LEGO® DREAMZzz™ review: August 2023 parts and minifigures

LEGO® DREAMZzz™ is the new flagship action theme from The LEGO Group with a tie-in animated series. In this first article, I will go through the exciting new parts appearing in the sets on 1 August 2023 and take a close look at the wild range of minifigures populating them. 

Grab your pyjamas, fluff your pillow and fall into a state of bliss in this beautiful dreamworld!

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Over the next few weeks I'll dive deeper into the individual sets:

• 71453 Izzie and Bunchu the Bunny
• 71454 Mateo and Z-Blob the Robot
• 71455 Grimkeeper the Cage Monster 
• 71456 Mrs. Castillo's Turtle Van
• 71457 Pegasus Flying Horse
• 71458 Crocodile Car
• 71459 Stable of Dream Creatures
• 71460 Mr. Oz's Spacebus
• 71461 Fantastical Tree House
• 71469 Nightmare Shark Ship

The new moulds

Flame / Vapor Trail with Axle Hole and Ovals with Marbled Pattern (part 1995)

These new, beautiful splat pieces (Design ID 1995) wish you a happy Pride Month. It's cool to have a signature piece in this theme appear in four pretty colour combinations.  

• Bright Light Orange with Trans-Yellow (6447085) - 2 in 71453 Izzie and Bunchu the Bunny and 1 in 71456 Mrs. Castillo's Turtle Van
• Bright Green with Trans-Bright Green (6430885) - 1 in 71454 Mateo and Z-Blob the Robot and 2 in 71459 Stable of Dream Creatures
• Dark Azure with Trans-Blue (6435597) - 2 in 71458 Crocodile Car, 2 in 71460 Mr. Oz's Spacebus, 4 in 71461 Fantastical Tree House
• Medium Lavender with Trans-Pink (6435598) - 2 in 71469 Nightmare Shark Ship
  

These capture the essence of the dreamworld very well. They have a single connection of an axle hole; I think it's the best option available so I'm pleased with this choice. It can be used with both 3.18 mm bars (as demonstrated by my stands) or an axle for a more secure connection. Cool.

 

The piece is 14 modules long and 3 modules at its widest. The tip is the correct thickness to insert in the gaps in a 1x2 grille tile, but it's hard to connect the grille tile to other parts if used in this way.

Technic Rotation Joint Cylinder with Pin Hole and Rotation Joint Ball Half (part 1994)

 

This new barrel-shaped joint (Design ID 1994) enables more flush joints on the large character models. In my opinion, these should have been introduced already, in 2004, for LEGO® Knights Kingdom! 

The new barrel-shaped joint comes in the following sets:

• Medium Azure (6447228) - 2 in 71453 Izzie and Bunchu the Bunny
• White (6428169) -  4 in 71454 Mateo and Z-Blob the Robot
• Black (6432442) - 4 in 71455 Grimkeeper the Cage Monster
• Dark Blue (6435596) - 2 in 71458 Crocodile Car

It has a pin connection 2 modules deep which enables enough friction when used with long pins with axles. In the sets, it is often combined with the "Maxaroni" element (65473).

 

 
The barrel section is 5 plates (2 modules) tall. The pin joint is in the standard position for joints - in the middle of a 2x2 area.

While this part makes the set design more flush, I don't expect to use it on my character builds anytime soon. It looks too robotic on the shoulder joint, the counterpieces are not available in each colour, the movement is more limited than on ball joints, and it comes only in four colours so far. I think it'll help others who are more beginners to the world of character building!

Plant Grass Stem / Horn, Spiral Curve (part 1997) 

These tail pieces are from the LEGO® Super Mario™ Diddy Kong figure, and I will absolutely call them Diddy Tails (1997). 

• White (6430887) - 2 in 71455 Grimkeeper the Cage Monster, 2 in 71457 Pegasus Flying Horse, 2 in 71461 Fantastical Tree House.
• Lime (6453008) - 4 in 71459 Stable of Dream Creatures

They're cute and solid-looking, but unfortunately have no connection points save the pin on end. The pin has a 'plume hole', but it doesn't have very much friction. The middle of the curve could have been 3.18mm bar-compatible but no, this feels like a missed opportunity – but was surely an intentional move by its designers. New Elementary contributor Tom Loftus might find some parts that fit illegally though!

Plant Plate, Round 1 x 2 with Leaf (part 3565)

The new smooth Palm Leaf 6x2 (3565) elements were first spotted in LEGO® Donkey Kong sets, so I'm tempted to call them Diddy leaves. 

• Tan (6450637) - 3 in 71459 Stable of Dream Creatures
• Dark Turquoise (6449584) - 4 in 71459 Stable of Dream Creatures, 4 in 71457 Pegasus Flying Horse

I like these pieces, but honestly, they don't make very beautiful plants. I'll wait for them to appear in Red or Dark Red and use it as a tongue, and any colour for a skirt or as hair.

The piece is 6 modules long and around 3 modules tall when connected in LEGO System; it is 2 modules wide in the middle. The center rib is slightly recessed.

Slope, Curved 1 x 2 x 2/3 Double (part 3563)

Brick Curved 1 x 2 x 2/3 Double Curved Top, No Studs (3563) has also been spotted in other new sets. 

 

• Reddish Brown (643392) - 1 in 71456 Mrs. Castillo's Turtle Van

This bread-like piece fills the gap between 1 x 1 and 1 x 4 variants. It is used in an alternative version of Mrs. Castillo's backpack.

Body, Dreamzzz Creature / Dreamling (part 1994)

In addition to many traditional (yet colourful) minifigures, this theme has several little figures using a new body piece. They mainly utilise regular minifigure heads and headgear. They're called Dreamlings, but I will call them 'Little Dudes' (gender non-specific). 

 

The Little Dude Body element (1994) is symmetrical, meaning it doesn't have a front or back side. It has a single antistud divided into legs on the bottom. The piece is hollow, but doesn't have an internal connection to a bar.

 

The piece is four plates tall (excluding the neck peg). The armpits can hold 3.18 mm bars, and their distance apart is within the LEGO System grid.

This element leads us nicely onto the cast of characters.

The characters 

Most of the characters appear in multiple sets, but the more expensive sets have better-equipped versions with more capes and additional goodies. 

Mateo

Mateo is the main character. He's an artist type but somewhat introvert. He created a comic character called Z-Blob who apparently became real, both in the real world and the dreamworld. He has both smirking and smiling faces. The hairpiece (2003) appeared in black without printing in June 2023.

• Mateo Head in Yellow (6434200)
• Mateo Torso in Medium Azure (6443399)
• Mateo Legs with Red Double-Moulded Boots in Dark Bluish Grey (6434202)
• Mateo Hair with Slime Pattern in Reddish Brown (6434257 | 2003)
  
• Utility Belt in Bright Green (6443372) - New in this colour 

This version comes in 71454 Mateo and Z-Blob the Robot and 71455 Grimkeeper the Cage Monster. 71456 Mrs. Castillo's Turtle Van has a version with Red skydiver backpack. 71460 Mr. Oz's Spacebus, 71461 Fantastical Tree House and 71469 Nightmare Shark Ship include Mato with Bright Green saw-edged cape. The prints are identical in each set.

• Mateo Cape in Bright Green (6435197), with Slime Headgear and Z-Blob 

Z-Blob and the Dreamling Mushrooms

These jolly little fellows use the new Little Dude Body element (more on the part itself later). 

• Slime Headgear in Trans-Bright Green (6443455)
• Little Dude Body in Bright Green (6432441)
• Z-Blob Head in Bright Green (6434208) 

Z-blob looks quite cute with only the eyes print on his minifigure head; this version is available in 71456 Mrs. Castillo's Turtle Van, 71460 Mr. Oz's Spacebus, 71461 Fantastical Tree House and a polybag 30636 Z-Blob and Bunchu Spider Escape (we do not have the polybag for review). Some other sets have non-figure versions of Z-Blob.

The slime headpiece works either way round but is not symmetrical. It appeared with a print in LEGO® VIDIYO™ Slime Singer Bandmate in 2021.

• 3 x 3 Dish with Mushroom print in Dark Purple (6434211)
• Dreamling Mushroom Head in Light Aqua (6434212)
• Little Dude Body in Light Aqua (6435594)

The mushroom caps and the heads are new prints. Mushroom Mates appear in 71461 Fantastical Tree House and 71459 Stable of Dream Creatures. 40657 Dream Village has almost identical Little Dudes with other headgear, but as an exclusive set it's not included in our reviews.

Izzy

Izzy is Mateo's younger and more extrovert sister. Her dreamworld self is very bright and colourful; a minifigure of my liking. She's got a double-faced head with alternative closed-eyes emotion. 

 

• Izzy Torso in Bright Light Orange (6443633)
• Izzy Legs with Medium Lavender Double-Moulded Boots in Medium Azure (6434192)
• Pauldrons in Medium Lavender (6443457)
• Izzy Head in Yellow (6434190)
• Izzy Hair in Satin Trans-Light Blue/Satin Trans-Dark Pink (6430878 | 1981)

A pauldron-less Izzy comes in 71459 Stable of Dream Creature. 71453 Izzie and Bunchu the Bunny comes with a version with pauldrons (37614) and a sword, and 71461 Fantastical Tree House and 71469 Nightmare Shark Ship have the best versions with pauldrons, a sword and a skirt.

• Izzy's Sword with Trans-Blue Blade in Pearl Gold (6430886 | 1996)
• Izzy's Skirt in Bright-Light Orange (6435138)
  

The new sword is dual-moulded with Pearl Gold hilt and heart and Trans-Blue blade. It has a stud on one side of the guard; the pommel has no connection points, only a thin slot. I get LEGO® Universe vibes from it. The theme has this sword also in another colour combination - an evil one.

Let's take a moment to appreciate Izzy's beautiful hairpiece. Now I have to find a way to use in in a character MOC.

Cooper and Mr. Oz

Cooper is an old friend of Mateo; he likes fast things. He's the only character who appears both in his normal and dreamworld attires. 

• Cooper Hair in Bright Light Yellow (6444464)
• Cooper Head in Yellow (6434220)
• Cooper Torso in Red (6447617)
• Cooper Legs in Red (6434224)
• Cooper Helmet in Red (6434225)
  
• Utility Belt in Blue (6447551) - New in this colour

Dreamworld Cooper has a tracksuit and Blue utility belt. 71458 Crocodile Car comes with a cool helmet, which is a recoloured Iron Man helmet from the LEGO® Marvel™ Super Heroes line.

• Mr. Oz Hair/Beard in Light Bluish Grey (6430880 | 1989)
  
• Mr. Oz Head in Yellow (6434243)
• Mr. Oz Torso in Reddish Brown (6448832)
  
• Mr. Oz Legs in Dark Orange (6434245)
• Cooper Jacket Torso in Red (6444495)

Normal Cooper (above right) has a jacket with pattern similar to his tracksuit. This version is exclusive to 71455 Grimkeeper the Cage Monster.

Mr. Oz is a physics teacher who has a spaceship in the dreamworld. He's a very cool old geezer with a new beard-and-hair piece, and therefore it's a pity he's only in one set, 71460 Mr. Oz's Spacebus.

 Both of these figures get a back print.

Mr Oz has only one head print, as his headpiece is almost completely covered; I was afraid the head and beard might have been one piece. The print is nice with silvery facial hair - and a slightly uncanny huge eye behind the eyeglass.

Mr. Oz's beard-and-hair piece (6430880) is fantastic. Fantastic! The moustache is bushy but the head can still turn without problems. I hope it will become available in more sets, and in other colours. 

Zoey

Zoey is a cool, musical type and a bit of an outsider; something like Dungeon Master's own character in a tabletop RPG campaign.  

• Zoey Head in Yellow (6434228)
• Zoey Torso in Dark Blue (6447374)
• Zoey Legs in Pearl Dark Grey (6434230)
• Zoey Hair in Purple (6430879 | 1988)
• Zoey Cape in Dark Turquoise (6435204)
• Bow and Arrow in Dark Purple (6425947)

She comes in three sets; 71459 Stable of Dream Creatures has a blander version, 71456 Mrs. Castillo's Turtle Van comes with a common Reddish Brown quiver, and 71457 Pegasus Flying Horse version has a leaf-like Dark Turquoise cape. The two latter ones have newly recoloured Dark Purple bow and arrow. The print flows very nicely in this figure.

 Logan and Albert

• Little Dude Body in Dark Azure (6435593)
• Logan Head in Dark Azure (6454146)

Logan is, apparently, one of the kids; an athlete and a gamer with the aura of a bully about him. He only appears as a weird blue little goblin. According to my agents in field, this bit of a trouble to him, but I like to think that Logan embraces his weird blue little goblin persona.

 

He has wild hair (originally from Joker, in Black in Ninjago's Prince Benthomaar) and a double-sided face. Both the hair and the suggestion of teenage muttonchops could refer to the more famous Logan; but more likely this is just coincidence. 

 

Logan appears in 71460 Mr. Oz's Spacebus and 71458 Crocodile Car.

• Albert Little Dude Body in White (6434247)
• Albert Head in Black (6434246)

Albert, on the other hand, is a part of Mr. Oz's personality who manifests as a little visitor from the Planet of the Apsi Apes. (This is a weird theme.) Albert appears in 71460 Mr. Oz's Spacebus.

The victims: Jayden and Nova

Jayden and Nova appear only in their pajamas, ready to be kidnapped by Nightmare monsters and saved by the Dreamcatchers.  

• Jayden Head in Yellow (6434205)
• Jayden Torso in Lavender (6443370)

Jayden has cute unicorn pyjamas and prominent braces; he appears in 71454 Mateo and Z-Blob the Robot, 71458 Crocodile Car and the exclusive 40657 Dream Village. I would have switched one Jayden for another Mr. Oz, but I suppose play requires boy in distress.

 

 

• Nova Head in Yellow (6434234)
• Nova Torso in Lavender (6448731)
• Nova Hair in Dark Red (6448730)

Nova has amazing sloth pyjamas and a new head with an appropriately sleepy alternative expression. The hairpiece (36037) is new in Dark Red. Nova Appears in 71457 Pegasus Flying Horse and 71469 Nightmare Shark Ship.

Mrs. Castillo

Mrs. Castillo is an amazing figure. It was about time we got an old lady minifigure with the lifting capabilities of an ox. She reminds me of Nanny Ogg, and my own grandmother. 

The hippie-esque and mushroom-centric Castillo has a new dual-mouded torso/backpack piece and pin-connecting arms. She has a double-printed head, showing varying level of happiness.

• Castillo Head in Yellow (6434209)
• Castillo Body/Bag in Light Aqua/Reddish Brown (6434258)

Castillo comes in 71456 Mrs. Castillo's Turtle Van (her van), 71459 Stable of Dream Creatures (her house) and 71461 Fantastical Tree House (her other house). Turtle Van version comes with a slightly different backpack with the newly moulded 2 x 2 double "bread" curved slope in Reddish Brown!

Mrs. Castillo's torso is 7 plates tall, with the neck peg being recessed by one plate. The backpack has four hollow studs. It makes a very weird SNOT piece.

 

The armpit pin hole is positioned in-System, along Mrs. Castillo's central axis.

Susan and the Dreamlings

Most of the bad guys are Little Dudes with varying headgear. 

 

Susan is a special one, with new Trans-Pink bat wings and a new headgear; her cool face features many eyes. She appears in 71457 Pegasus Flying Horse and 71460 Mr. Oz's Spacebus, where she is aided by a group of Dreamlings referring to classic themes, from left to right: Denny (LEGO® Space), Flight Knight (LEGO® Castle), Propper Chopper (LEGO® Wild West) and Captain Bedbeard (LEGO® Pirates). 

Grimspawn, who appears in 71456 Mrs. Castillo's Turtle Van and 71453 Izzie and Bunchu the Bunny, is identical to Flight Knight except having a Trans-Pink plume instead of the propeller.

Dreamlings share their head print and have no torso print. 

• Bat Wing in Trans-Pink (6207783)
• Susan Headgear with marbled Trans-Pink in Black (6430889 | 2006)
• Susan Head in Black (6434239)
• Susan Little Dude Body in Black (6434240)
• Little Dude Body in Black (6430884)
• Dreamling head in Black (6434214)

I'm not a fan of these little dudes. They go too deep into the Bobblehead/Funko-Pop/Minion territory for my liking, and are hard to physically balance with their equipment. I guess the minifig headpieces are useful, but I'd hoped for more standard minifigs instead.

Susan's new headgear has two bar holes in side and a marbled Trans-Pink top. It would make a cool dark torch flame. 

 

Snivel

• Snivel Head, Large in Black (6434217)
• Snivel Little Dude Body in Black (6434218)
• Angled Bar/Stud Connector in Black (6443416)

Snivel is another special Dreamling. Yep, even more like Bobbleheads or Funko-Pops, but taken to the extreme like this makes it a fun figure. I like the colourful print of the huge head. The angled bar/stud connector (65578) is new in Black. Snivel is available in 71458 Crocodile Car, 71461 Fantastical Tree House and 71469 Nightmare Shark Ship.

Night Hunter

Night Hunter appears to be The Nightmare King's lancer and sergeant-at-arms. He's also the only other evil full minifigure in the theme. 

• Night Hunter Hat in Black (6434259 | 3631)
• Night Hunter Scarf in Black (6430890 | 2007)
  
• Night Hunter Torso in Black (6443507)
  
• Night Hunter Legs in Black (6434216)
• Dreamling Head in Black (6434214)

His black attire is very edgy.The face print is shared with many evil Dreamlings. Hunter comes in 71458 Crocodile Car and 71461 Fantastical Tree House.

Night Hunter's hat and scarf are new pieces. The scarf is made of rubbery plastic and has wind-blown, finger-like ends. The wide-brimmed and eye-equipped hat has a hole on top, but it doesn't permit any standard connection. Again, I think I'd need Tom Loftus to find some connections for it.

The Nightmare King

The Nightmare King is the true nemesis of this theme. He's half-Nazgul and Half-Mummy.  

 

He gets a new double-moulded headgear with a cowl and an iron crown, decorated with one all-seeing eye. The cape is made of rubbery material, following the success of Michael Keaton Batman and Dr. Strange. It is a cool piece, featuring nightmarish shadows of some beast heads. Nightmare King appears in 71457 Pegasus Flying Horse and 71469 Nightmare Shark Ship.

• Nightmare King Head in White (6434236)
• Nightmare King torso in Black (6448722)
  
• Nightmare King legs in White (6434238)
  
• Nightmare King Cape in Black (6446694 | 4057)
  
• Nightmare King Crown in White/Black (6442905 | 10452)
  

• Nightmare King Sword with Trans-Pink Blade in Black (6435603 | 1996)
  

His evil laser sword is a dark version of Izzy's Sword, moulded with black hilt and Trans-Pink blade. Very cool.

Ideas using the minifigure parts

To finish this article, I'll give some quick glimpses at ideas these new parts gave me; with time, they'll appear here and there in my MOCs, but these first ones center around some minifigure parts. 

Join me over the next few weeks when I'll look at the individual sets with their recolours and rare parts.

When I first saw an image of Mrs. Castillo minifig, she instantly recognized me of Vitruvius – who happens to be one of my favourite minifigures and also the first known Writing Architect and Architectural Theorist (I'm following his tracks). They could run a store selling dreamcatchers and mushrooms and psychedelic records.

Did I mention how fantastic Mr. Oz's Hair/Beard is? I don't make many "fig barfs" nowadays, but it would be a stable. It has big Miyazaki Grandpa energy.

Peter Jackson cut out the ability of Gandalf's Glamdring (or Foe-Hammer) to glow blue when orcs are nearby; it would have looked too much like a lightsaber. Izzy's sword gives a nice, book-accurate rendition to this effect, although a silver handle would have been more logical. Looks pretty though!

And least but not last... I mean... Crivens! Nae king! Nae quin! Nae laird! Nae master! We willnae be fooled again!

 

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