It’s that time again. A birthday, a holiday, a big life event like a graduation, retirement, wedding, or the trip to a foreign country your friend or loved one has always dreamed about. Or maybe it’s something less dramatic. Maybe you just want to cheer up a friend who lost a job, or put a smile on the face of the person you just started dating, or remind your daughter that she’s special. In other words, you’re looking for the perfect gift. Ideally, it will be something super special but also super affordable! And wouldn’t it be amazing if it could be customized exactly the way you want? It’s easy to do that with a custom LEGO minifigure!

What makes something a “perfect” gift, anyway? How can a custom LEGO minifigure be just the right answer?

I’m a gift giver, myself. I love receiving gifts, but I really love giving them. But it can be difficult to find the right thing for the occasion. There’s a trick that I’ve discovered that really helps me when I’m deciding on a gift. You see, a gift can be many things:

• Practical: “What does this person need?”
• Relationship enhancing: “How can I impress this person or show them my appreciation?”
• Empowerment: “What would help this person achieve their goals?”
• Pleasure/fun: “What would they really enjoy?”
• Memorable: “What will they keep forever, or at least remember forever?”

All of these things are great. But the trick that really helps me each time I have to choose a gift is to remember:

When you give a gift, you’re also communicating a message.

When you give a person something they need, you’re saying, “Let me help you” or “I knew you needed this”. When you give them a big gift, you might be saying, “You’re worth it”, or “I’m a really nice person”, or “I like you a lot”.

So when you choose a gift, start by deciding what you really want the gift to SAY to them. And one of the most versatile gifts in terms of communicating a message is a LEGO minifigure. Let me show you.

The Gift That Says: “I See You”

Just like in the movie Avatar (which was the top-grossing movie of all time until Marvel’s Avengers: Endgame knocked it off its pedestal), most people want someone special in their lives to recognize them for who they truly are, and at the very least to notice how they look.

Take a moment and think about the basic “look” of your gift recipient. In terms of a custom LEGO minifigure, here are some aspects to consider:

• Are they an adult or child?
• What do they usually wear? Do they have a favorite jacket or hoodie? Do they wear dresses and skirts or do they prefer jeans? What colors do they favor? Do they typically dress formally or casually?
• What is their most frequent facial expression? Do they wear glasses? Do they have freckles or facial hair?
• What color hair do they have and what is the length and most common style?
• What accessories might be particularly unique to this person? A hat? A briefcase? A laptop, a book, a pastry, a beverage, a favorite snack? A game controller, a surf board, a pen, a paintbrush and palette, a dirt bike, a skateboard, a backpack, a pet?

Imagine how perfect a gift it would be to receive a “mini me” that looked just like them in custom LEGO minifigure form!

But don’t stop there. What if you created a “mini me” of their whole family? This is a great gift for moms and dads, or even grandparents.

The Gift That Says: “I Know You”

While it is meaningful to receive a custom LEGO minifigure that looks just like you, there is a deeper kind of “seeing”. It’s when you see into someone’s heart and value them for what’s inside. Since things like kindness, courage, and creativity can be hard to capture in concrete form, a good way to recognize these things is to express them in terms of shared values, shared fandoms and activities.

So take a few moments and think about the person who will be receiving the custom LEGO minifigure as a gift.

What do they love to do? (hobbies, sports, volunteering, creating, etc)

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What entertainment do they enjoy? (favorite books, comics, TV shows, movies, sports, etc)

What dreams do they have for the future? (a place they want to go, a project they want to finish, a skill they want to master, etc)

Using what you know about your gift recipient, you can create with a LEGO minifigure that would resonate with them. Here at Minifigures.com or our sister site Firestartoys.com, you can find or create a LEGO minifigure that looks like their favorite story character (even if it isn’t part of a big franchise represented in official LEGO sets). As you can see, Minifigures.com has figures for celebrities and story characters you won’t find anywhere else. There are celebrities and figures from general fandoms like steampunk, mythology, robots, and the wild west (among others). And we have many minifigure parts and accessories available to build your own.

The Gift That Says: “Remember This Moment”

Another fun thing you can do with a custom LEGO minifigure as a gift is to commemorate an event, holiday, or moment in life.

Taking someone on a movie date? Give them a souvenir to remember the evening: a minifigure representing a character in the movie you’re seeing. Take a look at upcoming movie releases and plan ahead: give a Star Wars Rey, Kylo or BB-8 figure when you go see the next Star Wars movie. Give a Black Widow minifigure when you take your strong, beautiful woman friend to see Marvel’s Black Widow movie. What about a custom Hobbs and Shaw for your Fast and Furious fan friend? A custom Rambo to remember Rambo: Last Blood by? The possibilities are endless once you realize you can build a minifigure to suit nearly any movie character.

Custom Printing

Did you know that you can get your own message custom-printed on LEGO parts? Put a nickname or “Happy 40th” on a minifigure’s t-shirt. Create a custom license plate for a LEGO vehicle. Print a custom street name on a LEGO street sign.

The Finishing Touches: It’s All About The Details

There are so many custom accessories that can be added to any gift to make it truly unique and special. Whether you decide to give someone a custom “mini me” in LEGO form or to give them a character that you know will make them smile, don’t forget to add the little touches that take the gift from “awww” to “wow!”

• The energy drink, coffee cup, wine bottle, or water bottle in the minifigure’s hand
• The bag of chips or candy bar, ice cream cone or pizza
• The weapon of choice (even if pen, paintbrush, magic wand, or game controller)
• The bicycle, motorbike, surf board, skateboard, or skates
• The book, laptop, cell phone, boombox, walkie-talkie, or camera
• The custom-printed shirt or sign or license plate

Check out the hundreds of fantastic LEGO minifigure accessories available at Firestartoys.com.

The Bottom Line

You can give the “perfect” gift for about $20 with a little thought, creativity, and browsing of the available options for a custom LEGO minifigure. This is the sort of gift that may remain on a desk or in a pocket or purse for years.

And every time they see it, they’ll remember the message you sent: I see you. I know you. I love you.

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