LEGO Ideas 21376 Orange Cat could never stray too far

LEGO Ideas 21376 Orange Cat has a few differences from 21349 Tuxedo Cat, but the designers made sure it never strayed too far from the original.

You'll likely have a few small changes in 21376 Orange Cat compared to 2024's 21349 Tuxedo Cat, yet there's still a vast number of similarities between them. While an opportunity to make a new LEGO Ideas cat creation presents a chance to do things differently, the team behind the new model took extra care in making sure 21376 Orange Cat wasn't too different.

The biggest similarity between the two builds is the overall pose. The tail in 21376 Orange Cat is on the other side than that of 21349 Tuxedo Cat, but both are sitting in the same overall pose and have a turning head. Changing this pose, even to the extent that you can change the pose in 11384 Golden Retriever Puppy, was never up for discussion.

"There was never a discussion about us changing the pose," shared designer Chris McVeigh to LEGO fan media in a recent roundtable. "When the project was originally brought to us, the idea was for it to be a straight-up colour change. If we make more significant changes, like a different pose, it increases development time."

That development timeline was ultimately shorter than most other sets, since they had a framework to build off in 21349 Tuxedo Cat. The team still took the chance to make a few smaller changes aside from the colour scheme. That includes an opening mouth and increased fur texture.

"We still went through an abbreviated development process, the designer explained. "There was a measure of consideration given to how to optimise the medium nougat part usage in the model. That took some time. If you built the tuxedo cat and you built this one, you know that we have made some minor changes to make it a little bit different, so that it's bringing something new to the table, besides the medium nougat colour.

Despite the differences introduced in 21376 Orange Cat, one fact remained true for the LEGO Ideas design team when creating the 2026 feline. They never aimed to stray from the fan designer's original pitch. Fan designer Damian Andres is still being compensated for 21376 Orange Cat because of the many similarities, respecting the enthusiast who allowed the LEGO Group to realise such a viral sensation.

"Then we also have the question of how far it is stepping away from the fan designer's model or concept, which was basically in this pose," said Chris. "I guess we resolved a lot of those questions by just sticking with what we knew."

This strategy ultimately gave the LEGO Ideas team an easier job of following up on 21349 Tuxedo Cat, and the same pose means that the two models will display well together. 21349 Tuxedo Cat is available for £89.99 / $99.99 / €99.99, and 21376 Orange Cat launches on March 1 with pre-orders open now.

For a closer look at the new set and the changes made for the orange feline, click here to read our recent comparison feature.

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