Brick Fanatics’ top LEGO minifigures of 2023: honourable mentions

Not every LEGO minifigure nominated for our top 20 of 2023 list was going to make the cut, so here are the best of the rest, as chosen by the Brick Fanatics team.

Hundreds and hundreds of tiny plastic people hopped, skipped and jumped on to LEGO Stores shelves in LEGO boxes, foil bags and (to the ire of many) small cardboard boxes in 2023. We’ve already undertaken the daunting task of whittling them down to just(!) 20 of the best, according to collective nominations from across the entire Brick Fanatics team.

Some of our personal favourites didn’t quite make the grade, however – so we’ve each picked out our top minifigure of 2023 that didn’t qualify for the main list. Find out what those are below, and let us know in the comments if you agree with our choices.

Chris – Dani Dennison

From one of the year’s most underrated sets comes one of its most underrated minifigures – a character that few LEGO fans will likely have much connection to, but which represents incredibly effective LEGO design. Dani Dennison is the child star of Hocus Pocus, and subsequently 21341 Disney Hocus Pocus: The Sanderson Sisters’ Cottage, and every detail of her minifigure is spot on.

Her incredible dual-moulded hat-and-hair piece (originally developed for the prematurely-cancelled VIDIYO, but first deployed here) does a lot of the heavy lifting, but the use of mid-sized legs (so she can sit in the chair and get spooked by the witches) speaks to the thought put into her design too. She’s worthy of mention here most of all for the fact that she might otherwise have passed under the radar completely.

Rachael – Ultron

76269 Avengers Tower brought a record-breaking number of minifigures and one isn’t getting nearly enough attention. Vision might steal the show but the minifigure based on the first, broken-up version of Ultron is also an impressive feat of design.

The smashed up helmet headpiece, the distressed armour throughout the torso, with a distorted Avengers logo still just visible – it really conveys the grittiness of Ultron’s first appearance in Age of Ultron. The exposed mechanics is a cool detail that could easily be repurposed for some battle-worn Iron Man suits too.

Jack – Pinocchio

LEGO minifigures should never have a nose – except for Pinocchio. Debuting in the 100th anniversary LEGO Disney Collectible Minifigures series, Pinocchio always posed a challenge for the standard design of a LEGO minifigure.

The character’s defining feature breaks one of the cardinal rules of LEGO minifigures – has a nose. I can only imagine how difficult it was to transform the animated character and his nose into a LEGO minifigure but there’s no doubt that the designers have done an incredible job at this almost-impossible task.

71038 Disney 100’s Pinocchio minifigure may not be the most detailed of 2023’s many minifigures but it is one of the most memorable for breaking a huge rule.

Matt – Walt Disney

We saw plenty of impressive LEGO Disney sets released throughout 2023 to celebrate the House of the Mouse’s 100th anniversary, from the likes of 43217 ‘Up’ House to 43222 Disney Castle. However, it’s 43230 Walt Disney Tribute Camera that offers something truly different with its inclusion of the first-ever Walt Disney minifigure.

We predicted that the man who started it all should make an appearance earlier in 2023, but couldn’t have expected where and when that might happen. Walt’s inclusion in 43230 Walt Disney Tribute Camera is a testament to not only his creative genius, but also his fascination with using technology to entertain generations of audiences. The Walt Disney minifigure boasts a black hair piece, double-sided head and torso prints, a pen and a printed Mickey Mouse sketch tile element – perfect accessories to accompany the visionary creator.

Matthew – Autumn

2023 has been a fantastic year for mini-dolls, but none shine brighter than Autumn, the brand new LEGO Friends character with a beautiful hairpiece, a funky fashion sense, and a visible limb difference. Autumn is emblematic of how the LEGO Friends theme has been updated to be more inclusive than ever.

What’s more, Autumn was an important part of one of the most heart-warming LEGO moments of the year; a BBC Breakfast segment in which the mini-doll was presented to young LEGO fan Sofia, who was born without a left hand, and who had written to the LEGO Group to ask for better representation in her favourite toys.

Rob – Bruce Wayne

There is an understated style to Michael Keaton’s performance as Bruce Wayne across Batman and Batman Returns, striking a memorable balance between stoic and comedic. Similarly, his debut in minifigure form in 2023’s underrated 76252 Batcave – Shadow Box strikes an excellent balance between that lovely LEGO charm so intrinsic to good minifigure design, and enough detail and accuracy true to the character we first saw on film over 30 years ago.

Find our entire top 20 minifigures of 2023 here. Don’t forget to check out more of our deep dives into the past 12 months in LEGO too, from the biggest news stories of the year to the sets you might have overlooked.

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