Random set of the day: Santa's Truck
Posted by Huwbot,
Today's random set is 1177 Santa's Truck, released in 2000. It's one of 45 Town sets produced that year. It contains 27 pieces and 1 minifig.
It's owned by 81 Brickset members. If you want to add it to your collection you might find it for sale at BrickLink or eBay.
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38 comments on this article
Redneck Santa stole that polar bear’s Christmas tree.
This is just yesterday’s random set but with Santa and a tree.
All the joyless fun of Town Junior but with the added benefit of grand theft Christmas tree?
I mean, it lacks the childhood whimsy of a sleigh with reindeer, but more than makes up for it with the idea that Santa engaged in a frenzied battle with a polar bear to get hold of a Christmas tree.
A Christmas set with out of the box thinking. The truck is a little too basic for my tastes (especially in that it is less than twenty pieces for a minifig scale truck), but I like the set as a whole.
But look what you get in a polybag. A Santa minifig, a rather sizeable animal in the form of a polar bear, a pine tree, a chain to strap said tree to the truck, and a rather basic truck that has a fence/rollbar and windscreen in its parts. Really, one of the better sets at that size. Kinda funny in that it's a Coke promo set, and Santa as we know it is a creation of Coke, and the polar bear's inclusion is due to polar bears featuring prominently around Christmas on Coke cans.
Cute roller skate. Where's the truck?
This is what Santa brings out when the sleigh breaks down.
Huwbot's bringing Christams a little early this year, how nice. We certainly need it.
Yo Santa's got a truck and a tree and you know he fought off that bear with the chain too. Dude's a legend. What a set.
I love the idea that Santa's coming to town in a monster truck.
He deserves a better truck.
Well, the polar bear is nice at least.
As kitschy and outdated as it is now, I kinda like pirate bandanna Santa.
@cody6268 said:
"Kinda funny in that it's a Coke promo set, and Santa as we know it is a creation of Coke, and the polar bear's inclusion is due to polar bears featuring prominently around Christmas on Coke cans. "
Fun fact, but he's actually not. The modern image of Santa Claus a big jolly round guy dressed in red with spectacles comes largely from illustration of the poem "Twas the Night Before Christmas" with a little help from the Ghost of Christmas Present from Dickens, though even both of those are harkening back to older sources of Sinterklaas and Father Christmas. Our red pirate with a beard in this set isn't too far off from how Santa would have been portrayed in the 1800s or even earlier
I think Santa having a truck is hilarious
Delightfully rudimentary.
This is the same "car" that the fire chief had yesterday! Except this one is a truck
No headlights, because, "Rudolph with your nose so bright, won't you lay across the hood of my truck tonight?"
Rudolph is shocked, and concerned.
LEGO is only now about to release a moulded System stag/reindeer in a natural colour. Given some of the weird parts LEGO has released, you would think it had produced something more mainstream like a reindeer to draw Santa’s sleigh years ago.
@Zander said:
"LEGO is only now about to release a moulded System stag/reindeer in a natural colour. Given some of the weird parts LEGO has released, you would think it had produced something more mainstream like a reindeer to draw Santa’s sleigh years ago."
Who needs reindeer when you drive a big, bad truck like this?
@chrisaw said: As kitschy and outdated as it is now, I kinda like pirate bandanna Santa.]]
Yeah, i have a couple of the old Santas in my winter village as helper Santas. https://i.imgur.com/c3BhcKt.jpg
I didn't remember this set, but idea with Santa's truck is a bit strange.
Well, someone's getting seasonal a little early this year, Huwbot...
I had a similar Santa Polybag set from around this era, but it definitely wasn't as substantial as this one; my Santa had a tiny little sled, and no tree nor polar bear in sight xD ...and also grey pants instead of the red ones he wears here, for some reason I never quite knew of.
Fun fact: this is the smallest set to include one of these polar bear pieces; and almost the only one outside of the Arctic theme. I'm... honestly mildly surprised that it didn't see more use beyond that.
^ This? https://brickset.com/sets/1807-1/Santa-Claus-and-Sleigh
Never liked those premade Town.jr Chassis parts.
The 4+ car chassis is a bit more useful for kids as it has fenders and studs on the front, but still find those vehicles too simple.
The Polar Bear certainly is the highlight of the set.
...
That’s all.
Definetly a 2K set, boring and unimaginative.
So is it only in Australia Santa drives a ute?
@cody6268 said:
"Santa as we know it is a creation of Coke"
Is that what Americans are led to believe?!
I want a reimagined version of this in a Winter Village set as a side build
I can imagine that Santa ‘fact’ being on an episode of QI.
Sandi: “Where do we get the modern image of Santa from?”
Alan: “Coca-cola!”
ALARM SOUNDS
Another older set that I made an 'updated' version of a few years back:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/legolago/16231958720/
Fun fact: This is a Japan-only set, I believe, and although it's a polybag it came in a box that folded out to make a scenic wintery backdrop for the set. The box itself doesn't look like any other LEGO set I own on the outside. Google "LEGO 1177" and see for yourself!
Never even knew this set existed.
@GeordiePaul said:
"I can imagine that Santa ‘fact’ being on an episode of QI.
Sandi: “Where do we get the modern image of Santa from?”
Alan: “Coca-cola!”
ALARM SOUNDS"
Pretty much that has already happened though it was back in the Stephen Fry days
@Huw said:
" @cody6268 said:
"Santa as we know it is a creation of Coke"
Is that what Americans are led to believe?!
"
Apparently so, I suspect and fear. May be this is because of ubiquitous tandem Santa Claus + Coca-Cola.
This BOX was ONLY sold in JAPAN trough COCA-COLA after buy many COCA Bottles !!
The box was designed with the COCA-COLA White Bear specially MOLD in white for this box
VERY RARE !!!
I want Santa's TANK - from The Santa Claus(e)
;-)
@GHED said:
" @Huw said:
" @cody6268 said:
"Santa as we know it is a creation of Coke"
Is that what Americans are led to believe?!
"
Apparently so, I suspect and fear. May be this is because of ubiquitous tandem Santa Claus + Coca-Cola."
Santa Claus has his origins in the various European legends, but the modern-day USA Santa is definitely a corporate entity by now...I struggle to celebrate Xmas without getting too materialistic or political nowadays. Having little kids helps me keep my perspective. But the jolly old elf representation of Santa is plastered all over Coca-Cola products every year, and the polar bears were ubiquitous until several years ago.
I have this set, sealed. The box packaging is indeed unique and actually has no real identifying markings, very much appropriate for a promo, one-off type of set.
@Rimefang:
Rudolph is right to be concerned. His hooves would probably drag on the ground, on both sides.
@TeriXeri:
I'm currently tweaking the design for a minifig-scale 1960's Ford Good Humor truck. The freezer box on the back is about the size of this thing, and the latest version clocks in at just shy of 300pcs. I'm going to have to refer back to my "roller skate" comment.
@Huw:
Firstly, you'd really need to live here during the Christmas season to understand (as of last year, that's been expanding to include most/all of October, though things may be a bit...weird this year). Coca-Cola also has one of the largest trucking fleets in the world, and they slap pictures of Santa on much of what they sell (cans of Coke bearing images of Santa drinking a bottle of Coke). And yeah, newspapers (some big, some small) dig up stuff like this to run as flavor pieces that just end up being used as "proof" for the next article a few years later.
A nice bag, considering the polar bear piece probably was not a cheapie even back then. As expensive as this poly is now (Im guessing due to the CocaCola stickers?), Im guessing this poly would be worth a lot more had LEGO not done another polar bear recently.