Fred’s Box – Minifigure Subscription Box

Fred’s Box is a minifigures subscription box, technically aimed at children, though I’m pretty sure any grownups who are keen on minifigures will enjoy them too! There are various options, including monthly subscriptions of various quantities of figures, a twins box, one-off boxes, and a box of fifteen figures which would be perfect for party favours.  UK Postage is free. You can also choose boy, girl, or neutral options for all boxes, and the box will be addressed to your child, because children love getting mail!

I was sent the Large box, which comes with ten minifigures, and costs £16.50. I picked the neutral option , because I don’t like the principle of different things for boys and girls.

The box is unsurprisingly very thin, so fits beautifully through the mailbox. I always love it when this is the case, because Sod’s Law dictates that I will not be in when a bulky item arrives, and I have to schlep to the sorting office to pick it up. 

Nice and simple and sturdy (the address label is on the bottom of the box).

On the other side of this card is a list of their various social media sites, plus some information about discounts for repeat orders and a referral scheme discount.

Ooooh, a sticker!

Also, I love the little bits of packing which have escaped the tissue, it looks a bit like confetti and makes me think happy party thoughts.

So now my daughter, who has been extremely patient while I’ve faffed about taking pictures of packaging, is finally allowed to see what’s actually inside.

MINIFIGURES!!!!!!!

Now, while you don’t know what each theme is (it’s not on a card or menu or anything) it’s pretty obvious.

The first one Little C saw was

Sadness from Inside Out.

‘Mummeeeeeee, look, it’s Sadness! She looks so cooool!’

I’m not sure if I should be reading something into the fact that the first figure she picked out was Sadness, but she’s a pretty happy kid so I’m not going to worry. And in short order, she had found the rest of the figures from the set:

Anger

Joy

Disgust

Fear

The expressions are really good, and it’s excellent to have this little set of figures. Little C loves the movie, and if you haven’t seen it, you should. It’s one of those rare children’s movies that really speaks to adults. Even I, who does not enjoy animated movies as a rule, enjoyed Inside Out. It even made me cry.

But I digress.

I love the fact that two of the figures have skateboards; I’m not sure that’s in the movie, but they’re fun accessories. And Disgust is holding a glass (‘look Mummy, she’s got a glass of wine!’) And Anger’s pitchfork is great.

Once all of those were located and set up, Little C pounced again.

‘Mummmmeeeeeee! It’s BAYMAX! He’s so COOOOOL! You have to take his picture with Hiro because they’re friends!’

So here they are. Plus the rest of the gang from Big Hero 6.

Fred

Honey Lemon

and Mask Curtain (baddie)

Once again they are instantly recognizable (at least to my daughter, who also loves Big Hero 6), and another really cool set.

As I said, this is the ‘neutral’ set, and is a really excellent selection from two great movies. I’m not sure what would be in the specific girl or boy sets, but there’s no reason why these would not appeal to everyone.

Now, these are not actual Lego minifigures; as the website says they are ‘custom made minifigures are compatible with all leading brands of building blocks’. But hey, we all know that it means they will go with Lego. Because Lego is awesome. And all these figures fit perfectly on our Lego boards, so no compatibility issues there. And Lego doesn’t make these particular figures so fantastic.

Here are some general thoughts.

Value-wise, the bigger boxes are the better value. Branded Lego minifigures (that come in the little blind bags) are £2.50 each. The small Fred’s box gives you two minifigures at £4.85, which works out fractionally cheaper, but not that much. But the larger boxes work out excellently. The Large box, with ten figures, is £16.50, which is a bargain price of £1.65 per figure. And the Party Box works out at £1.30 per figure. Excellent value.

The quality is not quite as good as branded figures, but it is more than acceptable. And other non-branded Lego-compatible toys are the same kind of quality, so given that they are a better deal (and work just as well) as the Lego brand, it doesn’t matter and doesn’t affect the general appreciation and enjoyment of the figures.

I love that these are from such unique series. I think it’s great that they’re not trying to reproduce preexisting figures, and instead this opens up lots more opportunities for play. Little C is a huge Lego fan, and while she enjoys building things, she spends much of her time playing with the various figures (she has a massive collection) and making up stories with them.

This would be a really lovely gift for any child, either as a one-off or a regular delivery. It’s a good price, a really fun idea, and as far as I can find, it’s the only minifigure subscription box out there. So for anyone, child or adult, who enjoys minifigures, this is perfect.