More uses for LEGO 71051 Series 28 Animals' minifigures

LEGO 71051 Series 28 Animals is now available, and we've come up with five alternate uses for the characters in a non-party context.

Now that a new series of LEGO minifigures is available, you can freely start scanning those boxes and collecting all 12 of the colourful and costumed characters. That specific context might make them adorable, but it also makes them harder to use outside of a party display.

To help you out (and give you an excuse to buy more of the selection), here are some additional uses for 71051 Series 28 Animals beyond any kind of party context, starting with a trip to NINJAGO.

Mr Frohicky

As mentioned in a recent January 1, 2026, shopping list blog, the frog costume is a good start to making a custom Mr Frohicky minifigure from LEGO NINJAGO: Dragons Rising. Custom minifigures of this caretaker character are nothing new, with one idea from ninjagonmore using a different collectable minifigure's frog head, arguably tying it to a more specific character.

Instead of using Kermit's head, the 71051 Series 28 Animals minifigure allows you to take their custom minifigure and upgrade it with a more generic head. Just swap the yellow head inside the mouth for a solid black one (or Orca's from the LEGO Batman Movie), and you'll have a fairly convincing Frohicky, at least before the NINJAGO team give us an official minifigure of the character.

Another fish for the LEGO Tropical Aquarium

Owners of 10366 Tropical Aquarium who missed out on the corresponding fish food and filter gift-with-purchase have a couple of reasons to pick up the goldfish minifigure in 71051 Series 28 Animals. The minifigure's accessory is a small bottle of fish food, and despite the size difference, it will look good next to the larger fish tank.

The main minifigure can also blend in well with the rest of the fish in the tank, too, especially if you use transparent elements to pose them in the water and keep the yellow head in the mouth hidden from view.

An Absolute Killer Croc stand-in

LEGO Killer Croc is back in 76300 Arkham Asylum, though the minifigure is arguably in need of some upgrades. Those who want an easier and more affordable upgrade experience can instead opt for the Crocodile costume in 71051 Series 28 Animals.

By replacing the yellow head with a black one, this is a good stand-in for the character, and the longer mouth positions it better as a stand-in for Killer Croc from the Absolute Batman series specifically. It's certainly not perfect, but we're unlikely to see an official variant anytime soon, and for only £3.49 / $4.99 / €4.99, you can't complain too much.

A new LEGO Chima minifigure, 11 years later

LEGO Legends of Chima fans might have spotted the peacock minifigure in 71051 Series 28, which features a strikingly similar colour scheme to a certain someone from the animated series. Dom de la Woosh is an anthropomorphic peacock from the retired theme's animated series who never received a physical minifigure due to their specific shaping and the new pieces that would be needed to get close to their on-screen appearance.

Thankfully, the peacock costume in 71051 Series 28 Animals is taking us closer than ever before to a proper depiction of the character and would only need a few changes to be properly convincing. Change the yellow head for a black one or Orca's from The LEGO Batman Movie, then add a blue round one by one piece to extend the neck and you're not too far from another LEGO Legends of Chima minifigure a decade after the theme was retired.

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