Review: 41452 Prince Puppycorn Trike
Posted by TheBrickPal,
The bright and fun (but sometimes angry) Princess Unikitty debuted in 2014 in the beloved The LEGO Movie. In that time, she has grown to become a fan-favorite character - so much of one, in fact, that Warner Bros Animation greenlit an animated TV series based around her.
Unikitty! first previewed on Cartoon Network in the fall of last year, and premiered this past January. It centers on a different version of the character depicted in the film - almost as if this is the show where that character came from, in-universe. Unikitty rules the Unikingdom with a marshmallow fist, and one of the characters accompanying her is little brother Puppycorn.
LEGO has finally launched their first line of sets for the franchise, where one such set, 41452 Prince Puppycorn Trike, has the titular doggy race alongside some of his best friends. Is it worth speeding to the store to get? Let’s find out...
Characters
Puppycorn is a dog-unicorn hybrid, and Unikitty’s little brother / best friend. While he is slightly immature, curious and gets easily distracted, Puppycorn likes to have fun and his sister does her best to protect him if anyone tries to make him sad.
The figure is very simple, yet effective. You might even notice the coincidental Sonic the Hedgehog color scheme! He follows a very similar construction to Unikitty herself. However, he has a Technic ball tail instead, and the slope ears replaced by a new 1x1 tile with ‘flap’ extension. I cannot wait to see what others will do with this part!
And speaking of brand new elements, remember when The LEGO Movie’s Unikitty had to deal with her head falling off all the time when trying to rotate it? Well, worry no longer. With a 1x1 ‘nipple’ tile and a new, inverted 1x3 tile with bar-sized hole in the middle, your half-unicorn friends are now fully secure and decapitation-free!
Dino Dude is a recurring background character on the show, sometimes seen as a friend of Puppycorn and carrying a conspicuous Australian accent. You can identify him easily by his vibrant, lime-ish tone which isn’t represented very well by the figure. I still like him quite a bit, though.
The eyes on one side of the head are funny as well as accurate. I also enjoy the emotionless expression and while he does not have much articulation, the movable wheels definitely make up for it a little bit.
He is a worthy character to be included - given his mode of transportation - but not particularly exciting.
Kickflip is definitely the simplest model in the set, but is still quite cute for the seven pieces she consists of. You can even take her off the lime skateboard, even though she becomes immobile afterward. Oh, well.
I do like the new roof slope, though. Also, she has clearly seen some things...
The Completed Model
The first model built after the figures is your typical old crate, with some obligatory accessories like an orange ball, an ice cream cone, a pizza... you get the picture.
The most prominent and, in my opinion, best part of the set, is the titular trike. Granted, it’s not much of a tricycle, as it relies on four wheels instead of three. I’d like to think of it as a sort of go-kart.
Prince Puppycorn himself slots in pretty easily, ready to take on the day (and any race he may find himself getting into).
Still, with its sporting equipment themed wheels, smooth surface and consistent color scheme, I cannot think of much negative to say about the vehicle. I also like the flag propped up at the back very much.
However, while fun and easy to operate, I cannot help but wonder why random stud shooters were tacked on, as they do not exist in the cartoon. In this situation, they just feel superfluous - throwing in another play feature when there doesn’t need to be one. The shooters don’t blend in too well, either, and I fail to see why Puppycorn would need any to race against his friends... unless there’s some unseen tension built up inside of him, à la his big sister... too dark? Okay. ;-)
Overall
This is a great set, and a wonderful introduction to the line for those who are a little sick of Unikitty but still want to take a test drive (get it?) into her world a bit.
Like I said, the only thing that could have easily been improved is the addition of someone who Puppycorn would logically want to shoot at - such as Master Frown or his roommate, Brock.
Still, I cannot fault it much - and what, with 101 pieces for $10 USD, plus a couple exclusive characters and rare parts, it is perfect value for money in the United States. I cannot say the same for Great Britain and Europe, though; £12.99 / 14.99€ is slightly difficult to swallow, but waiting a little bit for a discount may bode well for you. Two paws up!
I hope you have found this review informative. Let us know by liking this article and share your thoughts on the set in the comments below.
Thanks to Huw for the photos.
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24 comments on this article
Looks like a fun set, but I've got a few issues with the show's universe. Firstly, the setting is referred to as 'unikingdom', however unikitty, who appears to be the ruler, is a princess, so 'uniprincipality' would be a more accurate name. Also, how are unikitty and puppycorn related? The only explanation I can come up with is that unikitty's parents (who, to date, haven't shown up in the programme) were a unicorn and a cat who then divorced, and unikitty lived with the unicorn, who then remarried with a dog and had another child. Which, though it makes sense, would be far too complicated for a programme aimed at young children.
Unikitty is my favorite show (after ninjago). I will say this is not my favorite set. My biggest complaint with the entire line is I wish they gave them different facial expressions, mostly brock, master frown, dr. fox, hawkodile. but the sets look very good.
@Speed Champions Fan, you’re looking way, way, way too much into it. I mean, the butler guy is just a brick for heavens sake.
Far too Adventure Time-ish for me. That thing on the skateboard is kinda scary...
The big wheel/dish print woul be handy for a sports arena moc.
This looks like fun.
I see some exciting new space parts in this set!
I feel Puppycorn will just be hated by kids and this set will "warm shelves." Kids, both boys and girls want Unikitty (It's her name in the title, and she's gone on to become popular with non-Lego fans and a household name) Puppycorn is the shoehorned in male dog sidekick so little boys and dog people won't feel excluded. As a male dog person, I feel this is a weak, unnecessary attempt to broaden the market for Unikitty sets.
^ Honestly, I don’t think that’s an issue. The theme (and show) is pretty gender-neutral - and, despite its name, the group gets pretty equal screentime.
With this being a cheaper set (certainly affordable compared to most other licensed themes) and the popularity of Puppycorn growing, plus his and other secondary characters’ prominence, I don’t see this being a shelfwarmer.
@lizaia The Unikingdom Creative Brick Box is probably what you’re looking for, if you want a bunch of extra citizens. :-) The same two figures in this set are also included there, plus a different Puppycorn.
Somehow this set reminds me of the obscure Time Cruisers/Twisters theme of the 90s...
@Speed Champions Fan
ssshhhhhhhhhhh
let people enjoy things.
I miss the small skull on the flag pole.
The front wheel in the cartoon is supposed to be a basketball, so is still technically a tricycle.
While not exclusive, Kickflip and Dino Dude are still fun pieces.
Glad you reviewed this, as I was going to if no one else had.
Will you be doing the other sets as well?
If you think this range is weak then think on The Lego Movie. The Second One is just round the corner. Only have the Cloud Car and two of the CMUni’s but the idea of Puppycorn drew me in.
speedchampionsfan, no child would think about that, probably. Also its a fictional universe with lore that is still being built (get it, built). But either way I like the show :)
Also, there are alot of bad things about the unikitty sets, but also some good things and I think you really have to understand the show to appreciate them more. just saying.
I think people are missing the point of speed champions fan’s post - it’s meant to be read seriously but taken light-heartedly in a making-sense-of-a-crazy-kind-of-logic kind of way. :P
@stephengroy, you’re right, didn’t think about that.
And yep, I’ll be reviewing at least most of them, if not all. Stay tuned!
I'm with @giovannesl, as this line reminds me of the weird Time Cruisers mashup theme that was really horrible. It also reminds me of Adventure time sets (can't compare the show as the one about Unikitty isn't available here), which doesn't bode well. The builds look crappier than what my 6-year old daughter builds when she has a really uninspired LEGO day. Awful. And did I mention that she liked Unikitty in TLM very much? She saw the sets for the TV series and was totally uninterested. So much for the age-group this stuff is aimed at. Coming shelf-warmer indeed.
In the immortal words of Roger Murtaugh: "I'm too old for this sh**"
@AustinPowers, While yes the builds for some of the sets are crappy, you have to think about watchers of the actual show who will recognize this set.
Also, like the time cruisers, Some of the sets are just good for pieces and prints
^^ Well, that was a bit... harsh. But it IS your opinion. :-)
@giovannesl I knew these looked familiar! I missed out of Time Cruisers, but those crazy mashups always seemed fun. This line seems like a mix of those and Classic brick boxes.
@Jumbo Bricks Blue: I did, that's why I used two ** to complete the word in question.
Plus, I merely cited a well known catchphrase, denoting a general feeling that I might be losing contact with my inner child.
;-)
@Skela: Sorry if I am giving a harsh opinion. For context, the TV show is not available here, so how should children "recognize this set"? They go into a LEGO store or someplace else that has LEGO sets and they see these things without any context.
As I said, I showed them to my LEGO-savvy daughters, both were unimpressed und not interested. Anecdotal evidence for sure, but as far as the LEGO buying parent in me is concerned, I don't need more input from the target age group.
My personal feelings towards this line of sets is totally negative, I admit, but as I can see no redeeming features whatsoever, I stand by my original statements.
It is not that I don't like wacky sets per se, but they have to show some kind of quality, be it inspiring builds or cool designs. These sets show neither to me.
Plus, they are highly overpriced over here, as are many sets in recent times, which acerbates the problem.
Mediocre sets at inflated prices, especially when compared to the US, shows me that LEGO isn't interested in good sales numbers over here any more. Period.
@austinpowers
I understand that is your opinion. I also agree with you the prices are not great. 41453 Party Time should be $15 but its 20.
@Skela: yes I agree with you, but guess what, in Europe the price is insane:
29.99 Euro in Germany (which I think is the cheapest price in Europe), which equates to about 35 USD!
In the UK it is 29.99 Pounds, which equates to 38 USD!
And LEGO still has no clue why their sets don't sell any longer over here, or why clone companies like Lepin get ever more popular in the West.
You think that's bad, try being in Norway, here that is 349 NOK aka 41.31 USD!