The Rarest LEGO Minifigures Ever

24th November 2022

The first LEGO minifigure appeared in 1978 and since then billions have been produced. In that time there have been numerous exclusives and commemorative minifigures that have only appeared in very limited numbers. Some of these are familiar to the LEGO community, as they turn up on the secondary market from time to time. However, others are less well known, and often their location is a mystery. In this article, we provide a rundown of the minifigures that occupy the top 12 places on the rarest minifigures list.

12. I Love New York Yoda & Comic Con 2012 exclusives

At the 2012 San Diego Comic Con, two DC and two Marvel minifigures were given away as exclusives, each of which were limited to 1,000. These were Shazam, Bizarro, Jean Grey in Phoenix Costume, and Spider-Man in Black Symbiote Costume.

Also tying for 12th on the list is the Yoda in the iconic I Love New York t-shirt. The minifigure was given away at New York City's Times Square Toys R Us on the 23rd and 24th May 2013. This was part of a promotional event showcasing the world's largest LEGO X-Wing, where customers had to buy a specially marked LEGO Star Wars X-Wing Starfighter (9493) to get him. Some of the 1,000 Yodas that were made were also distributed earlier at a giveaway at the 2013 New York Toy Fair in February.

Because his torso is the only unique part, and it has simplistic printing, he is one of the most faked minifigures, so it's worth considering this before shelling out thousands for one.

11. Shadow Leonardo

This minifigure was the first to depict a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle and was an exclusive at the 2012 San Diego and New York Comic Cons. Unlike the other Comic Con exclusives, this figure came with an accessory in the form of a black skateboard with a sticker referencing each event he was given away at. A total of 500 Leonardos were handed out across both Comic Cons, and a further 400 were given away in the UK to children who dressed as turtles at The Entertainer store in London's Westfield shopping centre. The UK giveaways also came in a metal tin packaging, as opposed to the circular Comic Con packaging. This gives a total production run of 900.

10. Will.i.am

At the 2016 L.A.'s Best Brunch, 400 minifigures of the famous musician were handed out to attendees. The minifigure was actually a custom creation, but it was officially licensed by LEGO, which is grounds enough for including it on this list. This minifigure has not been seen for sale online since the event, and it's not known who the attendees were. Potentially they have no idea how valuable it could be now.

9. Spider-Man - Red Lower Legs (San Diego Comic-Con 2013 Exclusive) & Spider-Woman (San Diego Comic-Con 2013 Exclusive)

LEGO were a little stingy at the 2013 San Diego Comic Con as fewer of the four exclusives (two from DC and two from Marvel) were made than in any other year. Only 350 of Spider-Man and Spider-Woman were given away, but this was nearly double the number of the DC exclusives at the event. Because of the popularity of Spider-Man, he is now one of the most expensive LEGO minifigures ever made.

8. The Kraang - Battle Damage Suit

The Kraang minifigure was the first to portray the supervillain and antagonist of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. He appeared during the 2012 New York Comic Con, but is not technically a Comic Con exclusive, as he was given out at the Rockefeller Center's LEGO store to people who visited dressed as TMNT characters. Only 300 in total were handed out.

7. Green Arrow (San Diego Comic-Con 2013 Exclusive) & Superman - Black Suit (San Diego Comic-Con 2013 Exclusive)

All the Comic Con minifigures are as scarce as hen's teeth, but the two with the most limited production figures are the DC exclusives from 2013, with only 200 of each. This is 150 fewer than the Marvel exclusives at the same event, presumably because DC is less popular. As a result of their rarity, the Green Arrow and black suited Superman are near the very top of the list of most valuable LEGO minifigures.

6. Toy Fair Captain America and Iron Man

In 2012, LEGO produced its first two Marvel minifigures, who were Captain America and Iron Man. Although Spider-Man had been around in LEGO form a decade previously, this was under the Spider-Man theme, with no direct reference to Marvel.

Captain America and Iron Man were given out as a pair at the New York Toy Fair and were limited to 125 each. Sources also suggest that around a further 75 were given away internally, although this would have been without the Toy Fair packaging, which would put it on a par with the rarest Comic Con exclusives.

5. Sterling Silver R2-D2

In total, LEGO made 16 R2-D2s out of precious metals. The most common of these was the solid silver version with 10 in existence. One of the opportunities to win one of the minifigures was a prize draw on LEGO.com in 2018, where the entry was achieved by sending at least $75 dollars on LEGO Star Wars products.

4. Solid 14 Carat Gold C-3PO and Platinum R2-D2

To celebrate the 30th Anniversary of Star Wars, LEGO produced five solid 14 carat gold C-3POs to be given away in a competition first advertised in the March - April edition of the LEGO Magazine. To be in with a chance of winning one of the minifigures, participants needed to send a postcard with their details on to an address listed in the magazine by 1st November.

The winners' names were revealed in the January - February 2008 edition to be Andrew Hoffmann, Christopher Giancola, Elizabeth Jacome, Jason Masey and Chris Melchin. What has become of those five minifigures is anyone's guess as very little has been heard about them since.

Another minifigure that was only forged five times, was the platinum R2-D2 who was given away in a prize draw at LEGO.com in 2018. To enter, you had to sign up to the official LEGO.com newsletter and then wait to see if your name was pulled out of the hat. Like most other extremely rare minifigures, it came with a certificate of authenticity. Around £2,500 worth of platinum was used in each R2-D2.

3. Wooden Wu

Four wooden versions of Wu were made as props for the LEGO NINJAGO movie, and anyone who has seen the movie will remember the opening scene where Jackie Chan shows one of them off. Simon Lucas, the senior creative director at LEGO and executive producer of the movie, is known to own one of them, and the other three will have undoubtedly been given to members of the cast and crew. Therefore, it's highly unlikely that any will ever make it into the hands of LEGO collectors.

2. 14 Carat Gold Boba Fett, Sterling Silver Boba Fett, & Bronze Boba Fett

LEGO gave away two framed sets of three Boba Fett minifigures, one at the Star Wars Celebration V event in 2010 and the other at that same year's San Diego Comic Con. The trio consisted of an all-white Boba Fett, a solid 14 carat gold Boba Fett, and a sterling silver Boba Fett.

The white version of the bounty hunter is rare by normal standards, as only 10,000 polybags of him were produced. However, the other two minifigures in the set are much more exclusive as only two of each were ever made.

Also coming in at second place is a bronze Boba Fett, as only two are in existence. The first was handed out during the May the 4th promotional event at a LEGO store, while the second has randomly included in an online order of Star Wars sets from North America.

1. Solid 18 Carat White Gold R2-D2 & Sterling Silver C-3PO

One of the two rarest minifigures ever produced is a solid 18 carat white gold R2-D2, of which only one was ever made. The golden droid was given away to a lucky LEGO VIP Member in a prize-draw of people who bought the 2017 Ultimate Collectors Series Millennium Falcon when it was first released.

Joining his friend at number one, is a solid silver C-3PO. This minifigure was given away as part of a raffle at the Star Wars Celebration IV event back in 2007.

Honourable Mentions

NASA Alien

300 Life on Mars aliens took a trip into space for a short stay on the International Space Station during a 2001 promotional partnership with NASA. On return to Earth, they were framed with a certificate of authenticity and handed out to attendees at a special ceremony held by LEGO and NASA. However, the minifigures themselves are not rare as the 300 that were chosen were not produced solely for this publicity stunt. Instead, the Pollux Martian (LOM010) in the Excavation Searcher (7316) was selected, so it doesn't make this list.

Azog (San Diego Comic Con Exclusive)

100 copies of the Azog San Diego Comic Con exclusive minifigure were randomly given out to visitors at the 2013 event. While normally this would place this minifigure near the top of this list, like the NASA Life on Mars aliens, Azog himself isn't rare, as an exact copy of him later appeared in the Dol Guldur Battle (79014) set. Therefore, it's only the packaging that makes this figure highly sought after.

Jupiter, Juno, and Galileo

In 2011, LEGO teamed with NASA and produced three minifigures out of solid aluminium to be fired into space along with the Juno spacecraft, that was set on its mission to orbit Jupiter. Jupiter, King of the Roman Gods, his wife and Goddess Juno, and the Italian astronomer Galileo, were chosen as the basis of the three minifigures. The reason they were cast in aluminium was because plastic would not have been able to withstand the harsh conditions of space flight. If you're hoping to get your hands on these, you can think again, as Juno will crash into Jupiter at the end of its mission. I think that not being on this planet is a reasonable reason not to include them on this list.

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