think it would be hilarious if the Banana Guy could play with himself.

As a minifigure, I’m also a big fan of his face, which has a pair of wayfarers on and a giant smug grin plastered on his face. It’s a great expression to have and I’m glad that LEGO are using the Minifigures Series to give minifigure photographers many more expressions to play around with.

Under the suit, Banana Guy has a plain green short sleeve shirt and blue pants.

It goes without saying that Banana Guy is going to be one of the most popular minifigures in Series 16 – it’s really hard to fault him as he perfectly encapsulates the wackiness and fun elements that LEGO’s minifigure series has been known for.

LEGO has created a mini-theme of Animal Suit costumes within its Minifigures theme – I for one would love to see LEGO create another dynasty of Food-themed costumes to accompany Hot Dog Man and Banana Guy.

Banana Guy is my personal pick for the best minifigure of Series 16 and I imagine, for a lot of other Minifigure fans as well.

How To Find One: Banana Guy’s suit which is a solid piece of plastic, and uh, Banana-shaped is hard to miss. You can also easily tell by the split in the body.

Minifig Rating: 5/5

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Desert Warrior “I know every grain of sand in the desert. Many of them by name.”

How To Find One: His sword is easy to identify as it’s quite large and feels quite rigid. Try and feel for the hilt and pommel which stick out quite a bit. The sword’s large curved blade is also quite easy to feel for.

Minifig Rating: 3/5

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Spy “When there’s no chance of success, I’m on the job.”

Codenamed “Agent A”, the Spy is the ultimate secret agent. Few have ever seen him in action, and almost nothing is known about his identity or past. His first recorded mission on file was for the organization known as Alpha Team, when he triggered a mind-control orb self-destruct program that toppled the evil Ogel’s latest scheme for world domination and freed his brainwashed Skeleton Drone minions.

Several years later, following the Zed Incident, the Spy was spotted infiltrating the volcano lair of Dr. Inferno shortly before its implosion. Although presumed lost in the line of duty, he resurfaced in the daring rescue of captured Galaxy Squad pilot Solomon Blaze from alien Buggoids before disappearing once again. If you need the Spy, don’t try to find him – he’ll find you!

Series 15 gave us the Jewel Thief which I thought as pretty dull and uninteresting. I had fears that Series 16’s Spy was going to be similar to Jewel Thief. I was pleasantly surprised when he popped out of the blind bag and was thoroughly amazed at the quality of the minifig.

There’s so much going on with the Spy minifigure.

His torso features a wealth of printed details, which are mostly in a lighter shade of grey which contrasts nicely against the black background, ensuring that you can easily see details such pockets, straps and a utility belt that would make LEGO Batman blush.

The coolest thing about the Spy is his spy goggles, which are designed like a visor – but get this, they are attached to his hairpiece!

Yup, that’s right – the Spy features a brand new hair-piece mould that has two holes on eachside which allow you to attach the goggles (or any other kind of LEGO visor) on him, giving it a very seamless look.

I was very impressed that LEGO decided to go down this route, and it makes for plenty of different customisation options as you can clip on any visor to his hairpiece. It’s very modern-looking, and allows fans to avoid using helmets for their minifigs.

Here’s a look at the Spy’s face under the goggles. I really like the communicator/headset thing printed on the side of his face. For all three of you who have dreamed of designing a telemarketing call centre, you’re going to want plenty of Spy heads to go around.

LEGO have also crammed a cool little easter Egg into the spy – notice the “A” symbol on his breast – that’s a reference to Alpha Team, a theme that revolved around Secret Agents from 2001. They were the precursor to the recent Ultra Agents, and it’s great to see LEGO making a callback to what was quite an obscure theme.

The Spy is packed with some decent accessories – apart from his spy goggles, he also has some black rope (nice), a black pistol/petrol pump nozzle and a backpack. Very sleek and stealthy. I forgot to take a photo, but the Spy also has a spy watch communicator device printed on his left arm.

I liked the Spy a lot more than I thought I would, and I’m glad LEGO gave so much love and attention to this minifigure. I like to think that this is LEGO’s take on Sam Fisher from the Splinter Cell video games.

How To Find One: I would try and feel for his backpack, which has a distinct shape – try feeling for the neck piece as it should be quite flexible and bendy. Because the Spy has so many distinct accessories, you should try shaking the bag around so that all the loose parts like his gun, rope and goggles fall to the bottom which should make it easier to identify them.

Minifig Rating: 3/5

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Mariachi “Would you care for a serenade?”

Come and listen to the music of the marvelous, mustachioed Mariachi, a master of his craft! Whether he’s playing solo or as part of a full band, he always raises the mood and energy of his surroundings with the rhythms of his guitar, passed down in his family through the generations.

The Mariachi plays and sings about history and tradition, about life in the countryside and the city, but what he really excels at is songs of love. Whether you’re on a first date, attending a wedding, or celebrating many long years of happiness together, the Mariachi and his spirited serenades are the perfect accompaniment to courtship and romance!

LEGO smashes it out of the park again with Series 16’s Mariachi minifigure. There’s so much to like about LEGO’s take on Mexico’s iconic musician and entertainers. His sombrero has printed patterns across its brim which match the Mariachi’s jacket.

The Mariachi’s torso features some exquisite printing, with an eye-catching red bow tie contrasting nicely against the black and white.

The coolest thing about the Mariachi is that we finally get a proper LEGO acoustic guitar and it’s a beautiful piece of plastic. The moulding and fine printing across the neck and headstock are just incredible to behold.

The acoustic guitar can be gripped in a variety of spaces – a minifigure can comfortably grip the neck and there’s a small peg on the inside of the body that the Mariachi can hold on to, so you can position the guitar and make it look like the Mariachi is strumming along.

Of note is also the side printing on the Mariachi’s legs, an all-round nice bit of detail to close off what is a great minifigure.

A solo Mariachi is quite a lonely affair, so you’re almost obligated to buy at least 3 of them for a proper Mariachi troupe – a pretty simple proposition given that they’re such fantastic minifigures. Absolutely bueno!

How To Find One: The Mariachi’s large sombrero (hat) is very large and chunky and easy to find thanks to its wide brim and pointy end. 

Minifig Rating: 4/5

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Cute Little Devil “It wasn’t me!”

The Cute Little Devil is one adorable mischief-making kid. Whether he means to or not, he’s constantly causing trouble around the neighborhood. It’s no wonder that he decided to dress up like an imp for Halloween…or that he had so much fun that now he wears the costume all the time!

The Cute Little Devil isn’t exactly trying to be bad. It’s just that sometimes he hits the baseball the wrong way, or accidentally knocks over the paint can, or opens the window when there’s a pie cooling in the kitchen and a flock of crows outside. Anyone could make those mistakes, right? It sure is lucky he’s just so cute that nobody ever stays mad at him for long!

With Halloween around the corner, it was awfully nice for LEGO to include a Halloween-themed minifigure in Series 16, the Cute Little Devil! While we may not have a Monster-themed minifigure series this year, the Cute Lil’ Devil minifigure is bound to charm minifig fans with his devilish charms.

The Devil costume is nothing short of adorable, with a brand new piece of headgear that has two small devil horns erupting out the sides.

The headgear is made out of rubbery plastic and seems to be a modified version of Series 10’s Bumblebee Girl’s headpiece – they both have the same texture and feel to it.

The Devil’s torso is simple, with a zipper and two pockets on the front. The Cute Little Devil has a new Halloween Jack O’Lantern trick or treat bucket which is slightly different to the one that we got in Series 14. He also has a black trident which doubles as a pitchfork.

Here’s a look at the Cute Little Devil’s wings, which are the red version of Series 14’s Gargoyles – they look great and fit the minifigure’s appearance particularly well.

We also get a tail-piece featuring the Devil’s pointy tail which was a really nice surprise and ties the entire package together.

Here’s a comparison with Series 14’s Skeleton Guy, where you can see the differences between the Halloween buckets. I was really surprised that LEGO decided to go with new printing for the bucket – it’s a great accessory on its own, and I really appreciate having a different version with the Cute Little Devil.

I also like the Cute Little Devil’s face, which has his tongue sticking out in a very mischievious manner. Like Banana Guy, it’s yet another great expression to have for minifigure photography.

LEGO have nailed it with the Cute Little Devil, and it’s definitely going to be one of the most popular minifigs out of Series 16.

How To Find One: The Cute Little Devil’s trident is the easiest accessory to identify thanks to its long, thin shaft and the three prongs at the end. His wings are also quite easy to feel for as they have a distinct shape and you can feel the ridges on each wing. The wings also feel very rigid and are relatively large.

Minifig Rating: 5/5

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Hiker “Huh, that rock looks familiar…”

The Hiker really enjoys the great outdoors. While everybody else is watching TV or playing video games, he’s rolling up his sleeping mat, grabbing his compass and map, strapping on his backpack and boots, and heading out to a rarely-trodden wilderness trail so he can spend his time taking in the fresh air and walking around in nature.

Nothing brings down the Hiker when he’s on a hike. It may rain and thunder, or he could be covered in itchy bug bites, or he might even get completely lost and turned around, but you know he’ll have a great time anyway. There’s just one thing that he likes better than hiking outdoors all on his own, and that’s having some pals along for the journey!

The Hiker is yet another fantastic minifigure from series 16. The outdoors enthusiast is just immaculately designed from head to toe.

He sports absolutely gorgeous printing on his torso and legs – he’s got a windbreaker and backpack straps/waistbelt printed on his torso, khaki cargo pants and brown boots.

The Hiker sports a good-natured grin with a bit of a stubble and tan-coloured spikey hair. I really like the attention to detail on his face, where the colour of his facial hair is almost an exact match with his hair.

The Hiker comes with not one, not two, but THREE fantastic accessories. The most impressive of all is his brand new backpack which packs plenty of cool details such as moulded compartments and a blue sleeping bag rolled up.

The entire backpack is one solid piece of LEGO and the printing and fine moulded details are just to die for.

Next up, is a printed compass 1 x 1 tile. It’s quite small but I really love the design choice of printing on a transparent tile as it gives it a very glass-like appearance.

Third is the printed map tile, which is a new addition. LEGO have added in a tiny little easter egg in the map – “Greeble” is a LEGO building technique where you add in little bits of mechanical and technological detail to builds, which designers often employ to spice up the textures of their designs.

This is commonly seen in Space MOCs. The Exo Suit is a great example of “greebling” at work.

Oh and in case three exceptional accessories isn’t good enough, the Hiker also has a dual-sided head with a quizzical “I’m definitely lost and going to die in the woods because I read the map wrongly” look.

The Hiker is an all-round exceptional minifigure and I really love how well it captures all the elements that you’d expect from a real-world Hiker.

How To Find One: It sounds a little counter-intuitive, but the best way to feel for the hiker is by his 1 x 1 tile. First, you should try to locate his map, which narrows it down to him and the Scallywag Pirate. After that, all you have to do is try and feel for the Pirate’s cutlass to eliminate him, or look for the small 1 x 1 tile. Alternatively, his backpack is quite bulky and you can tell from the ends of the sleeping bag that extend out from each side.

Minifig Rating: 5/5

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Rogue “If you want to be a Rogue, you’ve got to run with the wolves.”

The sneaky, shadowy Rogue answers to no king, queen or lord. A member of a feared pack of renegades, he doesn’t let anything – or anyone – stand in the way of his quest for riches. Unlike the noble Forestman and his famous band of merry outlaws, the Rogue would never go out of his way to rescue someone, nor risk himself for a stranger’s sake. Or at least that’s what he tells everyone.

They say that even the darkest heart has a spot of good hidden deep inside, and the fact is that the Rogue has been known to lend his skill with a bow and arrow to a worthy cause once or twice (even if he’d never be willing to admit it). Most of the time, though, he’s strictly on the side of lawbreaking and thievery, as sure as his favorite color is green!

Series 16 is a treat for army builders, and the Rogue is yet another quality entry for LEGO fans like me who love to amass multiples of warrior/conflict-type minifigures.

Think of the Rogue as a cross between a mysterious evil archer and a Ra’s Al Ghul League of Assassins goon.

The Rogue sports a cool ninja-esque headgear, which obscures most of his face except his eyes. To camouflage himself within the trees, he’s arrayed in a very pleasing green and brown garb.

There are some exquisite details printed on his torso and legs, with a leather vest, belt and a satchel on his right leg. I also love the cool little nod to archery, where he only has his right arm (the one that yanks the arrow) gloved.

Of note is the presence of a red sash that goes across his chest, and left arm, where you can see a bit of red printed over his arm. It’s a really cool effect, although the arm printing lacks some of that fabric detail, so it’s not something that you’d notice immediately.

The Rogue is equipped with a basic bow and a quiver of arrows. He also has some really nice back printing, even though it’s mostly obscured by the quiver hanging off his back.

Removing his mask reveals a friendly-ish face with some really wild sideburns and a bit of fuzz on his chin. Quite a good-natured look for someone who’s supposedly into thievery.

Now hear me out, but I fully believe that the Rogue is affiliated to LEGO’s Wolfpack faction. Yes, the Wolfpack (check out my retro review of the Wolfpack Tower, one of my favourite sets of all time) from the days of the Forestmen theme.

There are three things that make me believe that he’s some sort of Wolfpack mercenary. Firstly, the Rogue’s bio places him within the same universe as the Forestmen. Second, he references “wolves” in his quote. And lastly, he has a clasp on his chest that looks very much like the Wolfpack coat of arms.

Pretty neat Easter Egg, and please LEGO, please give us some sort of remake of Forestmen vs Wolfpack.

I’m a big fan of the Rogue for these nostalgic reasons, as well as the fact that it’s a really well designed minifigure. I’ll definitely amass a number of Rogues for my own personal army.

How To Find One: Try looking for the Rogue’s bow, which you can tell from its thin bowstrings and quite distinct shape. The quiver should also be easy to find and it should feel like a thin-ish rectangular piece with a neck clip jutting out the other side.

Minifig Rating: 4/5

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Dog Show Winner “Honestly, there’s no reason why we would lose!”

For the devoted Dog Show Winner, his pampered, pedigreed pooch is the most important thing in the world. He grooms and brushes it, buys it the most highly-rated toys and treats, and teaches it to do clever new tricks. He makes sure it stays happy, healthy and well-exercised, and that it gets to spend lots of time playing in the park with its doggy friends.

All of that hard work and care really pay off at the dog show. Everybody in the audience is impressed by how well-behaved his dog is, but when you’ve got a bond like these two do, you know that there won’t be any unexpected barking or jumping on the judges. It’s no surprise that they take the top blue-ribbon prize in every competition they enter!

The Dog Show Winner is a pretty basic minifigure that has just enough charm to make him a little more interesting than your average City minifig.

It’s a rather curious “character” to add to the Minifigures stable, but I guess LEGO wanted to appeal to Dog People, after already giving us a Crazy Cat Lady.

I will have to give props to the Dog Show Winner’s hairdresser as he sports an amazingly fresh haircut. Look at his perfectly swept blonde locks that give off some serious Gilderoy Lockhart vibes.

He has a pretty nice torso in a lovely shade of light blue with some neat little details such as a doggie treat sticking out his jacket pocket, and a first place blue ribbon proudly pinned to his breast.

Unfortunately, this does hinder any other applications of the torso outside of Dog Show competitions.

I was very surprised that the massive silver trophy has a dog silhouette printed on it. It’s a very nice touch and I didn’t know that LEGO could print stuff on trophies!

The most interesting thing about the Dog Show Winner is the adorable little fluffy dog included. This dog has some serious pedigree, given its penchant of crushing the competition at dog shows. Look at its merciless eyes.

I’m not a dog person, so I’m guessing that this is some sort of terrier and it’s a brand new LEGO dog breed, which is cool. The terrier has got to be one of the most detailed LEGO dogs, and I really like the how LEGO managed to mould its furry, fluffy texture which gives it a very unique and modern look.

The new dog mould alone is a strong enough reason to pick up the Dog Show Winner – dog people are definitely in for a treat with this minifig. I’m not that big a fan of the minifigure, except for his hairpiece, but the new LEGO Terrier effortlessly wins me over thanks to its cuteness.

How To Find One: Try feeling for the trophy, which is quite large and easy to identify thanks to the two handles on both sides. The base of the trophy is also quite easy to feel for and it should feel quite thin with a bit of a nub at the end.

Minifig Rating: 3/5

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Spooky Boy “I want to come play with you.”

The Spooky Boy just wants a friend. A friend that he can read stories to from his favorite book of spooky tales. A friend who doesn’t mind that his pet spider accompanies him everywhere he goes. A friend who doesn’t wonder why he doesn’t show up in photographs. A friend who won’t ask why he has a fang.

But the sad little Spooky Boy hasn’t had any luck. He tries his hardest to make friends, but sometimes it seems like other people don’t even see him when he’s standing right next to them. He’s heard that somewhere out there is a Spooky Girl, but he can’t find her anywhere. In the meantime, he’ll keep looking for somebody who will be his friend. Maybe somebody…like you?

LEGO have quite a tradition of introducing male and female “couples” spread across its Minifigure Series, so Spooky Boy’s introduction means that Series 12’s Spooky Girl won’t have to be alone any longer!

Series 16’s Spooky Boy is an ode to the “Emo” and goth subculture which was all the rage years ago.

LEGO have nailed Spooky Boy’s goth look, from the side-parted hair (which unfortunately doesn’t cover one eye!) to the skull-motif on his black shirt, and his choice to accessorise his trousers with chains.

Spooky Boy has a ridiculous amount of printed details – I really like the striped inner sleeves which you can see on his arms, as well as the continuation of the chains, printed on the side of his legs.

For accessories, Spooky Boy comes with a black spider as his pet, and a Spooky Tales book – excellent reading material given his interest in the occult and supernatural.

No shades of grey here, this here, is love in black and white.

Spooky Boy is an excellent companion for Spooky Girl, and I daresay that the highly detailed printing really does well in making him one of the better minifigs of Series 16 – a very impressive feat in itself given that this is such a stacked series!

How To Find One: Spooky Boy’s book is the easiest accessory to identify – all you gotta do is feel for a large, rectangular shaped piece which has a curved edge on one side, and a slightly sharper edge with a small groove in the middle on the other side.

Minifig Rating: 4/5

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Babysitter “Everything is just so cute!”

The Babysitter loves cute things, and fortunately for her, she finds cuteness everywhere she goes. Cute babies! Cute T-shirts with cute pugs in cute glasses! Cute planes and trains and snakes and spaceships! She sees the cuteness in pretty much everything she encounters, from bugs to LEGO® bricks.

The Babysitter really loves babysitting. Not only does it give her a chance to take care of some of the cutest kids around (somebody’s got to keep an eye on the Cute Little Devil!), but it also lets her earn money to help pay for her biggest dream: a museum that she can run, filled with all of the cutest things on Earth!

The teenage mum Babysitter is going to be one of the easiest and cheapest ways for LEGO fans to get a hold of the adorable LEGO Baby minifigure. The Baby is really the focal attraction of this minifigure, although the Babysitter isn’t too shabby herself.

The Babysitter has the new-ish ponytail hairdo, this time in blonde which I believe is a first for this hairstyle. She has a demure expression on her face and a really goofy t-shirt with a Pug illustrated on it.

The pug is wearing glasses, which is pretty hilarious, making it a really fun torso.

Here’s a look at the Babysitter’s back printing.

The Babysitter also comes with a milk bottle accessory, to feed the baby. The milk bottle is a pretty uncommon accessory so it’s quite nice to get it alongside the baby.

The Baby minifigure is undoubtedly one of LEGO’s biggest innovations this year. It’s a great piece of plastic, and LEGO have done a tremendous job getting the mould and shape right. They’ve also nailed the cuteness factor.

The LEGO Baby that comes with the Babysitter has a blue torso, which has a cute little elephant bib printed on it, so it’s slightly different that the one from Fun in the Park which has a white torso.

I really like that LEGO’s manufacturing process allows for them to print on baby torsos, which means that there’s a lot of customisation that’s possible.

I would really want to see LEGO use this baby form factor for other IP and characters that aren’t cute little babies.

One of the things that bothered me with the Baby minifigure is that it was quite difficult to get it to fit into the Babysitter’s hands – it was a really, really tight fit and I think I may have damaged the plastic slightly.

Not sure if anyone encountered the same issue, but I imagine that it could be particularly tricky for younger kids to get it right.

Babies can also be pretty creepy.

Or hilarious, depending on how you look at them.

Overall, I really like the Babysitter, mostly because of the Baby minifigure. Mini-minifigure? Thankfully, the Babysitter herself doesn’t disappoint thanks to a very cute torso and a great new hairpiece that will be great for minifig customisers.

How To Find One: For the Babysitter, try feeling for the baby which has a lumpy but sharp shape to it. It’s slightly larger than a minifig’s head and feels like nothing else you’ve ever felt before in a Minifigures blind bag. Alternatively, the Babysitter’s hairpiece is also quite easy to feel for – her hairpiece is quite large and has two distinct sections which have pointy tips.

Minifig Rating: 4/5

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Scallywag Pirate “Here’s the part where ye walk the plank!”

The Scallywag Pirate hates having to do anything that’s clean and nice. Brushing his teeth, combing his hair and doing laundry weren’t for him, so at the first opportunity, he hopped on board a pirate ship and joined its crew. Now he gets to do all of the stuff he wants – fire cannons, tie sailing knots, eat horrible pirate cooking, and even wear an eyepatch.

Nobody makes you keep neat and tidy when you’re a scurvy buccaneer. The Scallywag Pirate is thrilled that he gets to shave with a cutlass and never has to do any washing-up. And maybe his clothes are falling apart and his teeth have gone rotten and he doesn’t have any hair left to comb…but that’s exactly the pirate’s life that he signed up for!

The Scallywag Pirate is LEGO’s brand new take on one of its most iconic characters – Pirates! It’s a really cool refresh of a classic and LEGO have thrown in some really cool new developments like the Scallywag Pirate’s “bald” headpiece, which is a combination of a red bandana and a round head.

It looks really good, and the dimensions are pretty damn accurate. I also like that the yellow on his bald head matches well against the shade of the minifig’s head.

The Scallywag Pirate has a tattered blue vest, a bit of a pot belly and some fine hairs on his chest and green and white-striped pants. I can see this torso being used for a homeless person or out of control drunk! F

or accessories, the Scallywag Pirate comes with a standard issue Cutlass and a printed map tile.

Here’s a look at the Scallywag Pirate’s back printing.

The Scallywag has anb on his right arm – very fitting being a pirate and all. LEGO tattoos are pretty rare and this arm is going to be useful for minifig customisers who want some ink on their minifigs.

LEGO have come a really long way since their first iteration of the Pirate minifig. This comparison gives you a good idea of how much more detailed the Scallywag Pirate is compared to the classic Pirate minifigure from 1989. 27 years of LEGO evolution!

How To Find One: The Scallywag Pirate’s 2 x 2 map tile is going to be the easiest thing to feel for as it’s square shaped and flat. Just ensure that you don’t confuse him with the Hiker who also has a 2 x 2 tile. The Scallywag Pirate has a lot less accessories than the Hiker, so try and feel for his cutlass which is flexible and feels quite thin and flat.

Minifig Rating: 3/5

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Cyborg “I’m the best of both worlds.”

With her body enhanced by state-of-the-art technology, the Cyborg is equally proud of both sides of herself. Her human half provides her with creativity, imagination and flexible thought, while her robotic half grants her extra senses, super-fast reflexes and expanded computational power. When the two are working together, there’s almost no situation that she can’t solve.

The Cyborg has a reputation as an expert troubleshooter – point her in the direction of trouble, and if she can’t think, build or cyber-hack a solution, then her duo-fusion blaster can shoot her way out. Don’t try to take her on single-handedly, because this cool-headed cybernetic operative is double the threat of most Minifigures!

The Cyborg fills the “sci-fi” character slot of Series 16. In the past, this slot has seen the likes of Mechs and Alien Troopers, so the Cyborg, being a cybernetic mix of woman and machine is a fresh and pretty cool addition to the Minifigures series, especially since she’s female as well.

This technically isn’t LEGO’s first Cyborg as Series 3’s Space Villain was sort of a man-machine hybrid.

The Cyborg packs in a ton of cool little sci-fi details, from her face which has half of it exposed a la Terminator, showing off a metallic skeleton on the inside.

I really like her electric blue hairpiece, which has a streak of silver in it. It’s actually the same hairpiece as Spooky Boy, but because of the bright colour and printing on it, it actually looks like a new piece.

Her armour is a recoloured version of Series 13’s Galaxy Trooper with some really nice prints across it. The electric blue lights and the black background contrast very well and almost give out some strong Tron vibes.

There are some really nice touches such as side leg printing and a “Cyborg” logo on her left pauldron which has a minifig head, spliced with a robot against a gear.

The Cyborg’s right arm is definitely her cybernetic arm, and there’s circuit board printing on it. She has a simple blaster with one of the new-ish 1 x 1 studs that has the hole in side, which plugs on to the gun’s nozzle.

The Cyborg is really cool even though the subject matter is not one of the most interesting or unique. Thankfully, the great level of detail all across her body, hairpiece and armour make for a very impressive design, and one that could definitely be salvaged for other sci-fi minifigs for customisation.

How To Find One: The Cyborg’s armour piece is the easiest to feel for as it’s relatively chunky. Her armour is quite rigid and there’s a little dip in between the large shoulderpads – on the bottom, it has two rigid flaps which represent the front and back pieces. It’s very large, so it should be quite easy to find.

Minifig Rating: 3/5

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Penguin Boy “I can’t come inside now, Mom. I’m marching across the Antarctic ice!”

The Penguin Boy loves to imagine himself living the life of a real penguin. Snug and warm inside his penguin costume, he waddles his way around his snowy backyard, picturing it as the endless ice of the South Pole. When he’s wearing his suit, he insists on eating nothing but fish…or at least things that are fish-shaped, like the special bologna sandwiches that his parents make.

For a special treat, the Penguin Boy likes to put on his ice skates and visit the skating rink, where he pretends that he’s swimming around beneath the sea and that all of the other skaters are underwater animals. He knows that there aren’t any polar bears in Antarctica, but he does stay away from anybody wearing a spotted coat – no smart penguin wants to go near a hungry leopard seal!

It wouldn’t be a decent Minifigure Series without a new entrant into LEGO’s exclusive club of Animal Suit Costume Minifigures. Penguin Boy is the latest minifigure to join the club and is an adorable take on one of the cutest animals on the planet – the Penguin.

Penguin Boy also makes history by being the first “kid” Animal Suit Costume minifigure, which is very fitting since Penguins are generally smaller in stature.

Like most Animal Suit minifigures, Penguin Boy’s costume isn’t particularly remarkable. He has a new moulded headpiece which has an orange beak that protrudes out slightly and a few feathery ruffles atop his head. A

s you can see above, the printing on mine is a little wonky and there’s a bit of paint bleeding into each other.

Penguin Boy utilises the same torso as Series 15’s Shark Suit Guy, which has flippers instead of arms and comes in a new shade of black with a white patch in front.

There are small orange feet printed on Penguin Boy’s legs and he comes with a pair of ice skates, which I think is a really cute touch.

Here’s the latest lineup of all the Animal Suit Minifigures for 2016. 5 more and they can make their own minifigure series!

I think the Penguin Guy is an extremely worthy addition to the Animal Suit Guys, although I don’t feel as excited for him as I have for previous minifigs. I would rank him at about the same tier as Tiger Woman and Unicorn Girl in terms of how much I like the Penguin Boy.

Penguin Boy just feels a little too plain for my tastes, and doesn’t really evoke the same sense of humour that previous Animal Suit Minifigures such as Bunny Suit Guy, Piggy Guy and Chicken Suit Guy excelled at.

That said, because he’s a Animal Suit Minifigure, Penguin Boy is going to be one of the most popular minifigs in Series 16, buoyed by the fact that there’s only 3 per complete box.

How To Find One: To feel for the Penguin Boy, try feeling for his torso, which doesn’t have regular arms but flippers which curve outwards on their ends. Be sure to also confirm with the Penguin Boy’s short legs just to be doubly sure!

Minifig Rating: 4/5

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Ice Queen “Is it chilly in here, or is it just me?”

Nobody is more into ice than the frosty-tempered Ice Queen. Everything in her magical kingdom is made out of the stuff, from the icicle crown on her head to her castle’s ice stables, full of ice horses ridden by ice knights. Even the bakery in town is run by an ice baker who makes icy loaves of bread over the flickering ice flames of his frozen oven.

The Ice Queen is so obsessed with ice and all things ice-related that she can’t help filling her conversations with ice puns. Terrible ice puns. But just make sure you smile politely and laugh at each and every one, or you’re likely to find yourself taking an ice slide all the way down to her ice dungeon – and you won’t get out again until it melts the next summer!

Series 16’s Ice Queen is LEGO’s incredible take on Hans Christian Andersen’s Snow Queen and the results are simply breathtaking. This is one of the most impressive minifigures in the entire Series thanks to her unique look and fantastic attention to detail.

The Ice Queen‘s chilling appearance is just beautiful – she has a pale and icy skin tone, and a simple white dress with a jagged pattern running across it that reminds me of a snowy mountain range.

There are some neat little details such as an icy pendant hanging from her neck and some printing near her wrists.

I really like the Ice Queen’s face – she has jagged white bits surrounding her eyes, and a pair of sharp blue eyebrows. Her hair is white as snow and you also get a transparent blue crown – my favourite accessory in her entire outfit.

The Ice Queen has a sparkly cape, which matches her dress patterns thanks to the jagged ends. The official instructions have it so that the sparkly bits are on the inside, but I personally prefer them on the outside.

Her cape comes in two bits, with a popped collar to give her a particularly regal look.

You wouldn’t want to incur the Ice Queen’s wrath, as she comes equipped with the ability to blast magical ice shards at you from her hands. The icy shards are a pale shade of blue and also do well to match her theme of jagged motifs.

Step aside, Elsa, because there’s a newer, cooler Ice Queen in Town.

LEGO have nailed the Ice Queen and it’s refreshing to see them add in classical Fairy Tale characters into the minifigures mix. The Ice Queen is one of my favourite minifigures in this series, simply because the Ice Queen is such an iconic character and LEGO have done an awesome job capturing the essence of Hans Christian Andersen’s creation.

Classic Fairy Tales have characters that have defied the ages and are almost mythological in a sense – I’d love for LEGO to squeeze more of them into future Minifigure Series as there’s simply a wealth of material to draw on.

How To Find One: The Ice Queen is really easy to identify, all you have to do is feel for her sloped dress piece and you’ve got her.

Minifig Rating: 5/5

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Kickboxer “Kicking and boxing – it’s the perfect combination!”

The Kickboxer has always loved combining different activities. As a kid, she would merge her chores and hobbies so she could try hockey-lawnmowing and homework-fingerpainting. But as she got older, not every combination worked out so well. Football-archery caused some trouble, and swim-jogging was nearly a disaster.

With the tough sport of kickboxing, though, she’s finally found just the right combo. And thanks to lots of training, she’s gotten really good at it, too. When she’s in the ring with her protective equipment on, boxing and kicking away against a skilled opponent, she sure is glad that she didn’t go with her other idea of parasail-bowling!

Series 16’s Kickboxer sees LEGO levelling the gender field, giving us our very first female Boxer. Series 5’s Boxer finally has a female counterpart, which has been a long time coming.

The Kickboxer is direct and straight to the point, no frills and you know exactly what you’re getting. She wears a tank top, white shorts and red boots, to suit her overall colour theme.

We see the return of the red boxing gloves instead of LEGO hands and I was also surprised to get a hairpiece, in addition to the boxing head guard. Also included is a black 1 x 1 round brick that acts as a stand for the head guard.

The Kickboxer also has back printing.

The next surprise was that the Kickboxer has a dual-sided face, where you can see the mouth guard and has beads of sweat running down her face.

I really like the crisp details of the Kickboxer’s legs. The printing is outstanding, with the subtle crinkles and even down to the laces on her boots – it’s not often that you see a minifig’s legs outshine a torso.

Despite being simple, I quite like the Kickboxer, as Series 5 feels like forever ago, and it gives new LEGO Minifigure fans a means to get their hands on the boxing glove hands.

I do feel that LEGO wasted a huge opportunity to give us a Blue Boxer, so that Series 5’s Boxer has someone to spar against. Given that the Team GB Boxer is so incredibly rare and pricey on the secondary market, LEGO could’ve used the Kickboxer to make a Boxer from the blue corner a lot more accessible.

How To Find One: The Kickboxer is kinda tricky to feel for as there aren’t many easily identifiable elements. Try feeling for her hands, which are round and feel quite large. Additionally, you can also feel for the round 1 x 1 brick which is the only one of its kind in this series.

Minifig Rating: 3/5

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Wildlife Photographer “Who could feel cold when there’s nature to see?”

The Wildlife Photographer will travel any distance, brave any terrain, and endure any extreme of savanna heat or polar chill to take pictures of animals in their natural habitats. She and her camera have been to every continent on the globe in her quest for photos, documenting the fascinating behavior that she sees so that everyone back home can see it, too.

Her photos have been featured on magazine covers and in museum galleries, but the real reward comes when she lines up her shot and waits…and waits…and waits…until just the right moment to press the shutter button and capture a bear grabbing a salmon in mid-leap or a penguin diving in front of an Antarctic rainbow. You’ve got to be patient when you’re a Wildlife Photographer, but that one perfect shot is totally worth it!

Last but not least is the Wildlife Photographer, which should be a hit for nature-loving LEGO fans. The Wildlife Photographer is dressed for sub-zero temperatures, as she’s out on an expedition to track down and document the antics of a colony of Penguins.

She really looks like she’d fit in well in the City Arctic theme, although she has a red and blue outfit. Her outfit is pretty standard for someone that needs to brave the harsh climate but is generic enough that you can easily reuse it for your City minifigures. It does feel a little bland, seeing as there’s no additional printing on it.

She has a fur-lined parka and goggles on her face to protect her eyes from ice cold winds. She comes with a camera accessory, which is always nice to have more of.

The highlight of the Wildlife Photographer is the little Penguin that is the subject of her shoot. I’m a big fan of LEGO Animals, and I especially like LEGO Penguins.

The Penguin is an all new mould and looks a lot more realistic than the previous Penguin from LEGO Friends. The new Penguin has more defined flippers, and a sharper beak as well as orange-coloured feet.

I like to think that they are different species and can thus happily co-exist with one another.

Interestingly, the LEGO Penguin has a stud on its back, giving you some options if you want to upgrade the Penguin, I don’t know, by say, adding some laser guns or rocket launchers to its back.

One last surprise – the Wildlife Photographer has a dual-sided head with what is my favourite facial expression in Series 16 – a squinty/winky face! Combined with the cheeky smile, this is a winner of a face and is such a great expression to add to anyone’s minifig collection.

The Wildlife Photographer was almost borderline average, but the new LEGO Penguin and dual-sided face pull some serious weight to make her a pretty decent all-rounded minifigure.

How To Find One: The Penguin is your best shot as it has a curious shape. As an accessory, it will feel quite large and lumpy because of its curves but its smaller head and flippers are easily identified as long as you squeeze them hard enough to get a good feel of its shape.

Minifig Rating: 3/5 

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LEGO have hit a massive home run with Series 16 and it’s safe to say that it’s the strongest showing in the Minifigure Series. For what is possibly the first time ever, there’s not a single character that I did not like.

I particularly liked the variety and how balanced this series felt. To me, Series 16 feels like it has something for everyone, whether you’re into collecting minifigures in cute costumes, LEGO Animals, minifigures with unique expressions or just want to army build – Series 16 has you covered.

It also seems like LEGO have invested a LOT into their minifigure design and manufacturing processes. The printing on most of the characters are exceptionally crisp, and some minifigs are just enveloped in all sorts of cool details.

This also extends into the accessories included. LEGO seems like they’re showing off, with printing on existing moulds such as the Dog Show Winner’s Trophy, an updated Trick or Treat bucket and even printing on the Banana Guy’s costume.

I guess that this is testament to the commercial juggernaut that is LEGO’s Series of Collectible Minifigures, that they’re afforded so many new moulds and some of the sharpest printing options outside of Star Wars or Super Hero themes.

The ratio of minifigures are great once again, especially with 5 Banana Guys in each Box and plenty of the army builder minifigures to go around.

It goes without saying that this is hands down the best minifigure Series so far.

The only weakness that I can highlight is the lack of “iconic” characters contained in this series. Years from now, I can only really see Banana Guy, Ice Queen and Cute Little Devil as minifigures that truly stood out as being novel and original and will ultimately stand the test of time.

The gender balance could also be improved as I’d like to see much more female representation in the Minifigure Series. 30% isn’t great, and I’d really like to see it closer to 50%.

That said, LEGO have yet another winner on their hands and there’s plenty to love for LEGO Minifigure fans. Series 16 also has the highest quality minifigures of any Series, and I’m really encouraged to see that LEGO seem to be raising the bar higher and higher with each subsequent series.

Here are my top 5 Minifigures from Series 16:

1. Banana Guy
2. Cute Little Devil
3. Hiker
4. Ice Queen
5. Penguin Boy

So there you have my review of LEGO Minifigures Series 16! Seeing as how most of you would already have your set, or have bought selected minifigures from this series, let me know which are your favourite characters in the comments section!

I’ll be running a giveaway for a complete set of Series 16 soon, so keep your eyes peeled for that! Be sure to follow my Facebook page for all the latest news and posts!

Special thanks to LEGO for providing a box for review!