LEGO® Friends review: 41729 Organic Grocery Store

The next set from the January 2023 wave of LEGO® Friends sets under my review is another shop: 41729 Organic Grocery Store. With 830 parts, it sits within the top 5 largest sets out of the wave, and includes some nice new elements. So, grab your cart and load up with MOC-feeders.

Products in this article were provided by LEGO®; the author's opinions are their own.
LEGO® Friends 41729 Organic Grocery Store
US$89.99/ £79.99/ 89.99€/ AU$139.99
830 parts
1 January 2023
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New Elements

We get 3 new molds in this set. 

• First up is the Cupboard 2 x 3 x 5, which comes here in White (6424600 | 2656). It can best be seen as the tall sibling of Cupboard 2 x 3 x 2 (92410). The lower 2 spaces can both fit the Cupboard Drawer 2 x3 (4536 and new 78124).
• The cupboard also comes with a new door: Door 1 x 3 x 5 in Trans-Clear (6424601 | 2657). Note that the door does not fit when any drawers are placed in the cupboard.
• In front of the cabinets we find the grumpy cat in White (6428858). Its name is Churro and can be found in 2 other sets: 41735 Mobile Tiny House and 41754 Leo's Room. 

There are 2 new printed tiles. On the left is Tile 1 x 2 with Smartphone print in White (6416469), making this the 19th smartphone in the LEGO universe. On the right we see the new craze in Heartlake City: Guble Bubble, printed on a Dark Pink Tile 1 x 2 (6416635).

We get some nice recolors too. Starting from the back:

• Door Frame 1 x 6 x 6 in Medium Nougat (6422084 | 42205)
• Window Frame 1 x 3 x 3 in Medium Nougat (6422086 | 51239)
• Brick Arch 1 x 3 x 2 Curved Top in Coral (6422087 | 6005)
• Equipment Shopping Cart, introduced in 2022 in LEGO City, now comes in Bright Light Orange (6422089 | 49649)
• Windscreen 6 x 9 x 1 ⅔ is technically not a recolor, but it is the first appearance without a print in Trans-Clear (6395529 | 1874)
• Bar 6L with Stop Ring in Bright Green (6423952 | 63965)
• Tile Special, Splat with Rounded Sides in Bright Pink (6424476 | 80677)
• Equipment Candle Stick in Reddish Brown (6422088 | 37762) will grow the options for trees and foliage

Minidolls in Organic Grocery Store

The set comes with 5 minidolls. All characters are new for the January 2023 wave of sets, so we get some new prints and molds here.

Jordin

Jordin is the first official character with vitiligo, a condition that causes loss of skin color in patches. We did see a ‘stand-alone’ minifig head before in  (See our review 21337 Table Football).

• Hair Braids, Long, Knot in Black (6371960 | 83345) was introduced in 2022, and appeared in 2 sets prior to this
• New printed Minidoll Head with Light Nougat Vitiligo Patches print in Medium Nougat (6416458)
• New printed Minidoll Torso Girl in Medium Nougat (6430167)
• New printed Minidoll Hips and Short Skirt in Bright Light Orange (6430169)

Isaac

• Recolored Hair Smooth Combed Sideways in White (6430374 | 99930)
• New printed Minidoll Head, Narrow Jawline in Nougat (6416457)
• New printed Minidoll Torso Man in Nougat (6430666)
• New printed Minidoll Hips and Trousers in Dark Blue (6430377)

Autumn

Autumn has a congenital limb reduction, meaning she is missing her left hand, and so a new torso was developed for her. The stump is a bit thicker than the standard minidoll, making it the same size as a standard bar.

• New Hair Curly with Thin Braid in Dark Orange (6409765 | 2640)
• New printed Minidoll Head in Light Nougat (6416668)
• Minidoll Torso with Left Limb Reduction with Dark Green Shirt, Gold Mushrooms print, Light Nougat Arm and Hand in Light Nougat (6411924)

Alba

• Hair Mid-Length Combed Behind Ear in Dark Brown (6420630 | 36037) has appeared in 2 other sets.
• New printed Minidoll Head in Medium Nougat (6416462)
• New Printed Microdoll Body Short Dress in Medium Lavender (6416463)

Leo

• Hair Scruffy and Swept Right in Reddish Brown (6424457 | 40938) has appeared in 1 set in 2019
• New printed Minidoll Head in Medium Nougat (6416551)
• New printed Minidoll Torso Boy in in Medium Nougat (6422458)
• New printed Minidoll Hips and Cargo Pant in Coral (6422464

Rare elements

There are a number of elements that have appeared in 3 sets or less, or otherwise interesting to mention:

• Slope Curved 3 x 2 with Stud Notch Right in Flame Yellowish Orange/ Bright Light Orange (6398305 | 80178) was introduced in 21334 Jazz Quartet in 2022, as was  80177 Slope Curved 3 x 2 with Stud Notch Left in Flame Yellowish Orange/ Bright Light Orange (6398304 | 80177)
• Panel 3 x 4 x 6 Curved Top in Transparent/ Trans-Clear (4617483 | 2571) was last seen in 2012. The last time before that was in 2002, and before that was 1992 in Paradisa
• Bracket 1 x 2 - 2 x 2 Inverted in Bright Green (6401818 | 99207) was introduced in 2022
• Tile 2 x 3 in Bright Green (6406357 | 26603), also a 2022 introduction
• Brick Curved 1 x 4 x 2/3 Double Curved Top, No Studs in Brick Yellow/ Tan (6375672 | 79756) is new for 2022 as well
• Slope Inverted 45° 3 x 1 Double with 2 Blocked Open Studs in Brick Yellow/ Tan (6404700 | 18759) has been in 2 sets prior
• This is the first set that Tile Round 1 x 1 with Christmas Cookie print in Brick Yellow/ Tan (6361753 | 80121) appears in that is not related to Christmas
• Cone 1.17 x 1.17 x 2/3 (Fez) in Bright Red/ Red (6347805 | 29175) has appeared in 2 sets
• Plant, Flower Stem with Bar and 6 Stems in Earth Green/ Dark Green (6398343 | 19119) was introduced in 2022 in a HP set
• Plant, Plate 1 x 1 Round with 3 Leaves in Earth Green/ Dark Green (6400754 | 32607) appeared in 3 sets in 2022, but has been spotted in multiple 2023 Friends sets.
• Equipment Broom End in Dark Brown (6380013 | 90826) was introduced in 2022 for HP characters to fly around on.
• Light Cover with Internal Bar / Bionicle Barraki Eye in Dark Green/ Green (6375689 | 29380) has appeared in 3 sets

The 41729 Organic Grocery Store also packs some interesting rare elements in Light Nougat. The 3 standard bricks all appeared only in 10297 Boutique Hotel and 31131 Downtown Noodle Shop from 2022.

• Brick 1 x 4 in Light Nougat (6378419 | 3010)
• Brick 1 x 2 in Light Nougat (6369189 | 3004)
• Brick 1 x 1 in Light Nougat (6369191 | 3005)
• Tile Round 1 x 1 Quarter in Light Nougat (6275872 | 25269) has appeared in 2 sets
• Slope Curved 2 x 1 No Studs [1/2 Bow] in Light Nougat (6357796 | 11477) has been seen in 1 set
• Tile 1 x 2 with Groove in Light Nougat (6330199 | 3069) has appeared in 3 sets

It's great to have these useful building elements provided in this relatively rare color.

The build

The set itself is a great looking build, packed with little details. 

• Tile Special Splat with Rounded Sides in Bright Pink is used as a spill of a drink from the refrigerator, which uses the new cupboard and doors. 
• The warning sign is a nice touch. 
• The groceries are all delivered with an electric pickup. I never knew these 2 windscreens fit together so nicely.
• The new Candlestick in Reddish Brown is put to good use here in a tree. 
• There is some LEGO Technic going on for the sliding doors. 
• Another nice detail is found in the message board: in several sets like 41727 Dog Rescue Center and 41741 Dog Rescue Van we find tiles with a poster print for a missing dog. The same print reappears here on a sticker, neatly binding the sets from this wave together.

Talking of sliding doors: I love the mechanism that makes both doors open at the same speed.

The conveyor at the checkout registry is made out of a row of Technic Pin Connectors Round, placed on Bricks Special 1 x 2 with 2 Pins. Unfortunately, the connection is too tight to make them roll, but perhaps you can find your own solution for this. Nevertheless, it looks very pretty.

Outside we find a station to deposit your empty bottles and cans. I simply love the sign above the entrance. The designer could easily have placed a large tile here with a sticker, but instead we get a brick-built basket with groceries. As for the groceries in-store, the designer cleverly used a divider in the large crates, turning them into a produce aisle.

Conclusion

Another great LEGO Friends 2023 set! It packs a lot of details for its size, making it an interesting build. I love the tiled floor, making it stand out from other sets, and setting the right atmosphere for a grocery store. 

As a MOC-feeder, the 41729 brings a nice amount of recolors, as well as some rare parts in a relatively cheap set, making it an interesting set parts-wise too.

My 10-year old had a look as well, and was positive about the design. It also sparked some ideas. Being only an organic grocery store  limits the options in inventory, but there is room for expansion. Thinking about what could be added, the idea came for a sort of modular store: small sets or packs with sections that you can use to create your own layout. For instance, shelves and refrigerators with products, loose registers, additional produce sections, a coffee corner, office and so on. What would you add?

READ MORE: Review of the upcoming gift with purchase, LEGO® 40581 BIONICLE® Tahu and Takua

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