LEGO Exclusives are sets exclusive to LEGO.com and physical stores, other select retail outlets, employees, or special events. For example, some sets are only available from certain retailers and not available at others.
There are 4 main categories of LEGO exclusive sets.
- LEGO Exclusives
- Retailer Exclusive
- Exclusives for employees
- Exclusives for special events such as the Inside tour
For LEGO fans, exclusives are the Holy Grail. These sets can only be found at certain stores or events and often sell out quickly. If you’re lucky enough to get your hands on one, it can be a really exciting experience. In this article, we will discuss what LEGO exclusives are and where you can find them!
Table of Contents
LEGO Exclusive Sets
The LEGO Group releases sets exclusive to LEGO.com and LEGO physical stores. This means that they are the only place you can purchase these sets. LEGO Exclusive sets are not available from other retailers such as Walmart or Target, which have their own exclusive sets and we will get to them in a minute.
To access these sets, just go to the Exclusives page on LEGO.com and see all the current exclusive sets that are available. Here you will find LEGO sets that cover a lot of different themes, from Harry Potter to LEGO ICONS.
What Are Retailer Exclusive Sets?
Retailer exclusive sets are only available from a specific retailer and LEGO, but not at any other retailer. For example, A Walmart Exclusive set will only be available from Walmart and LEGO but not from Target or other retailers.
What Stores Have Exclusive LEGO Sets?
Most major retailers, especially in the U.S., have exclusive sets unavailable at other retailers. Walmart, Target, and Amazon, all have their own exclusive sets.
Walmart LEGO Exclusives
Walmart LEGO Exclusives can be found on their website and they usually have quite a few sets that are Exclusives. At the time this was written there were 57 Exclusive LEGO sets. Walmart also has good discounts on their Exclusive sets, as shown in the screenshot below.
The sales at Walmart are called “Rollbacks” and it is how I picked up the LEGO Galaxy Explorer for $75.00 as opposed to the regular retail price of $99.99. This is actually my favorite Walmat LEGO Exclusive set. When I was sa kid, I owned the original that this set is base don LEGO Galaxy Explorer 497.
Target Exclusive Sets
Target has Exclusive LEGO sets and can be found on the Target.com website. LEGO Exclusives at Target have “only at” and the Target logo next to them, as seen in the screenshot below. Target also has regular sales as you can see if you spend $50 you get a $10 Target GiftCard which you can apply to another purchase of LEGO.
Amazon Exclusive Sets
Amazon also has Exclusive LEGO sets which can be found on Amazon.com. A popular Amazon Exclusive LEGO set is the LEGO Star Wars: The Mandalorian The Razor Crest (75292).
What Are Hard To Find LEGO Sets?
On LEGO.com you will notice that some sets are labeled as “Hard to find”, which should not be confused with exclusive sets. There are “Hard to find” sets that are not exclusive. I contacted LEGO customer service and I was informed that “hard to find” LEGO sets are sets that were previously LEGO exclusives. It doesn’t necessarily mean that they will be retiring soon. I was told that these sets are very popular and keep going in and out of stock, so they are labeled “hard to find”.
In their printed catalog, LEGO states the definition of hard to find as
Available only through LEGO.com, the LEGO Catalog, LEGO Sotres and select retail stores.
Interestingly, the “hard to find” sets are the more expensive ones. If you click here to see the “hard to find” sets, the price range is from $59.99 to $849.99. One of my favorite hard-to-find sets is the LEGO Ideas Medieval Blacksmith (21325).
Are There Exclusive LEGO Sets At LEGOLAND?
LEGO exclusive sets at LEGOLAND are not sold at LEGO.com or anywhere else. These sets are; #40346 LEGOLAND Park, #40429 LEGOLAND Ninjago World, #40347 LEGOLAND Driving School and #40393 LEGOLAND Fire Academy.
Although the above sets are supposed to be exclusive to LEGOLAND parks worldwide, they were released to Target and available there. This was due to Covid-19 and the LEGOLAND parks closing down, creating a surplus of these sets. The Lego Group decided to release these to retailers such as Target to keep selling the sets – a good business decision.
Exclusives for LEGO Employees
The LEGO Group would reward their employees each year with an exclusive LEGO set not available to the general public. Let’s take a look at some of these sets.
LEGO set #4000002 Lom 2011 Moulding was a 174-piece exclusive set released in 2011. This set was an insider exclusive set based on the second molding plant in Mexico which completed construction in 2011.
LEGO set #4000005 Kormarken Moulding was an exclusive promotional set released in 2012 and given to employees at the Kornmarken factory. The Kornmarken factory was the first and largest LEGO molding and producing factory. The set contained 315 pieces.
Production Kladno Campus #4000006 was released in 2012 and given to workers at the Kladno campus in the Czech Republic to commemorate the completion of a new packing site and warehouse. The set had 278 pieces.
In 2015 another Production Kladno Campus set (4000018) was released for the opening of the factory and given to employees. The set was designed by LEGO designer Mel Caddick and had 412 pieces.
LEGO set #4000011 Nyiregyhaza Factory was a promotional set released in 2014. It is a model of the LEGO factory in Nyiregyhaza, Hungary.
Exclusive Sets For LEGO Employee Christmas Gifts
LEGO gives its employees an exclusive set as a Christmas gift every year. Some examples of these sets are listed below.
| LEGO EMPLOYEE GIFT SET | PIECES | YEAR |
|---|---|---|
| Heart 2008 | 92 | 2008 |
| Heart 2009 | 92 | 2009 |
| Happy Holidays The Christmas Game 2010 | 139 | 2010 |
| LEGO Duck 2011 | 91 | 2011 |
| Ole Kirk’s House 4000007 | 910 | 2012 |
| A LEGO Christmas Tale 4000013 | 435 | 2013 |
| LEGO HUB Birds 4002014 | 487 | 2014 |
| Borkum Riffgrund 1 4002015 | 559 | 2015 |
| 50 Years on Track 4002016 | 1,141 | 2016 |
| Nutcracker 4002017 | 732 | 2017 |
| 40 Years LEGO Minifigure Employee Exclusive 4002018 | 1,099 | 2018 |
| Christmas X-Wing 4002019 | 1,038 | 2019 |
| Employee Christmas Gift – 40 Years of Hands-on Learning 4002020 | 919 | 2020 |
| The Temple of Celebrations 4002021 | 1,320 | 2021 |
The LEGO Duck set which was given as an employee Christmas gift in 2011, is based on one of the original wooden toys the LEGO Group produced.
Ole Kirk’s House set given to employees in 2012 was based on the founder of LEGO, Ole Kirk Christiansen’s real house that he lived in. If you are interested in finding out more about this, I wrote an article on the history of LEGO.
The 2014 LEGO Hub Birds set represents LEGO offices throughout the world and the birds represent the national birds of each country; Robin (UK), Crane (China), Swan (Denmark), Eagle (USA), and Crimson Sunbird (Singapore).
The LEGO Christmas gift given to employees in 2015 was the LEGO Borkum Riffgrund 1 set based on the wind farm Borkum Riffgrund 1 by DONG Energy.
In 2016 the 50 years on Track set celebrated 6 decades of LEGO trains and included six different types of trains. These trains were; Motorized Train Set 1966, Western Train 1976, Monorail Transport System 1987, Metroliner 1991, Emerald Night 2009, and Winter Holiday Train 2016.
In 2019, set #4002019 LEGO Christmas X-Wing was released and given to LEGO employees for Christmas. The set was basically similar to the X-Wing Starfighter 75218 set but in Christmas colors.
In 2020, LEGO released set #4002020 LEGO Employee Christmas Gift – 40 years of hands-on learning. In this set, LEGO celebrated the 40th anniversary of the LEGO theme.
Other LEGO Exclusives
Set #4000010 Billund LEGO House was released in 2014, containing 250 pieces and 1 Minifigure. This architecture special edition microset was only available in stores in Billund. It was to thank local store owners for putting up with the construction of the Lego House. The set also contained an instruction book with information on the Lego House.
Architecture LEGO House #21037 was an exclusive set sold only at the gift shop in LEGO House in Billund, Denmark. Click here to read an article I wrote on Lego House. The set was released in 2017 but is now retired.
Set #4000009 HMV Production was an exclusive promotional set given to LEGO factory employees after it opened.
The LEGO store inside the Billund airport in Denmark had an exclusive set (#40199) only sold in the gift store and the only way you could purchase it was if you were flying and passing through the airport.
LEGO set #40145 LEGO Brand Retail Store was released in 2014 as a promotional set given away to the first 300 customers who spent more than $99 at the grand opening of the LEGO Store.
Systematic Creativity Toolbox #4000004 was an exclusive promotional set released in 2012.
There are also country exclusive LEGO sets. LEGO CHinese Traditional Festivals Chinese New Year;s EVe Dinner 80101 was released in 2019 with 615 pieces and 6 Minifigires. The set was exclusive to the Pacifi Asia region that celebrated the Chinese New Year.
Exclusives For The LEGO Inside Tour
The LEGO Inside Tour is a two-and-a-half-day tour where you can go inside Ole Kirk Kristiansen’s original house, take a factory tour, meet LEGO employees and designers and at the end, you are presented with a unique LEGO gift such as those described below.
| LEGO INSIDE TOUR SET | PIECES | MINIFIGURES | YEAR |
|---|---|---|---|
| LECA Automobile | — | — | 2005 |
| Market Street Inside Tour Edition | 1248 | 3 | 2007 |
| Ole Kirk’s House LIT2009 | 910 | 0 | 2009 |
| Cars 4000000 | 407 | 0 | 2010 |
| Moulding Machines 4000001 | 795 | 0 | 2011 |
| Piper Airplane 4000012 | 795 | 0 | 2012 |
| Villy Thomsen Truck 4000008 | 366 | 3 | 2013 |
| The LEGOLAND Train 4000014 | 548 | 7 | 2014 |
| H.C. Andersen’s Clumsy Hans 4000020 | 714 | 0 | 2015 |
| LEGO Truck Show 4000022 | 816 | 8 | 2016 |
| LEGO House Tree of Creativity 4000024 | 981 | 6 | 2017 |
| LEGO Ferguson Tractor 4000025 | 450 | 0 | 2018 |
| LEGO System House 4000034 | 947 | 10 | 2019 |
| LEGO Factory AGV 4000037 | — | 0 | 2022 |
Only 32 sets of Ole Kirk’s House were ever made for attendees of the 2009 Inside tour. In 2012 this model was repackaged and manufactured as 4000007 and given to LEGO employees as a Christmas gift.
The Cars set given to attendees in 2010 had only 33 sets made. Two of the cars in the set were originally made by Kjeld Kirk Krinsansen when he was young and the other car was designed by LEGO designer, Steen Sig Andersen. Kjeld Kirk Krinsansen was the former President and CEO of the LEGO Group from 1979-2004.
The Piper Airplane set was based on the first airplane the LEGO Group bought in 1962.
The Villy Thomsen Truck set was based on the actual truck that was used to transport LEGO products between cities in the 1950s. Only 43 sets were produced.
The LEGOLAND train set is a model of the train that follows the perimeter of LEGOLAND in Billund, Denmark. The set was designed by LEGO designer Steen Sig Andersen.
The Ferguson Tractor was based on the plastic tractor released in 1951. The set was designed by Steen Sig Andersen and signed by him. The tractor can also be seen “carved” into the huge Tree of Creativity in the LEGO House. There were 80 tractor sets made.
The System House is based on an actual LEGO Group building known as the “LEGO Idea House”. The set comes with 10 Minifigures which represent the sales directors from different European countries where LEGO operates and is represented by each country’s flag on top of the building.
What LEGO Sets Are Exclusive To LEGO House?
There are a total of 6 LEGO sets exclusive to the LEGO House. The LEGO House was opened in 2017 in Billund, Denmark. If you would like to read more about the LEGO House I wrote the article “What Is The LEGO House?”.
LEGO House (21037)
LEGO House (21037) was released in the Architecture theme in 2017 and contained 774 pieces. The set was sold exclusively in the LEGO House gift shop in Billund, Denmark. The set retailed for $69.99 and retired in May 2020.
Tree Of Creativity (4000026)
The LEGO House Tree of Creativity (4000026), released in March 2018 is the retail version of another Tree of Creativity (4000024) set given to everyone who attended the LEGO House inside tour in 2017. This model version was sold exclusively at the LEGO store inside the LEGO House and only 10,000 sets were made. The set retailed for $99.99 and contained 837 pieces and 1 Minifigure. The set retired in December 2019.
The set given to the inside tour in 2017 contained 981 pieces and 6 Minifigures.
LEGO House Dinosaurs (40366)
The LEGO House Dinosaurs set was released in April 2019 with 864 pieces and retired in December 2021. The set retailed for $89.99 and had 864 pieces. It was a model of the Masterpiece Dinosaurs inside the LEGO House.
The Wooden Duck (40501)
The Wooden Duck was released in June 2020 and is important to the LEGO story as it was one of the first toys ever made by the LEGO Group. It has 621 pieces and retailed for $89.99. The set was designed by LEGO designers Stuart Harris and Jme Wheeler.
Brick Molding Machine (40502)
The Brick Molding Machine was released in March 2021 and contained 1,205 pieces. This set is based on the actual molding machine inside the LEGO House that manufactures the pack of 6 red bricks given to each visitor. Each set produced is a unique combination of these 6 bricks. The set retailed for $99.99 and retired in December 2022. The set was designed by LEGO designers Stuart Harris and Diego Sancho.
Dagny Holm Master Builder (40503)
The Dagny Holm Master Builder was released in 2022 and had 1,068 pieces. The set is a tribute to the first master builder, Dagny Holm. and was designed by Markus Rolbutler. Dagny Holm
Does Exclusive Mean Online Only?
Exclusive does not mean online only. Exclusive LEGO sets, whether from LEGO or another retailer, are available in-store and you can usually order and pay for them online and pick them up in-store. Beware though, if you order from Walmart.com and the item sells out before you pick it up in-store, Walmart will not hold the item for you and will try to substitute some other random LEGO Set instead. This happened to me when I attempted to purchase the Star Wars Galaxy Explorer and it sold out before I could pick it up.
Final Thoughts
As you can see there have been many LEGO Exclusive sets over the years and they are only produced in limited quantities. If you are lucky enough to get your hands on one then you have a good investment, or you know you can enjoy a LEGO set that most people have not had the pleasure to own.