LEGO Love Their Brick-built Characters

The LEGO Group’s collection of brick-built character models is on a roll in 2026, adding Shrek (one of my cherished characters) to a line-up that is just getting bigger year after year. 

They embrace a wide variety of themes. Coming soon from the LEGO Group (in partnership with Universal) are the first-ever Shrek sets, bringing the beloved ogre to life in brick form.  

The LEGO Shrek sets are due to release June 01 and comprise of a triple BrickHeadz pack and a larger display piece focused on Shrek & Donkey. Fans of the animated movies will be able to build some of their favourite characters, including Gingy, Donkey, and Shrek, there is even a Puss in Boots Minifigure. 

Two new sets for adult and kid builders launch to celebrate the franchise’s 25th anniversary:

If you must know, its roots go much farther back in LEGO history. Technically, the first buildable character sets (of the full character, not a bust) were 8010 Darth Vader and 8011 Jango Fett in Star Wars’ brief crossover with Technic in 2002.

Come 2017, such sets would become a normal part of the LEGO portfolio, but only with a handful of sets every year. And as more licenses join the portfolio, the range of buildable character sets continue to grow. 

Notably, Star Wars would remain a part of it at every stage, and now they have a bigger selection of buildable characters to choose from than at any other point in LEGO history. 

These models come in all shapes and sizes, too. Whether you want them to be huge and displayable, or smaller and playable, there’s something for everyone. 

They don’t always depict humanoid or otherwise normal versions of these characters, either. Most recently, the LEGO Group have experimented with up-scaled minifigures of key characters, such as Santa and Harry Potter (left). 

Whether you love them or not, LEGO buildable character sets are here to stay!