LEGO Elephant, Deer and Monkey Figures

Here’s another up-to-date animal article! We have a lot of guests today. The title says LEGO elephant, deer and monkey figures, but we will also be looking at camel, llama, sloth, giraffe and zebra figures as well. There’s a hippopotamus in DUPLO animals, too. With this article, we’ll finish the land mammals.

When a new animal belonging to this category is released, the article will be updated. As always, the name of the colors used here are the Bricklink colors. To see a better image of the color, please visit this link, search for the color, and click on its name to go to Rylie Howerter’s Flickr page.

Important: The images showing different DUPLO animals are not in scale with each other (except for the comparison images).

LEGO Elephant Figures

The first LEGO elephant figures arrive in 2003. Coming with the Orient Expedition sets, they are made in light gray and dark gray, and can be found in only two sets. They are kind of brick-built, using various small and large parts. Although they look bulky, they can move their heads, legs and tails.

A mammoth is added to the family in 2018. Appearing in only one set, it’s reddish brown and smaller and more refined compared to the first elephant. It can move its head up and down, and rotate it.

In 2020, a mom and two calves enter our lives with Friends sets. The mom is medium blue, the calves are bright light blue and lavender. Light aqua is added to the calves in 2023. None of their parts move, but there are studs on top for sitting minifigures (or building something) and the mom’s trunk can hold something with a bar width. Both the mom and the calves are found in one set each.

Two System elephants join in 2021, an adult and a calf again, this time in light bluish gray. The adult is approximately same size as the mammoth, and can move its head. There are two versions, one with long tusks, one with short. To not break tradition, these elephants appear in one set each, too.

Our newest LEGO elephant figure is Dumbo from 2023. Coming with the Walt Disney Tribute Camera, it reflects its screen counterpart perfectly. It has a light bluish gray body, a yellow hat, a red collar and huge ears :)

You can find the comparison images of the elephants and the mammoth below. The image with the old elephant is borrowed from New Elementary, it’s not yet a part of my collection.

LEGO Deer Figures

Our first deer appears as a fawn in 2013 Friends sets. You know, I think the LEGO animal world would be pretty mediocre if it weren’t for Friends. True, there are a lot of animals made for System, too, but it’s nowhere near Friends. It’s good to see they’re closing the gap, though. Thanks to the animals, I’ve warmed up to the theme throughout the years. Anyway, back to the subject. This medium nougat fawn comes in three sets. It appears once again in 2020, using the same color but different printing. Winks from one set, then disappears.

In 2016 we get our first adult deer: Sven from Frozen. Released under the Disney Princesses theme, Sven has a dark bluish gray body, light bluish gray antlers and can be found in two sets. A fawn is released in 2019, this time in dark tan with dark brown antlers, again in two sets. The smallest deer in Frozen sets is from 2024. It has a dark tan body with tan antlers and chest fur. For now, it can be found in three sets (one being the upcoming Advent Calendar).

2019 is the year of the first System deer – or rather, when its foundations are laid. Harry Potter’s Patronus charm is released, shining bright like a… ehm, sorry. It has a glitter trans-light blue color. I don’t know about you, but I find this figure very handsome. The antlers being of a softer plastic is a disadvantage, the color darkened since I first got it (or maybe it’s because of its color, not sure). Still, it looks beautiful. Of course, this beauty can be found in only one set.

In 2020, the charm comes to life, and a we get a fantastic figure. It has a medium nougat body, dark brown antlers, and a hint of a white fur on its chest. It appears in only one set that year, but in 2021 another set is released, including four of them!

With the Walt Disney Tribute Camera released in 2023, Bambi accompanies Dumbo. This dark orange colored special deer has a tan chest and a reddish brown crest.

Let’s see how these deer look next to each other and a minifigure.

LEGO Monkey Figures

I gotta say something first. I was thinking if it would be wrong to use the word monkey, so I thought I’d ask my best friend Google; maybe I should be saying primates. The definitions I found there made me even more confused. Monkeys are included in primates, primates are included in monkeys, humans are everywhere… Fortunately most of the figures I’ll talk about are listed as monkeys, so I get a break. Let this be an unnecessary fact.

The monkey is one of the first LEGO animals. It’s released in 1989, just after the horses. This one has a special place in my heart, because like the horses, it’s one of the few from my childhood. Apart from its nostalgic value, I think it still keeps its uniqueness when compared to the others. The size might be a bit too big, but being able to move its arms and legs, and hold anything a minifigure can makes it a pretty cool figure; not to mention the amount of detail there is in the overall figure considering its release year.

This monkey appears in 38 sets between 1989-2011. It is made in brown until 2004, reddish brown after 2004. Although it’s mostly found in pirate-themed sets, it’s possible to find it in others as well. It even appears in two Belville sets.

Our nostalgic monkey says goodbye in 2016 with the Ninjago theme. Meant to reflect the Wretch character from the series, it has a flat silver body, orange arms and legs, dark brown hands and feet.

New (and renewed) monkeys

A small chimpanzee accompanies the Zookeeper from the CMF 5 series in 2011. The same figure is seen in the CMF 7 series in 2012, this time accompanying the Jungle Boy. For now, the last set it appears is the Jane Goodall Tribute set (40530).

This little chimpanzee isn’t the only one of its kind. We see another one in BAM stands in 2018, with a reddish brown face print. The former has a light nougat one.

Of course, the Friends theme isn’t left out. Two monkeys are released in 2014 using a different mould. One uses orangutan colors (dark orange body, dark tan face and chest print), the other uses chimpanzee colors (black body, medium nougat face and chest print). The same mould appears in 2020 play cubes, this time with dark turquoise, bright light yellow, light aqua and coral bodies and white face and chest prints. These crazy-colored monkeys have slightly different printing, indicating it’s a furry animal better.

In 2021, two different monkeys are released with a whole new mould. One has a dark tan body and a light nougat face, the other a tan body and a dark bluish gray face. The dark tan comes in four sets, the tan one in two. Even though I appreciate the monkey mould being renewed and really like these new monkeys, I still think the first monkey looks better. I know it’s not easy producing small animals, but I think it would’ve been better if their arms could move.

An adult and a baby gorilla are released in 2024. The adult comes in one set (and there are two of them!), the baby in two. The baby can sit on the adult’s back, which I think is a great detail, and the adult’s hand design is suitable to hold objects with a bar on them (similar to a minifigures hand in function). Below, you can see it holding the newest fruit of 2024, a peach.

Here’s how the old and new monkeys look next to each other.

Right, that’s it for our monkey friends. Moving on to the other wild animals. But first, a little monkey family!

LEGO Camel, Llama, Sloth, Giraffe and Zebra Figures

The first and last camel comes with the Prince of Persia sets in 2010. Produced in tan and dark tan, they can be found in one set each. Like with the horses, there’s a 1×2 sized gap on their backs. It’s possible to place a saddle part there.

A llama army arrives in 2020. They are released in tan and medium nougat in one set, yellow, dark purple, bright pink and reddish copper in another one, as a mystery animal.

2020 marks the year of the sloth, too. We have one regular color (medium nougat), and four crazy colors (coral, bright light yellow, light aqua, dark turquoise). Medium nougat comes in one set, the others in one, again as mystery animals.

The giraffe and the zebra are from 2022 summer sets. They’re found in the same set, and never appear again. As much as I love the giraffe, I was very disappointed by the zebra. I mean, putting stripes on a white foal saying “There, a zebra!” doesn’t sit well with me. If they look so much alike, why didn’t you use the DUPLO horse moulds for DUPLO zebras? Well, at least we got a giraffe, that’s something. Who knows, maybe we’ll get a System zebra in the future. Oh, the giraffe is tan colored with reddish orange neck hair and dark orange spots.

Fun fact: When I first wrote this article in 2022, I said “What do you think, will we get a giraffe this summer?”. We did :) I wonder what my next wish should be? A rhino? A kangaroo? I should think about that :))

Before we move on to DUPLO animals, let me squeeze in a few costumed minifigures here.

LEGO DUPLO Elephant Figures

Like most LEGO DUPLO animals, elephant figures are divided into two, adult and calf. There are three different adult moulds, two different calf moulds.

We start with an adult in 1988. As far as I can understand from the images, this is the first and last LEGO DUPLO elephant figure that can move its head. The ones following it are fixed. The second one arrives in 1998, and the third and most recent one in 2007. The first one is produced in light gray, the second one in light and dark gray, and the third in light bluish gray. You can find the second and third elephant with different prints, too.

The first calf arrives in 1994. It has two colors, light gray and dark bluish gray, and two different eye prints. The second one is from 2005, made in light and dark bluish gray colors. These two have different eye prints as well.

We also have a special guest! While it’s not listed as an animal, it came with a DUPLO set I just couldn’t resist :)

LEGO DUPLO Deer and Monkey Figures

We have two does and fawns with different prints, and one buck. All three are released in 2015, all three are dark orange. The doe comes in two, the buck in four, the fawn in five sets.

There are three different monkey moulds. First one’s from 1990, made in brown and black. The same mould is released in 2005 with a different eye print.

There are three different color combinations of the monkey from 2007: Black body-bright light orange face, dark orange body-dark bluish gray face, and dark orange body-nougat face.

The newest mould is from 2013. That one has three different combinations, too: Black body-bright light orange face, dark orange body-nougat face, and medium nougat body-nougat face.

I’m not 100% sure since I don’t have these in hand, but I think the major difference between these last two moulds is the tail. One is perpendicular to the body while the other faces the side (hope this makes sense, but thank you images if it doesn’t :) ).

LEGO DUPLO Giraffe, Zebra, Llama and Sloth Figures

We have two adult and two baby giraffe moulds. The first ones arrive in 1990, both have two different eye prints. The second baby comes in 2005, the second adult in 2009. These have two different eye prints as well.

The giraffes share the same color: Yellow. I wasn’t able to find a lot of information on their print color, but from the images I get they’re brown-reddish brown-dark brown tones.

There are two different zebra moulds released in 2005 and 2007. First one has a ridged, the second has a smooth mane. They were last seen in 2016.

The DUPLO zebra is much larger than its System counterpart. However, considering its physiology, the Friends giraffe’s height is almost the same as the adult DUPLO one. Below, you can find the images of DUPLO adult and baby giraffe next to the Friends adult and DUPLO baby giraffe.

Both the llama and the sloth are from 2022. The llama has a white body, tan ears, face and feet. The sloth has a medium nougat body with a tan face. You can find the llama in two sets, the sloth in one.

LEGO DUPLO Hippopotamus Figures

We have two adult, two baby hippos. They enter the stage in 1990. Both the adult and the baby can be found in dark gray and purple. The second baby comes in 2005 and looks very similar to the first. The mom is renewed in 2012, and unlike the first can open its mouth. These two can be found in dark bluish gray.

We have a special hippo character, too: Hallie from Doc McStuffins sets. She has a medium lavender body, red striped white shirt, red glasses and a white hat.

Bonus: A Playmobile rhino! Loving animals is genetic in our family, and these are from the hippo-rhino collection my mom and dad started in their youth (and now I continue it with my dad). They have a special name, too, but it’s a made-up word in Turkish. The closest translation would be “The Grunt-Grunt Siblings” :)

Who is who?

The article wouldn’t be complete without comparison pictures. I’ve already added how similar species look next to each other, but here’s a few showing different species with a minifigure.

Wrapping up

This concludes the article along with land mammals. Birds will follow.

When I look at my animals, I get a sense of pride. There are so many of them, and I love them all. Of course there are a lot I don’t have, but I’m okay with it. I have enough to open a small zoo! When we consider the rate of new animals being released, soon enough they will take up the majority of my collection!

One thing that bothers me about animals as a collector is how hard it is to get them. Even if you put aside the economic conditions of today, this has always been the case. I mean, you read the articles, they come in one set, two sets, 3-4 if the animal is small. This makes it easier for opportunists to sell them way above their retail price. If I decide to get the set just for the animal, the cost increases even more. Some animals, whether big or small, come only with larger sets. What am I supposed to do with the rest of it? Besides, do I even want to buy that set??

Of course, it’s not possible for me to know the cost of an animal. I doubt it’s cheap, but I still wish they were easier to get. Countries with official LEGO.com pages can get some of these from PaB (lucky people!). I’m keeping my fingers crossed for that service to arrive here.

That’s it from me. See you in the next article!

 

Image Sources

I borrowed some images from Brickset, Bricklink, Brickowl, New Elementary, Jay’s Brick Blog, Adventure Bricks, Steinpalast, Decotoys and eBay pages. Hallie’s screen counterpart is from Doc McStuffins Wiki page.