Review: 60234 Fun Fair People Pack
Posted by Huw,60234 is one of two City People Packs that are being released this year. These popular sets provide a great way to acquire minifigures to populate your city, albeit for a significant outlay.
Previous packs have contained 15 figures. This one contains one fewer but the price has remained the same: £34.99 in the UK and probably $39.99 when released in the USA.
Nevertheless, it contains some lovely figures and great new parts.
The figures are presented in small vignettes, each one representing a typical activity at a fun fair.
Face painting
The girl's head is the highlight of this scene. Her tiger print head is excellent, and very appropriate given you usually see loads of kids going round with tiger faces wherever there's face painting going on.
The brush has been used in quite a few sets but is new here with orange paint on the end.
Balloon animal man on stilts
The stilt-walking balloon twisting man has a new torso, new colour hat and a new colour balloon dog piece, which first appeared in CMF 71021 Party Clown last year.
The boy has a new propeller piece on his hat, perhaps in the hope that he can fly up to the man's height.
Duck pond ring toss
A family of three is enjoying throwing hoops over ducks which are mounted on a rotating plate. The hoops (design ID 34585) first appeared in 76100 Royal Talon Fighter Attack, in silver, but the ducks are brand new, and delightful.
The family all have black curly hair; the girl is sporting a brand new bun hair piece.
The duck is very cute!
Firing range
After he's finished his hot dog the guy on the left with Superman's hair is going to try winning the purple teddy on the firing range.
The targets are on hinged plates so you can actually knock them down with the stud shooter which, incidentally, had the grey piece fitted into it in the factory, which I've not seen before.
The operator has a very cool 'rock band tour' T Shirt, complete with a list of tour dates on the back.
High Striker
This sassy lady in leather jacket is trying her hand at the high striker, which features some lovely printed tiles which I believe are new in this set.
The mechanism actually works: hitting the red ball hard enough causes the white plate (Plate 1x2 with slide, 32038) to rise and hit the 'bell' which disappointingly, but unsurprisingly, doesn't ring when hit.
Ice cream vendor
In the final vignette, the lady on the left sells a family frozen goodies from an oversized freezer mounted on a tricycle.
The back end of the trike is a new piece which clips both vertically and horizontally onto the freezer at the front.
The minifigures
The set contains 14 minifigs: 5 adult females, 5 adult males and 4 kids. I've indicated below if they have new (or recently introduced) torsos and hair, just going by the numbers of the parts in the inventory at the back of the instructions (new parts this year are in the number range 626xxxx and 627xxxx).
There are four new head prints, including the face-painted tiger, but the pictures in the inventory are too small to tell who they belong to.
Adult females
From left to right:
- Torsos: new, new, old, old, old
- Hair: new colour, old, new colour, old, old
Males
From left to right:
- Torsos: new, old, new, new, new
- Hair: old, old, new colour, new colour, new colour
Children
From left to right:
- Torso: new, new, old, old
- Hair: new mould, old, old, old with new propeller
The boy second from the left has different coloured arms, which I don't think I've seen before on a City minifigure.
Verdict
This set is the perfect addition to your Creator Expert Fairground display. The small vignettes are all very well done, and great fun. The minifigs all exude personality and include some great new parts and prints, the girl's hair in particular.
The ducks are cute and the tricycle back end interesting, although I can't see it being particularly useful, unlike the wheelchair that was introduced in the first people pack in 2016.
£35 for such a small set with so few pieces does seem like a lot, but I suppose you are getting 14 varied and versatile minifigs. In any case, it will probably be discounted in due course given it's a regular retail set.
It'll be available at shop.LEGO.com from June 1st and if you're lucky, as I was, you'll find it Smyths Toys in the UK already.
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68 comments on this article
The pics look awesome Huw!
Three cute little ducklings are easily as good or better than one more minifigure. I might have to get multiples just for the ducklings. This people pack is a great complement to many other existing carnival/fair sets.
Thanks for the review, looks like a fun set of figs and small scenes. At a glance, it looks like the female black jacket was a reuse of the Ninjago Movie torso for civilian Nya, but maybe there's some subtle difference I'm missing that makes this new.
^ You are right. It's relatively new, hence its element number being 'in range' and confusing me :)
Could you show us alternative faces? Also, the white cap with light yellow hair is new colour in this set.
Ducks ducks ducks
@dRevan. Thanks. Since I started shooting with a Lumix G9 a few months ago I've struggled to get the grey background consistent and it often looked to too dark. So, I'm experimenting with a white backdrop again. I think I like it.
@Akulla, for the sake of brevity I decided not to.
Interesting that the family with the curly black hair seems to represent an African American family. I know that in themes like City the yellow skin color is probably meant to be universal, but I cannot help but feel that the yellow has always represented white skin in the same way the Simpsons show did that, because in the early days black figures like Lando Calrissian co-existed with yellow-skinned figures.
Great selection of people and parts.
I got the 2019 birthday card set, and the studshooter in there was also pre-assembled.
A figure in the 2018 City Arctic line had 2 different color arms.
In the Starter set, 60191, dark blue and orange-yellow arm.
Rock band guy is 18 year old me :)
Anyone else notice the rock shirt figure looks like Joe Dirt... add Speed Champions Hemi and hes away.
@StarWarzFan7777 - I remember reading that way back Lego actually chose yellow for minifigure skin tone precisely because market research at the time showed that it was the one colour that people generally *didn't* associate as belonging to any specific race, so it could represent people of any nationality equally; that figures like the Natives in Western, and the Islanders in Pirates, had equally yellow skin to the more traditionally American or European figures is probably the best example of that at work (despite the cultural insensitivity of some of those figures).
I'm pretty sure Lando was the single odd exception; and even then, Lego very soon after changed tactic to make all figures based on real people (or actors) as flesh tones. That first Lando, as far as I know, is still the only dark-skinned minifigure to coexist with yellow figures in the same set.
This looks delightful! I'm excited to add this to the "Pier 39"-type area of my layout. I'm personally very excited for the new tricycle piece, as many of my minifigures get around by bike, and I love having more options for the bicycle transit system and economy!
The set looks great. I don't have any fairground sets, but the mini figures could easily be putting on a little fun fair in the park to celebrate a local civic holiday. They could do a little fund raising and try to get that extra dime off Scrooge!
The man in the thumbnail is 100% JANG. Good to see LEGO paying tribute. ;D
Great looking photos indeed.
There are several parts from this i've gotta get from bricks n pieces... Wow,
New blue ice lolly element, the duck mould is so cute, paint brush with orange blob instead of the usual green, the white cap and blonde hair piece and the blue balloon poodle, ice cream bike is very smart too, well done lego... 10/10
I'm in just for the purple teddy.
Never thought I’d see a lego mullet hair piece. Trailer park MOC is now a go.
These vignettes are awesome, I am not getting any this year (or the last one) but I love how LEGO designers have some fun with these, Darth Vader needs a rubber duckie.
You had me at "printed pieces."
“Perfect addition to your creator expert fairground display”
Yes...
Right after I get one...
Swish!........ Like the clown getting high
Nice game to play......old, new, new colour, still old.....
Very good pics
Is the ice cream cone on the cart a sticker?
Very nice. Though I have already seen this I am very excited. By the way Bricky_brick on ideas.lego.com. ,who is also the creator of Pirate Bay, is creating a set called"The Train Station" qhich is very nice. Please support. Ps, I am not Bricky_brick I am only helping him.
I started seeing preassembled stud shooters in the second half of 2018 I think.
I will be buying this for sure.
Too bad that (if previous years are any indication) it will be many months before the new City sets hit Australia :(
@jonwil
And dont forget ANZAC...(Australia New Zealand Auxiliary Cost)
At least $60 for this (despite one less minifigure and not much in the way of builds) RIP Australia
It will be interesting to see what ridiculous price is put on the Space people pack. Will it be more expensive then this or the same price...
I must have the mulleted metal shirt carney. My kinda dude.
I need to know where I can get a pallet of those ducks, asap please <.<
I think the superman hair dude’s torso also is an existing print from a 2019 city set with a truck and helicopter (if I remember correctly)
I always see these sets as having great parts, not necessarily great value. Think I'd like them to be hitting the £$20 mark (with fewer parts) as £$35 seems a bit steep for a 'booster' set but they're obviously popular so what do I know!
Also feel like I've seen the ice cream vendors torso before, but may have just been promo pics of this set.
Looks great, if only I had the space and could afford to build up a fairground.
Very happy that LEGO is introducing diverse hairstyles. Definitely on the shopping list!
good review. I will be buying this for sure. love the new trike piece great for moc
At £35 a go it looks like I'll be going to Bricklink to buy dozens of ducks!
This is totally going on my shopping list.
Well, that finally kills my idea. I was hoping the vendor cart bike would be able to connect to the back of the regular one to make a tandem bicycle, but short of a cumbersome rig to bridge the gap that doesn't seem likely.
Metallica shirt!
This looks fun, and with the extra balloon guy from the CMF set, I'll have plenty of different colored dog balloons for kids to carry about or this one to hand out.
Isn't it like impossible to miss at the firing range from that close?
I haven’t bought the last two people packs because they are too expensive.
This actually has some great builds and enough new pieces I may have to actually get it, but will wait and see if there ever is a decrease in price.
I have fallen in love with the purple teddy bear...another one to my collection!!!
I love also the woman's black jacket and the T-shirt with the tour!! Waiting for June 1st to get it.
The other pack people, about space, is not so appealing...but I have all the "People Pack - Fun at the..." set, what can I do?? Give me help!! Should I buy also it?
I love these people packs. Have got the first two, will get me all the others in due course. Excellent additions to any City layout. Over here they sometimes get discounted down to 22,99 Euro. At that price they are a bargain imho.
This is the only People Pack I am going to buy, due to all the new pieces I don't have!
@ HeriSanmi: If you don't like a set, you don't have to buy it, no matter what the die-hard collectors say! Hope this helps!
That purple bear reminds me of Lotso from Toy Story 3.
https://brickset.com/sets/7789-1/Lotso-s-Dump-Truck
The new black bun hair piece makes me think of Counselor Troi from Star TreK: TNG. :)
And the kid with the propeller on his cap, that's an old American thing called a "propeller beanie". Kids and science fiction fans wore them starting in the late '40s.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beanie_(seamed_cap)Propeller_beanie
A little pricey but I like it - perfect for a fairground. I wish there were a couple more ducks though!
Are all the pieces printed? Or did they sneak in some stickers?
This is a super cute set.
Sorry, I should have said; all parts are printed.
@Brickchap: You realize that $60 AUD is barely any higher than the $40 USD that the People Packs typically cost over here in the United States? I get that Australian prices have been pretty ridiculous in the past and sometimes still are, but I’ve been seeing a lot of cases where they’re beginning to achieve parity with even the unusually low prices we get over here (other examples include 70643-1, 70654-1, 41333-1, 41339-1, etc).
Maybe because LEGO’s doing more business in Asia they’ve gone ahead and streamlined their distribution channels for that side of the globe?
I wish they'd retire the blue torso with red check guy. He's been doing the rounds for years - at least bring out a new colour scheme for his shirt
Purple teddy!!! <3 My classic Rollercoaster Tycoon MOC is getting a Souvenir Stall!
@randomly_generated. Thanks for your comment. Yes, you are right, if I do not like a set, I do not have to buy it despite of being a deep-collector of some ítems. But for example, I collect all the Collectible Minfigures (CMF) even if I do not like them or I am not a fan of some themes, such as Harry Potter!!
I love these little theme packs there are so many interesting little things in them and just great for bulking up your city with people, with all different outfits.
I usually buy a few sets at a time.
Thanks for the update Huw :)
That new bike piece would be great for a stationary exercise bike. I need at least a dozen rubber duckies for every bathtub in my LEGO town. And a mullet piece? Business up front and party in the back? Bring on a whole trailer park full! The tiger painted face would also be great for my Trick or Treating kids... there's just too much great stuff here. Can't wait to get my insatiable for LEGO paws on this!
Love it ! It will be a nice addition to my fairground theme :)
Nice set, probably going to buy it. Or should I still save budget for an upcoming Creator Expert Fairground set? I'm lost regarding the planning of that one. What did I miss?
hm... I think I really should consider upgrating my Homestar Runner minifig to a more appropiate hat
The ice cream vendor bike thing looks great, even though the idea was stolen from Playmobil (3244, 5962 & 9426, for example).
Love the little ducks and the new bun hair pieces as well.
@GThing:
You do realize that this type of vending bicycle is a _real_ thing, don't you? About five years ago I wanted to make my own food vendor bikes, and when looking up photos I discovered that front-box bikes are by far more common than rear-box designs, probably because it allows the operator to sell out of the box without having to dismount (ideal for stuff like ice cream where the operator doesn't have to prepare any food). Of course, I was more interested in rear-box designs because it's by far easier to build onto the back of a LEGO bicycle than it is on the front. In the end I came up with something that has a 3x4 box where the rear wheel would normally be.
The new piece looks very specific to Shuri from Black Panther...new future minifig?
@Huw could you confirm if there is an error on page 47 of the instructions? The guy in red shows a face print that doesn't exist in the set. Grey eyebrows, smile with closed mouth. My head for this man is one sided showing the face print he has on the front of the instructions and box, with grey eyebrows and an open mouth smile. There is no alternative print on his head. I'm wondering if the error is with the instructions or the part I have received in my set.
@Interstellarpig:
The adult male second from left: I have that torso on the truck driver to my set 3221: LEGO City Truck. So if I do not have a particular torso in one set, I can have it in another, even if the two sets are nearly a decade in release.
@Huw:
Also the adult male on the far right: that torso with light blue vest is identical to the helicopter pilot in 60183: Heavy Cargo Transport, 2018, so does that mean it's "old" or "new" to this 60234 People Pack?
@Purple Dave:
Your're probably right about the front-box vending bicycles being far more common than the rear-box designs. Watch that episode of Leave it to Beaver when Wally was an "Igloo Bars" vendor.
@CBattle12Oct:
Eh, I've got mine designed already, and I've built six of them: burnt hot dogs, spoiled sushi, turkey legs, tacos, ice cream, and Char-brand coffee, all so Flash can keep his energy up. There's also six porta-potties to go with them.
But I was really starting to hope it'd be possible to link this new half-frame to the back of a regular frame to make a tandem.
Absolutely love this pack. The ducks, the mullet! check out my full thought on this set too: https://youtu.be/XJSVDqFpUf0