After opening twenty-four cardboard doors, the end of the 2020 Star Wars Advent Calendar is here. To put a cap on the Christmas countdown, the advent minifigures are getting the Mini Steps treatment! This addition to the series is a bit different from the rest in that it doesn’t follow the evolution of a single minifigure but rather tracks the evolution of the category.
As we have alluded to in the past, the first LEGO Star Wars Advent Calendar came in 2011 and so too did the first exclusive minifigure. Included with 7958 Star Wars Advent Calendar was Santa Yoda who we just covered in our last Mini Steps. As a refresher, he used the same Clone Wars style head as other iterations and featured the only Santa torso with a candy cane printed on the front. Finishing out his look was a dark tan backpack and red short legs.
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Coming with the 9509 Star Wars Advent Calendar were two exclusive holiday-themed minifigs – Santa Darth Maul and Snowman R2-D2. Maul used the same head as other versions of himself and came with a different Santa torso. His figure also featured a red and white hood, and he was equipped with a shovel and a snowball. R2 was almost unrecognizable with his all white body with printed carrots to represent his normal blue coloration. A black top hat was placed upon his dome.
In 2013 we got our first holiday Bounty Hunter. The 75023 Star Wars Advent Calendar featured a Santa Jango Fett minifigure. While you might have been fooled by the holly on his torso, his Mandalorian armor is unmistakable even in red! He used the same helmet as the other updated Jangos and borrowed his head from Boba Fett. Lastly, he traded in his jetpack for a backpack to carry gifts.
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For the first time 75056 Star Wars Advent Calendar included three holiday-themed minifigures. Finally Santa Darth Vader had arrived with another unique holiday torso and the first printed legs of any holiday minifig. Rare LEGO part collectors shared a sigh of relief when he was included with a regular black helmet instead of a red molded one! Also included was a Festive Astromech which is the only one to come with a dark green body to date and the only one to come with a cone shaped dome like the R4-series style. Last up was a not so clever but still unique Clone Trooper with a Santa hat on his head.
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The following year’s 75097 Star Wars Advent Calendar came with two new minfigures – Reindeer R2-D2 and Santa C-3PO. This time instead of getting a new print, the astromech was the same as a previous version with a set of antlers placed on top. Really getting into the Santa spirit, C-3PO came with a white beard and a unique torso. Although R2 acts like he is always in charge, it looks like 3PO gets the reins this time.
Setting a new first was the Snow Chewbacca included in 75146 Star Wars Advent Calendar. This was the first, and only, time that an advent minifigure was molded in a new color. His bandolier was printed in red and green, and he came equipped with a snowball-launching bowcaster.
Perhaps the laziest of all the Advent Calendars was the 75184 Star Wars Advent Calendar. After six years of successful sets, it was time for the quality to be drawn back a bit with the only holiday-themed minifigure being a standard BB-8 capped with a Santa hat. At least he came on a snowboard, right?
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In a year that would turn out to have many holiday-themed surprises, 75279 Star Wars Advent Calendar was just the beginning. With an unprecedented three unique minifigures LEGO really outdid themselves with this one. Included were Poe Dameron and Darth Vader both with unique holiday sweaters and D-O with a Santa hat.
The bar has been set for next year, so now all we can do is wait! Who would you like to see included in the 2021 Advent Calendar?
Founder and owner of The Holo-Brick Archives, Kevin Downard maintains and curates the Database Catalog as a collecting resource for all fans and covers new product releases.
Getting in at the ground floor when the LEGO Star Wars theme first launched, Kevin has been collecting ever since. He is a self-proclaimed minifigure guru and has a passion for tracking down and cataloging every minifig variation – no matter how obscure. He has assisted Rebrickable and Bricklink in maintaining their set inventories, helped overhaul the rebelscum.com LEGO forum, and created the LSW Collector mobile app.
2017 with BB8 on a snowboard was not the worst as 2018 with a brick built pilot snowman and 2019 with a Porg in a Santa hat were beyond poor. So poor that you didn’t even include them in the feature. I am unique as I did like the festive Gonk droids in both the 2019 and 2020 but I assume you class them as builds and not minifigures. I hope that 2021 at least equals this year and I would even accept the already existing but not used as minifigures Ugly Christmas jumper designs.