A while back, The LEGO Group provided BrickNerd with the complete Collectible Minifigures Series 23 to evaluate. I was so excited to be the person chosen on the team to explore all their possibilities when it comes to storytelling. I had so much fun! You see, just as with the party-themed figures of Series 18, these minifigures are ready to celebrate!

Series 23 gives us another rich palette of colorfully costumed characters, just in time to celebrate their favorite hobbies, holidays, and seasons of the year with all of you… and of course their favorite foods! Every figure seems to represent a special festive tradition or wants to tell us their very own captivating story through their costumes. So let us gather around together and listen to some of their magical tales.

Captain Nigel and the Adventures of the "Sea King"

the good captain is excited to tell his tales.

Every year at this time, Captain Nigel impatiently waits for the next voyage for his glorious liner, the “Sea King”, to arrive. It is the most anticipated event of the sailing season and is always celebrated with much fanfare. As he counts down the days until the next voyage, the captain spends lots of time at his favorite dockside seafood restaurant. Its dining room walls are where you can find all of his awards and various newspaper articles documenting each and every voyage of the "Sea King". Of course, Captain Nigel is more than happy to regale anyone with those tales of his adventures himself, as well as talking about his ocean liner in great detail. Listening to his captivating stories, you can't help but want to embark with him on his next sea voyage.

The “Sea King” is considered an engineering marvel in the cruising world, weighing 80,000 tons, and is over 1,000 feet long. In fact, Captain Nigel is so proud of the “Sea King” that he always comes to the restaurant wearing a faithful replica of the ship (truth be told, he just can’t stand the thought of being separated from her). When the sailing day finally arrives, tens of thousands of people pour into the seaport to catch a glimpse of the world's greatest ocean liner. The media keeps track of Captain Nigel's voyages wherever he goes: their articles and TV programs sound like scenes from adventure novels. When the "Sea King" comes back to the home waters again, the whole city celebrates the captain's return… and Nigel hangs another article onto his favorite restaurant’s wall.

Missus Maker's Studio

Are you familiar with "Mister Maker" entertainment show? It's a show from the United Kingdom all about crafting colorful toys and household goods in a fun and engaging way… especially using unexpected materials. It's fairly common that parents reenact these shows with their own kids at home. Don’t believe me? Well, let’s switch on the TV and watch together as “Mrs. Maker” runs her own project with her daughter in their new home studio!

Her daughter has a huge plan for their homemade TV episode: “Flying to the Moon!” Isn’t this too ambitious, you ask? Not for Mrs. Maker! Especially now, because she has transformed herself into a cardboard robot-explorer, and nothing is too difficult for such a seasoned expert…. Processing… processing… -ding!- “I’ve got a great IDEA!” She knows exactly what they need to build a rocket together; “Go gather your construction paper, modeling clay, and some sticky tape, and ‘Let's make it!’ ©… oh, and don’t forget to bring something tasty (as we will need a space snack for our long journey).”

Woo-hoo! The Cardboard Robot mom and her Astronaut daughter have succeeded in building their rocket, and everything is ready for launch… Let’s help them countdown: 3… 2…. 1…. LIFTOFF!!! And now they are well on their way to exploring the moon! Be sure to join us next time as Mrs. Maker shows us how to build more inventions, fun ideas, games and crafts.

The Candy Fairy

What could be more magical than a Wonderland tea party? Why, the magical chocolate confections made by the Candy Fairy of course! Her marshmallow cookie delights are as airy as her wings. In the world of fairy tales, there is nobody sweeter. In fact, she’s the sweetest of all. Bees lose all sense of direction when they fly too close to her house, drawn in by the aroma of chocolate and honey as she cooks in her test kitchen. The poor bees absolutely forget where they were going in the first place.

How does the Candy Fairy make such tempting treats? We can’t tell you her recipes as they are carefully guarded, but we can let you in on a little secret. She spreads her wings and flies far and wide to find the very best ingredients. When developing a new treat, especially one made of chocolate, she flies to the Alps and meets with Milka - the most famous cow in the candy world! Milka provides the Candy Fairy with her own unique chocolate milk, and in turn, the Candy Fairy lets Milka be the first to taste her masterpieces as an honored guest in her test kitchen. The Candy Fairy and Milka really do make a sweet dream team, bringing joy to all!

Ah, Milka. There is no chocolate more tempting than yours.

The “Striped Corn Crew” Presents...

You heard right. There is a new film festival in town, being presented by two dear friends. United by their shared passions for cinema and corn, they are known as the “Striped Corn Crew”. This is because of the red striped boxes of special popcorn they hand out before each movie begins. This explosive duo knows everything there is to know about movies - from the Lumière brothers' invention to the deleted scenes in a yet unreleased film... and as for corn, well they can tell you all about it too (it’s a big lump with knobs... it has the juice!)

Their blazing enthusiasm for movies is enough to pop a whole cornfield. Whenever the two friends are watching action or horror movies, their nerves have them jumping around like corn kernels on a hot frying pan. During the movie premieres, that same energy helps them hop over velvet ropes and run like mad after the stars to get their autographs and pictures taken with them.

Every new movie release is like a holiday for them. The guys place their special popcorn maker at the entrance of the movie theater and share their love of movies and popcorn with old and new friends alike. The special machine coats the popcorn with all kinds of crazy flavors, with orange being their absolute favorite. Fellow movie fans love the popcorn they give out in their 'Striped Corn' boxes, as well as their movie reviews; always new, fresh... and hot from the oven! I can’t imagine a more beautiful thing.

Battle in the Kitchen Kingdom

Two powerful titans of the Kitchen Kingdom are meeting in an extreme cooking battle. The Knight girl is a master of swords, and there is no food that she cannot conquer with them; vegetables, porridge, fried foods, cocktail olives, even rocky road ice cream... and yes, of course, a chopped salad! The Dragon girl is a monster of the grill; every meat dish on her menu is no match for her mastery of fire! These two are shining stars, fighting for the title of the “Best Chef”. Who will be crowned the Queen of the Kitchen Kingdom?

As you know, every fairy tale about a Knight and Dragon seems to have a classic ending of either the Knight slaying the Dragon… or the Dragon setting fire to the Knight. Well, when it comes to cooking battles this particular fairy tale has ended with an unexpected result - a draw! During the intense battle, the Knight’s veggies got mixed up with the Dragon’s meats, and the skewered concoction resulted in a perfect barbecue kabob! After tasting their creative combination, our combatants choose friendship over fighting… and they lived “happily ever after”, savoring their combined culinary surprises.

And with that, we will bring our “Secret Adventures of LEGO Minifigs: Food Edition” to a close. I will share more of the stories of Series 23 later when the holiday season unfolds. What could they be up to?

Which festive food scene was your favorite? Let us know in the comments below.

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