When it comes to creative play, Lego is the frontrunner on almost every level. With cleverly marketed items for both boys and girls, it seems like they have every age range covered. When the designers were creating most of the sets for the preschool crowd they really neglected to work on the variations of the figures that came with the sets but never fear, they came up with a pretty interesting assortment with their Duplo World People set. Comprised of 24 standard sized Duplo figures, this set can be used with almost all of the Duplo, Dacta and Explore sets including Bob The Builder, Dora The Explorer and the older Dinosaur Family series. This is a great way to add a little variety to the play scenes that your child can create as well as a great way to expose them to different age and ethnic groups. I picked these up for my neighbor’s daughter when she started to get into the Duplo series of blocks and she started to complain that there weren’t enough people for her to play with. Knowing that she’d be the only one that would be using these on a regular basis, I opted to go with a larger assortment of figures rather than the smaller eight and twelve pack varieties.
Duplo World People
Just like the Lego Town Folks and Community Workers Collectors Pack, this set is an accessory pack that’s designed to be added on to existing sets – simply put – these aren’t a lot of fun by themselves so it’s best to have some of the bulk packs or Duplo sized sets on hand for a child to play with. The designers broke down the characters to include three generations – kids, adults and grandparents. In addition to the age breaks, they also introduced three “new” ethnic groups – but this is where it gets a little confusing. Since Lego provides no definitive list of their exact ethnicity, you are sort of left to your own devices when it comes to labeling them – I came up with these four – Asian, African American, Hindu / Hindi and Indian. I might not be right on their exact ethnic background but without some type of guide from the Lego designers, you really are left in the dark. For me this is a pro and a con of the set – on the plus side your child gets exposed to different races and they aren’t locked into one specific ethnic peg for the figures but on the downside, it can be rather confusing to kids who aren’t exposed to people of other cultures. This opens a nasty little door labeled “politically incorrect” but hey, these are toys for kids so let’s not read too much into them. It’s best to sit down with your child and tell them a little about each of the different cultures, maybe talk about the different foods they eat, what country they are from … basic things.
The figures do have a lot of detail to them and can be used with almost all other similar sized sets – the problem comes when you try to add them to sets like the Brontosaurus Family and Dinosaur Village, the figures are almost all wearing modern clothing – something that will really stand out if you try to mix them in with the cave people. There are only a few figures that come with stenciled uniforms on, most of them are presented in “street clothes” or casual wear. To make things even more confusing to those who have never checked out the Duplo series, the accessories that come with the figures are fixed, meaning they can’t be removed or swapped out. This is done to protect smaller kids from swallowing the pieces however it’s a good idea to check the pieces from time to time to make sure that the items are still fastened properly and aren’t getting loose.
For the most part the figures are sturdy and snap into place when used with Duplo base plates, sold separately, and the large feet allow them to stand up without easily tipping over. Since these are larger than standard sized Lego figures the details on the stenciling are more visible but that also means that any scratches or marring that occurs with play will stand out as well. Cleaning these are pretty easy but I suggest that you use a mild soap and an old toothbrush to get off surface dirt rather than doing [gasp] what I saw a few people do – squirting them off with a window cleaner then wiping them off with a paper towel. Not only does this, over time, ruin the stenciling but it puts your child in contact with potentially dangerous chemicals – even more so if they are still in the “everything I touch has to go in my mouth” phase. Some people toss these figures into laundry bags and put them in the dishwasher [top shelf, warm water] but I am sure that over time this will do a real number on the images and stenciling. Play it safe and do it by hand, you’ll be able to get of the surface dirt without compromising the figure and at the same time, checking to make sure the pieces are all still in good working order.
Price
When this set was originally released it carried a pretty hefty price of $38.50, so if you do the math, that comes out to about $1.60 a figure. The Lego World Shop is carrying them for $42.50 – not a huge jump since they were introduced but an increase nonetheless. When you break it down the price per piece it doesn’t seem to be all that bad of a deal but if you are only looking for a specific age or ethnic group, you could end up with a lot of pieces that will never be used. Luckily I found this for $20.00 at an online auction [new, still sealed in the box] so I saved more than half the original price, not bad when you consider this was released in 1995 and is pretty hard to find at most retail stores. If I was looking for this again chances are I wouldn’t pay the full retail price for them knowing full and well that they can be found for less at auctions or through private sellers, if you are going to try and purchase this set exhaust all other options before buying these retail.
The Bottom Line
If you are going to try and track this down you may want to look online at the smaller toys stores or check the auctions so you can save some cash. Another alternative is to check with online brick vendors and brokers that deal with individual pieces from sets. You may pay a little more per piece than if you purchased the set but in the long run, if you are only looking for a few figures, you will end up saving money. This is a great set to boost your childs Duplo inventory and expose them to different age and ethnic groups but the price may make it something that many will pass on. If the Lego designers ever decide to revamp this set they should try to include a small booklet with it to explain – or try to explain – the different cultures that kids will be exposed to through while playing and interacting with the figures. This is a great concept but a poor follow through …
The Stats
Set Name: Duplo World People
Family Set: Duplo World
Lego Set: 9171
Number of Pieces: 24
Age Recommendation: 2 and older
Ease Of Assembly: None needed
Cost: $ 20.00 [SRP - $42.50]
Epinions.com periodically updates pricing and product information from third-party sources, so some information may be slightly out-of-date. You should confirm all information before relying on it.
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