A quick search on Brickowl revealed that they have catalogued over 350 different types of LEGO hair pieces. If you then factor that many of these hair pieces also have different colourways, the different options are incredible. The permutations are further increased if custom created variations (which also include chrome LEGO hair) are included as well!
I thought it would be fun to just have a look at a few, so to set the scene I created a little barber shop. But first, some history.
When things were simple
Back in 1974 the first LEGO people arrived. These were called maxifigures and were mostly brick construction, but they had “hands” and faces and importantly for this article, hair. What was cool about these hair pieces was that you could change the look by swapping the hair round; so, mum and daughter have the same hair piece as do dad and junior. Grandma’s wig is the exception; with a bun at the back it could not be swapped round.
Then, in 1975, the first minifigures appeared. The men wore hats (either a cap or a cowboy hat) and the women had a sort of pigtail look. It took four years before it was decided to give the men a short, tidy haircut and this was about a year after the minifigure as we now know it had been released.
Now we have moved to two-colour moulded hair pieces as well as wigs made from rubber, which offer a very different look and feel to the overall figure. Additionally, in 2013 LEGO released the first “Bald” head (okay, the wig piece did have some hair on the side and a comb over but even still!) and in 2017 we had a police hat with hair (so no more shaved heads!).
Anyway, let’s see who comes into our little shop…
The Barber Shop
It’s quite busy today, so we might see some interesting people. Janet, Eve and Rocky run the shop and whilst they would like to just make it modern and snazzy, they still cater for the older members of the community back when Tony ran the shop. Mike still remembers when he asked Tony if he could cut his hair like Tommy Steele; when he finished Mike complained that the result looked nothing like Tommy Steele’s to which Tony replied, “He’d look like that if he came here”.
A Modern Haircut
“I’d like a more modern haircut” said Judy. “I seem to have had this style for years.” Eve looked at Judy’s hair. “Well I have a couple of ideas” she replied, “and it shouldn’t take much off.”
” I’m not sure about this one” said Judy, “I feel a little Jessica Rabbit, if you know what I mean”.
“I’m not bad” said Eve, “I’m just built this way!”
“Exactly!”
” I look like I’ve been dragged through a hedge backwards – and I look like that most mornings!”
“Yes, this is the one!” said Judy, “I love it!” Eve replied, “I’m pleased, the bob cut is definitely coming back in again and it frames your face perfectly!”
That’s how he wears it!
“What do you mean, ‘that’s how HE wears it’?”
“Demi Moore”
“Demi Moore is not a he.”
“Well, he was a HE in Arthur and in 10”
“THAT’S DUDLEY MOORE. I said I wanted it like Demi Moore!”
“I’m so sorry! Which one is Demi Moore?”
“SHE’s the ACTRESS who was in Disclosure, Indecent Proposal and GHOST!”
“Oh! Oh, She’s got gorgeous hair!”
“I KNOW!!!”
(Couldn’t resist including the reference from Friends in this! Season 2, Episode 1; originally shown 1995)
Just a little off the sides and back please
“Can I have a haircut like that please mum?”
“No.”
Left customer: “You looking at me?”
Right customer: “Just a little off the top please”
“No, I don’t need anything; I just wanted to show my perfect hair off”
Left customer: “Oh, yeah, business in the front, party in the back! Nice”
Right customer: “Can you do my eyebrows too please?”
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Both customers: “We’ve got job interviews tomorrow; can you please smarten us up?”
Left customer: “I don’t want anything too fancy or modern”
Right customer: “try not to cut too much off the top, I don’t want people to know I’m thinning”
Gentlemen prefer blondes
“I’ve got an evening soiree; can you smarten this up please?”
Friendly hair
“I hope you can do something with my hair; when it gets humid it seems to get big…
Couldn’t resist
” You missed a bit”
The finishing touches
When I was creating this article, I didn’t use a number of LEGO hair pieces as this would have made the article much longer. Examples of this include the Gorgon‘s hair piece or the clown’s hair. What I hope this article did show is that pretty much every haircut is presented in some way. What I find good is that websites like Firestar Toys do have a very wide range of wig pieces to help you create your signature figure. Of course, you can always take a hair piece and colour it yourself and I have a few figures in my displays where I have used marker pens and paints to get the colour effects I wanted for example. This DIY approach resulted in figures I know are unique!
So, we’ll leave the barber shop for now, it’s been a long, busy day and Eve, Rocky and Janet are tired; but then…
“Excuse me, could I have a haircut please?”
If you like this article, take a look at this one where a variety of different hair pieces can be found all in one place, and this one to see some brand new ones!
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This article was so much fun! Seeing all the possibilities in the context of a hair salon was really the perfect choice. I like buying different figures for their hair and clothing, and I’m sure I’m not the only one. Especially when I’m making a “mini me” or one for a friend, you have to find the right face, hair and clothing to match the person. Thanks for the ideas!