LEGO Friends 41366 Olivia’s Cupcake Café review

Three years ago LEGO Friends served up a Cupcake Café but this latest slice, LEGO Friends Olivia’s Cupcake Café 41119, has had a hi-tech makeover thanks to its new owner, Heartlake’s resident gadget guru

Price: £24.99 / $29.99 / €29.99  Pieces: 335  Available: Now

As well as blending ingredients, 41366 Olivia’s Cupcake Café blends the worlds of baking and science. The high tech cafe includes Zobo the robot on baking duties, a cupcake vending machine, a cupcake delivery scooter, a rotating cupcake server and loads of baking utensils. In keeping with the technologically advanced setup, the café is decorated with metallic, shiny stickers. Two mini-dolls are included in the set, Olivia the baker and her friend Emma.

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As with all sets within the LEGO Friends theme, 41366 Olivia’s Cupcake Café is bright and vibrant, using parts in colours that are uncommon. It’s always a joy sifting through the pieces to see what’s included. Of note are the dark azure 4×4 corner bricks, 4×4 macaroni tiles in bright purple, light aqua 1×1 swirled tops and a brand new 1×1 round tile with printed cake design.

Within the set there are four different elements to build. The small outside table with umbrella and cupcake vending machine, with working play feature that dispenses cupcakes, both look nice enough. The cupcake scooter on the other hand is too simplistic in both build and design. It sits quite awkwardly, the front end looks a bit strange and it doesn’t really look good from any angle.

Thankfully the café itself makes up for this. The overall colour scheme is both appropriately sweet and sickly, tying in to the rest of Olivia’s sets. The bright yellow has become Olivia’s adopted colour. The front is wonderfully designed to look like a giant cupcake, complete with a charming strawberry on top. The awning above the door uses a design commonly used in both the Friends and City themes, but for good reason as the alternating 1×2 curved bricks look really effective.

The café features a few brick built baking utensils such as a blender, oven, sink and a drink dispenser, which could easily be copied in a different colour scheme to create a really decent looking coffee machine. Olivia’s robot, Zobo is on hand to help out with his frosting gun. He sits atop a rotating serving table, operated by turning dark purple and medium azure gears. The little smiling cog sticker helps to add cuteness to this practical feature. Finally there’s both inside and outside dining areas for the Friends to enjoy their sweet treats. And in case they eat them all, the set includes enough spare parts to make an extra four cakes.

The two mini-dolls included within the set are both exclusives. Olivia’s little baking hat was used on the Collectible Minifigures Series 17 Gormet Chef, but it is the first time it appears within a Friends set. Her outfit is new, her leggings feature a planet design and her top ties in both the baking and science theme of the set with a printed cupcake surrounded by planetary rings. Emma’s denim vest top is also new for this year.

41366 Olivia’s Cupcake Café has a completely different look and feel to the previous café released. The set looks great, excluding the scooter, and the blend of baking and science feels cohesive and is carried throughout the set, offering up plenty of play possibilities. LEGO Friends sets have bags of charm and this is no exception, fans of all ages will no doubt delight in cooking up a storm with this one.

This product was provided for review by the LEGO Group.

41366 Olivia’s Cupcake Cafe is available now at shop.lego.com. You can help support Brick Fanatics’ work by using our affiliate links.

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