Best Toy Story Duplo and LEGO Sets for Your Young Child

by Amy Tanathorn of The Leaping Lamp
(Bay Area, California)

When I was a little girl I had a classmate named Steve who was crazy about LEGOs. Every week for show and tell, he'd bring in his latest creation; some things he constructed were quite elaborate, like a dragon. I was really impressed at the imagination and thought it took to build one of these LEGO sets.

Now many years later as an adult and mother, the world of LEGOs has entered my world again with my son, who has shown some interest in getting a LEGO set of his own. Boy have they come a long way over the years! There are elaborate sets for adults who want the challenge they had as a kid, but this time by putting together thousands of pieces. Then there are hundreds of themed LEGO sets for whatever suits your or your child's fancy.

One of the most popular recent themes that kids really love is the Toy Story theme. Fortunately there are some fabulous Toy Story toys LEGO sets from different scenes from both Toy Story 2 and Toy Story 3 movies that kids from age 3 and up can enjoy playing with. First let's look at Duplo, which are LEGOS for preschoolers that have bigger pieces and simpler designs.

DUPLO Toy Story Sets

Duplo blocks and figures are made for smaller hands; they are sturdy and safe, but should be for children 3 years old and older due to small parts. Duplo has several Toy Story sets that are good for beginners as they have fewer pieces and are budget friendly. Then they have some sets that are more elaborate with far more pieces as your child develops the skills to put the pieces together.

Jessie's Roundup

This is one of the most basic Toy Story Duplo sets on the market with only 18 pieces to introduce your child to the world of LEGO construction toys. Your children will also be excited to play with the Jessie and Bullseye figures that go with this set. Jessie is over 2 inches tall and Bullseye is over 3 inches, so they are perfect for play anywhere.

Children put together the Sheriff's office where Jessie and Bullseye ride out when they are called on for help. This set has the Sheriff's office sign, a chair and a table as well as a cute green flower.

Parents and grandparents are impressed with the imagination their kiddoes show when playing with this set and its no wonder, it won the Oppenheim Toy Portfolio's Gold Seal award, which is given to outstanding new products that enhance the lives of children.

Toy Story 3 Limited Edition Space Crane

Here's one of the more elaborate DUPLO sets, the Toy Story 3 Space Crane. Taken from the Toy Story 3 plot, the scene recreated from this toy is when Woody, Buzz and the gang were rescued by the little green aliens and their crane.

This DUPLO set has also won the Oppenheim Gold Seal award as well as the hearts of lots of children and parents. The Space Crane set has three mini-figures: Buzz Lightyear, Woody and one green alien and each is over 2 inches tall.

The crane itself has an easy to use scope and the shovel has an easy-open grip. Kids can assemble this set very easily and many even play with the garbage truck all by itself!

LEGO Toy Story Sets

Just like DUPLO sets, the more advanced LEGO Toy Story sets have basic kits with fewer pieces and lower price as well as the more elaborate kits with higher price tags. Let's take a look at both ends of the spectrum starting with the basic.

Toy Story Lotso's Dump Truck

At Sunnyside Daycare, Lotso Huggin' Bear rides around in the back of a yellow toy dump truck. This set includes a whopping four minifigures: Lotso, Chunk the rock monster, Stretch the purple octopus and the dump truck driver. The dump truck can raise and lower the trailer bed, so it's fun to construct a functioning vehicle.

This Toy Story toy is best for children between ages 6 and 12 and it has 129 pieces to challenge youngsters. Parents have given this LEGO set high ratings for its sturdiness, but you may likely have to assist your child if he or she is on the younger end of the age recommendation.

Western Train Chase

The beginning of Toy Story 3 showed an exciting train chase sequence with Woody trying to stop a runaway train full of Troll orphans before it got to an exploded bridge. Kids can recreate this edge-of-your-seat sequence with the LEGO Western Train Chase set.

This is a big project though, and you may have to assist your youngster. At 584 pieces, you get a rolling western train which features a locomotive and three cars with opening doors, roofs and rooftop traps. One thing you are really going to love about the train is that it is fully compatible with LEGO train tracks and power functions, which are outlined in the instruction manual.

Minifigures in this set include Buzz Lightyear, Woody, Jessie, Bullseye, Rex and Hamm as Evil Dr. Porkchop. That's a lot of Toy Story toys for one set!

Ratings have been quite high for this Toy Story LEGO set have been quite strong with parents appreciating the family together time it creates for putting this set together. The directions are easy to follow and much of the process is intuitive, making this easy and less frustrating for the kids. Once it's complete, kids have fun playing with their Western Train Chase for countless hours. Well worth the investment, reviewers say.

So there you have a nice variety of LEGO brand Toy Story toys for your kids, suitable for little ones up to the older kids who need more of a challenge. There are also lots of price point variations so you can find the perfect kit for your budget.