The LEGO Official Annual 2023’s minifigure isn’t worth getting excited about

Publisher Buster Books has unveiled the LEGO Official Annual 2023, which hits shelves later this year – but as usual, its free minifigure isn’t really worth getting excited about.

When it comes to LEGO books, the real draw is typically the minifigure peering through a bulky insert jammed into the cover. They’re often exclusive to their respective books, created specifically for those titles, or present more affordable ways to get your hands on rare characters. Unless it’s the LEGO Official Annual, which for years has bundled its activities, puzzles and comics with a basic LEGO CITY minifigure.

The 2023 annual is unfortunately no different, as it includes an arguably worse version of a minifigure from an already inexpensive 2022 set. Crook Ice from 60314 Ice Cream Truck Police Chase is admittedly one of CITY’s more inventive characters in recent years, sporting vivid blue hair and a mascot-style ice cream cone costume.

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But they’re also available in a set that costs just £24.99 / $39.99 / €29.99, and otherwise includes two other unique minifigures and 317 pieces, so there’s very little logic in picking up the LEGO Official Annual 2023 for its minifigure alone. Sure, the book retails for just £8.99 on Amazon, but it doesn’t include Crook Ice’s funky blue hairpiece – and you can grab the complete minifigure (and ice cream cone costume) for less than £4 on BrickLink.

Still, all that doesn’t preclude it from being (probably) a fun pickup for kids, who are – lest we forget – its target audience. And when it inevitably drops to a few quid next year, when all eyes are on 2024, it might just make it a more palatable option for adult fans to grab an extra minifigure, too.

If you’re a hardcore LEGO book collector (we’re sure there are some of you out there), you can pre-order the LEGO Official Annual 2023 from Amazon at full price now. It’s due for release on September 15, 2022.

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