Even though most sub-themes are not official and are rather classified by the majority of the Lego community, some, such as the Modular Buildings Collection, are officially classified and recognized by The Lego Group.
Modular Buildings Collection
In April 2007, The Lego Group released 10182 Café Corner, the first modular building in the nearly 20-year-old collection. It included 2,056 pieces, and differed from the modular buildings released later in that its interior was empty. The set was followed by 10185 Green Grocer in 2008, now both the interior and the exterior detailed. The collection continued then with 10197 Fire Brigade in 2009, 10210 Grand Emporium in 2010, 10218 Pet Shop in 2011, 10224 Town Hall in 2012, 10232 Palace Cinema in 2013, 10243 Parisian Restaurant in 2014, 10246 Detective’s Office in 2015, 10251 Brick Bank in 2016, and 10255 Assembly Square, celebrating the 10th anniversary of the collection. These sets included minifigures with classic smiling face.
The modular building of 2018, 10260 Downtown Diner, included modern minifigure faces for the first time. It was followed by 10264 Corner Garage, 10270 Bookshop, 10278 Police Station, 10297 Boutique Hotel, 10312 Jazz Club, 10326 Natural History Museum, and 10350 Tudor Corner.
There are several patterns in the release of the sets:
In 2012, 10230 Mini Modulars was released, including the mini versions of the first four modular buildings, plus 10190 Market Street.
Since 2022, gifts with purchase are also releasing for the buildings: 40532 Vintage Taxi for 2022, 40586 Moving Truck for 2023, 40681 Retro Food Truck for 2024, and 40757 Corner Kiosk for 2025.
- The first one, 10182 Café Corner, was a corner building, while 10185 Green Grocer and 10197 Fire Brigade were both not. The pattern that a corner building is followed by two non-corner ones has been maintained for all sets released since 2007.
- Nearly all of the modulars are built on 32×32 baseplates, except for 10255 Assembly Square and 10326 Natural History Museum, which are built on a 32×32 and a 16×32 baseplate.
- 10218 Pet Shop and 10270 Bookshop both consist of two separate buildings on 16×32 baseplates.
Fairground Collection
On July 1, 2009, The Lego Group released 10196 Grand Carousel, a 3,263-piece set; in 2014, 10244 Fairground Mixer followed it with a more refined design language, and was not built on a baseplate. On June 1, 2015, 10247 Ferris Wheel launched; 10257 Carousel was the next one on June 1, 2017. The largest one yet, 10261 Roller Coaster, was released on June 1, 2018, including 4,124 pieces.
The Fairground Collection name was used officially for the first time in 10273 Haunted House in June 2020, retroactively including the previous sets Later on, 10273 Haunted House was launched in June 2020, with 10303 Loop Coaster releasing in July and 10303 Loop Coaster in July 2022.
All sets offer the builder the option to use additional Lego Power Functions or Lego Powered UP elements to enhance the playability of the set such as automation, music, and sound effects.
Winter Village Collection
In October 2009, 10199 Winter Toy Shop was released, establishing an annual sub-theme of the exclusive sets. 10216 Winter Village Bakery launched in 2010, followed by 10222 Winter Village Post Office in 2011, 10229 Winter Village Cottage in 2012, and 10235 Winter Village Market in 2013. The Lego Group offered something new with 10245 Santa’s Workshop, released on October 1, 2014. In 2015, they re-released the first set as 10249 Winter Toy Shop. 10254 Winter Holiday Train, the reiteration of 10173 Holiday Train, launched on October 1, 2016, with 10259 Winter Village Station following it on October 1, 2017. The set of 2018 was 10263 Winter Village Fire Station, and, in 2019, 10267 Gingerbread House was released for the 10th anniversary of the collection. 10275 Elf Club House, released on October 1, 2020, was a fantasy-themed set again, after 10245 Santa’s Workshop in 2014.
The Winter Village Collection set for 2021 was 10293 Santa’s Visit, which was similar to 10229 Winter Village Cottage from 2012. 10308 Holiday Main Street launched on October 7, 2022, and was the largest set at that time; 10325 Alpine Lodge broke the record in 2023, and is still has the highest piece count among Winter Village Collection sets. On October 4, 2024, 10339 Santa’s Post Office was released.
Botanical Collection
The Botanical Collection started in January 2021 with two sets, 10280 Flower Bouquet and 10281 Bonsai Tree. The third one was 10289 Bird of Paradise in June 2021. These were followed by 10309 Succulents and 10311 Orchid in 2022; the sets for 2023 were 10313 Wildflower Bouquet and 10314 Dried Flower Centerpiece. On December 1, 2023, 10329 Tiny Plants was released, with 10328 Bouquet of Roses launched one month later, on January 1, 2024. Two additional sets were released in August 2024: 10368 Chrysanthemum and 10369 Plum Blossom, and in October 2024, 10340 Wreath and 10370 Poinsettia also launched.
In November 2024, it was announced that the Botanical Collection would be spun off into its own line called Botanicals, with previous sets rebranded to the new line. The first official Botanicals set to not feature an 18+ age rating would be 10347 Petite Sunny Bouquet in May 2025.
Castle System
In August 2022, 10305 Lion Knights’ Castle was released among other 90 Years of Play sets, celebrating the 90th anniversary of The Lego Group. That summer, 40567 Forest Hideout also launched as a gift with purchase.
The next similar set, 10332 Medieval Town Square, arrived on March 4, 2024, although with a normal packaging design that most of the Lego Icons sets use.
Space System
On August 1, 2022, 10497 Galaxy Explorer, a 1,254-piece classic space set was launched, followed by a gift with purchase, 40580 Blacktron Cruiser, in January 2023.
Yet another one, 10355 Blacktron Renegade, was released on January 4, 2025, but with the standard packaging design for Lego Icons sets.
Gardens of the World
In November 2024, The Lego Group announced 10359 Fountain Garden, a 1,302-piece set scheduled for release on January 1, 2025. On the packaging, Gardens of the World appeared, creating a brand new sub-theme for Lego Icons.
Restaurants of the World
Similarly to Gardens of the World, another sub-theme, Restaurants of the World was established by the announcement of 10362 French Café in January 2025. The set contains 1,101 pieces and was released on March 1, 2025.
Vehicles
In 2008, an exclusive model, 10187 Volkswagen Beetle, was released, depicting a Volkswagen Beetle 1960 “Charlotte” model, followed by 10220 Volkswagen T1 Camper Van, with a more refined design, in 2011. After a two-year hiatus, the vehicle series returned with 10242 MINI Cooper in August 2014. In 2015, The Lego Group offered something different with 10248 Ferrari F40; in 2016, they revised the Beetle with 10252 Volkswagen Beetle. On August 1, 2017, 10258 London Bus was released, with no license to a real-life vehicle type, but capturing the iconic AEC Routemaster. The first vehicle based on a media franchise, 10262 James Bond Aston Martin DB5, launched on August 1, 2018. In 2019, two vehicles were released: 10265 Ford Mustang in March, and 10269 Harley-Davidson Fat Boy in August. On March 1, 2020, 10271 Fiat 500 became available, with a re-colored version, 77942 Fiat 500, released in September 2021 (in the United Kingdom only). 10274 Ghostbusters ECTO-1 arrived on November 15, 2020, followed by three vehicles in 2021: 10295 Porsche 911
Buildings
The first building to release among Lego exclusives was 10181 Eiffel Tower; it had an incipient design, and its scale was 1:300. It was followed by the launch of 10189 Taj Mahal in October 2008. The series continued on with 10210 Tower Bridge in 2010, 10234 Sydney Opera House in 2013 and 10254 Big Ben in 2016. 10256 Taj Mahal was a re-release of 10189 Taj Mahal in 2017, with the only difference a brick separator being added. In 2020, a stadium, 10272 Old Trafford – Manchester United was released in February; 10276 Colosseum, which was the largest Lego set that time, also launched, on Black Friday 2020. On September 1, 2021, 10284 Camp Nou – FC Barcelona followed, with a gift with purchase, 40485 FC Barcelona Celebration; 10299 Real Madrid – Santiago Bernabéu Stadium was released on March 1, 2022. The latest building, 10307 Eiffel Tower, incorporating the second most pieces—10,001—of all Lego sets, launched on Black Friday 2022, and was accompanied by a gift with purchase, 40579 Eiffel’s Apartment.
Space
The Lego Group released an advanced space set in 2010, 10213 Shuttle Adventure, re-issued as 10231 Shuttle Expedition in 2011. On June 1, 2019, a licensed Lego Creator Expert space set launched: 10266 NASA Apollo 11 Lunar Lander; it was a detailed model of the lunar lander with minifigures and a base. 10283 NASA Space Shuttle Discovery, released in 2021, was another one with a piece count of 2,354. The next one arrived in 2024, as 10341 NASA Artemis Space Launch System, including 3,601 pieces, released on May 18. Another set was released on May 18, 2025: 10360 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, including a Boeing aircraft and a space shuttle.
It was rumored that The Lego Group intended to release a set featuring SpaceX Falcon 9 with set number 10301 in April 2022; the set was canceled.
Trains
The first train aimed to adult collectors was 10173 Holiday Train, released in September 2006, and followed by 10194 Emerald Night in 2009. A cargo train, 10219 Maersk Train, also launched on April 1, 2011. 10233 Horizon Express, the first exclusive set to carry the Lego Creator Expert branding, arrived on January 1, 2013. After that, 2020 was the year when the next one released, 10277 Crocodile Locomotive, with a display stand accompanying the train.
Aviation and maritime
In 2006, Boeing 787 Dreamliner (set10177) was released, as one of the earliest Lego exclusives. The next launched on January1, 2010: Imperial Flagship (set10210). 10226 Sopwith Camel was released in 2012; 10241 Maersk Line Triple-E was launched by The Lego Group in January 2014. They were followed by 10294 Titanic on November 8, 2021, then 10318 Concorde, a 2,083-piece set of the Airbus aircraft, on September 7, 2023, and finally, 10335 The Endurance, launched on Black Friday 2024; the latter had a gift with purchase, too: 40729 Shackleton’s Lifeboat.
Pirates
In July 2023, 10320 Eldorado Fortress was released, resembling 6276 Eldorado Fortress from 1989. Its packaging recalled the classic Lego themes with its yellow design, similarly to Castle System and Space System sets.
Queer Eye
In October 2021, The Lego Group released 10291 Queer Eye – The Fab 5 Loft, based on Queer Eye, a 2018 Netflix series.
Hasbro and The Lego Group collaborated up in 2022 to release a Transformers Lego set, 10302 Optimus Prime; the model can be transformed and displayed both in robot mode and vehicle mode. It was followed up by 10338 Bumblebee in July 2024, and 10358 Soundwave in 2025. The latter features his cassette minions, Laserbeak and Ravage, and a sound brick.
The Lord of the Rings
The Lego Group renewed The Lord of the Rings license with launching 10316 The Lord of the Rings: Rivendell in March 2023. Including 6,167 pieces, it was a highly detailed diorama of the iconic locale from the movie trilogy. The next year, 10333 The Lord of the Rings: Barad-dûr was released, with a similarly high piece count. In 2025, 10354 The Lord of the Rings: The Shire also launched, though it was a medium-sized set with 2,017 pieces.
Since 2024, gifts with purchase also accompany the sets: 40693 The Lord of the Rings: Fell Beast in 2024 and 40761 The Lord of the Rings: Sméagol & Déagol in 2025.
Book nooks
In the summer of 2025, three book nook sets were released, including two as part of Lego Icons: 10351 Sherlock Holmes: Book Nook with 1,359 pieces and 10367 The Lord of the Rings: Balrog Book Nook with 1,201 pieces.
Other licensed sets
Various Lego sets based on Licensed properties have had large scale play and display sets released through the Lego Icons line:
There are several sets that do not fit in any of the sub-themes; they are the following:
- On Black Friday 2018, 4999 Vestas Wind Turbine was re-released as 10268 Vestas Wind Turbine, including 826 pieces and being able to be motorized with Lego Power Functions.
- In October 2021, The Lego Group released 10291 Queer Eye – The Fab 5 Loft, based on Queer Eye, a 2018 Netflix series.
- On June 1, 2021, 10292 The Friends Apartments launched, following 21319 Central Perk, a Lego Ideas set released in 2019. It included Rachel, Ross, Joey, Chandler, Monica, Phoebe, and Janice as minifigures.
- On July 1, 2021, 10282 adidas Originals Superstar launched, alongside a gift with purchase, 40486 adidas Originals Superstar. The set included a large-scale adidas shoe with a display stand, with a small shoe and a minifigure in the gift with purchase set.
