When I came home yesterday, I was greeted with a merry band of minifigures – and I mean that in the most literal way possible. There were quite a large number of LEGO music lovers on my desk, each with their musical instruments. They wanted to tell me that summer isn’t only about swimming, surfing, or just hanging out, but also about the concerts and performances. Once the sun sets, a whole different door opens, a door that leads to singing, dancing, or simply listening. I poured them all a cold glass of lemonade, which was very appreciated in this nice 39℃ weather we’re having, and they started telling me their stories.
I was surprised to see the variety among them. They were all into different kinds of music, pop, rock, jazz, but once they started playing, it was like the philharmonic orchestra playing Mozart’s 40th Symphony, a true masterpiece. It seems the power of music was just as strong among minifigures as it was among humans!
The Mariachi Brothers
Originally named as Maraca Man (CMF 2) and Mariachi (CMF 16), the Mariachi Brothers are sure to get your spirits up if you’re feeling down. Once they start playing their music, there’s no feet on earth, square or otherwise, that can resist their joyful melody.
The Maraca Man takes pride in being one of the first musical minifigures in the CMF series. He did have to wait a while for his brother to grow up and join him, but that never affected his mood. With his green sombrero and simple clothes, he traveled from town to town, on a quest to cheer whoever he comes into contact.
His brother, Mariachi, is dressed to impress. He admires the Maraca Man’s humbleness, but he knows that it’s not his style. After all, if a couple is looking for a lovely song to liven up their evening, they prefer someone in fancy clothes.
The Maraca Man is a bit jealous of his younger brother’s mustache. Apparently, the better your mustache looks, the more prestigious you are in their culture. While he was rambling about this, his brother shared his secret with me: His mustache was fake. “No matter how hard I tried” he said, “I couldn’t get a mustache as glorious as my brother’s. So I decided to use a fake one instead”.
They told me that they used to be a trio. The second brother, who played the trumpet, decided to go his separate way. The last they heard, he was in a big city selling tacos.
Boogie all night long
Now there’s a powerful couple: Disco Dude (CMF 2) and Disco Diva (CMF 13). Disco Dude heard stories about disco music from his mother, and when the opportunity presented itself, he traveled back in time to experience it first-hand. He became besties with a few Classic Spacemen, and together, they boogied from dusk till dawn.
Disco Diva, on the other hand, decided to stay in the present. At first she wasn’t sure if she made the right choice, but when people started showing more and more interest in disco music, she shined like the star she is. Everyone wanted to go to her shows, and her albums sold out the day they were released! With the help of Disco Dude’s brother, DJ (CMF 8), her songs were now played everywhere.
Even though DJ doesn’t have the same taste in music as his brother, he wanted to honor him for being so brave to travel back in time. That’s why he helped Disco Diva as much as he can when the disco music trend started to come back. His true passion, however, lies in Rock’n’Roll.
There are rumors among the minifigure world that when Disco Dude traveled back in time, he actually changed history. That he is the main reason disco made a comeback.
Everybody let’s rock
Whenever someone mentions rock’n’roll, the Rock Star (CMF 12) appears out of nowhere and starts playing his music. He’s good, I’ll give him that, but from what I’ve heard from the other minifigures, he may be taking this “hard rock” thing a little too literal.
He thinks that in order to create “hard rock”, you need to surround yourself with it. That’s why he sleeps on a bed completely made out of rock, without a mattress, and his guitar is made out of diamond. It was strange to hear this, but I thought “Hey, who are we to judge how this guy sleeps?” Then they told me that he eats stale bread and rock candy for breakfast, and convinced me that it’s too much.
The other two, Rocker Girl (CMF 7) and Punk Rocker (CMF 4), aren’t as extreme as the Rock Star. I wasn’t sure of the nature of their relationship at first, but the way they argued about the tiniest of things cleared that up: They were siblings. Apparently, pink hair runs in their family, and neither of them mind since it completes their cool look.
The Rocker Girl is very confident of herself, her music, and whatever else she does. She knows she’s the best, and isn’t afraid to show it. Her brother, on the other hand, is a little… loud. Okay, I know being loud has nothing to do with confidence, but I have a feeling that his music isn’t too good and he’s trying to cover it up by making it incomprehensible. Of course I didn’t even imply this near him, I don’t like the idea of being deaf, but I heard other minifigures whispering when he wasn’t around. They were saying there have been too many complaints from his neighbors, and that it was simply unacceptable for a musician.
Oops! The Real Slim Shady did it again!
The Pop Star (CMF 2) is one of the most popular minifigures of all time. According to her, pop music will always be a big part of everyone’s life, and she will never go out of style. “And speaking of style”, she adds, “I think pink is the new orange!” Well, that is certainly up for discussion, but I have to admit she does look stylish in that outfit.
Despite the private jets and the limousines, the Pop Star is a very humble girl. She still loves to sing in front of the mirror when she’s alone, and enjoy the occasional burger and fries with her friends. That’s why she doesn’t understand why the Rapper (CMF 3) can’t leave her alone. He talks about her in his songs as if she was a snob who only cares about fame and fortune, which couldn’t be farther from the truth! “It’s so sad and discouraging” she says, “but I’m not going to let him pull my spirits down!”
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The Rapper has a few things to say about her, too, but only in confidence. He told me how much he admires her, and how she inspired him to make his own music. Judging by the way he talks, I’d wager he has a crush on her, too. Every time I brought up the subject, he blushed and quickly started to talk about how awesome his rhymes are. When I asked him why he disses her in his songs, he told me a rapper being inspired by a pop singer is unacceptable in the community, and this is the only way to show his admiration.
Who knows, maybe he’ll get the courage to talk to her one day.
The Adapting Duo
The Hula Dancer (CMF 3) and the Saxophone Player (CMF 11) are known for their ability to adapt to any and every kind of music. Even though they are completely opposites, Hula Dancer being all cheery and talkative, and Saxophone Player being so serious and quiet, their talent is known by everyone in the LEGO music world.
While her maracas certainly bring a different sound to many songs, Hula Dancer’s true passion lies in dancing. If you’re trying to choreograph for your show and the dancers just don’t know what to do, she happily takes control and teaches everyone in a matter of minutes. The way she talks to others is so inspirational.
The Saxophone Player, like I said, doesn’t talk much. People say he talks through his music, and if you listen carefully, you might even understand what he’s saying. He prefers playing solo, but he has never turned down a collaborative piece, either. Everyone knows how good he is at what he does, so they never say things like “You will start playing here and stop here”. He knows what to do, and when to do it.
Grumpy Old Man
There is one among all these musicians that can be as serious as the Saxophone Player, but people usually refer to him as ‘grumpy’ rather than ‘serious’. The Bagpiper (CMF 7) waited for his turn quietly in the corner, and when I turned to him, he started going on and on about how the young never respect the old, how playing the bagpipe was a lost art, how nobody ever wanted to have him around… I was too shocked to say anything. Luckily, my dad came to my rescue, and calmed him down. Having someone close to his age must have done the trick, because he started to talk about his life and – hold on – yes, he’s still talking.
He said that ever since the first bagpipes were brought to Scotland, the men in his family have been playing it. It has been passed from generation to generation, and yet, his son had no interest in the matter. He was ashamed and scared that the tradition would die with him. “There was this lad” he said, “who showed up in one of my performances once. But his head is too high up the clouds to learn a single note.”
When my dad asked him if he had other children he could pass the tradition on, he answered no. He only had one son, and six daughters. Of course then my dad asked if he considered teaching his daughters, and the Bagpiper went on a rampage. “Women have no right to play the bagpipes!” he said. I remember how everyone became dead silent. Then, very calmly, my dad asked the ultimate question: But isn’t it better to let a woman play than to end thousands years of tradition?
The Bagpiper didn’t answer. But I could see in his eyes that even though he didn’t like the idea, he agreed with my dad.
End Cred… wait a minute!
Ladies and gentlemen, you won’t believe what just happened! As I was getting ready to finish up, there was a knock on the door. Everyone looked at each other, as none of us were expecting anyone. The Rocker Girl went to open the door, and the next thing we heard were her screams of excitement!
There were five men at the door – no, not men, legends. As they walked in and towards me, everyone bowed to them, for they have been an inspiration for so many. The last thing I remember is one of them saying “Thank you”, and then everything went black. My poor heart couldn’t handle that much excitement.
When I came to, I saw the Rocketman, the Starman, the King, Freddie Mercury and the King of Pop around me, as well as everyone else. They all look worried, and asked me if I needed anything. I shook my head, still in awe of the five legends in my living room.
One of them suggested a little song to make me feel better, and I had the unique chance to listen to one of the best songs never written.
Disclaimer: While most of the facts mentioned in this post came from reliable sources, the relationships of the characters and their backstories mostly came from the author’s imagination. Any and all similarities between what’s mentioned above and what the LEGO Group has intended are purely coincidental.
The official minifigure images are taken from Brickset, the custom minifigure images are taken from minifigures.com. Group pictures belong to the author.
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