Every LEGO Minifigure of a Real Person… And How To Cosplay As Them
Halloween is a holiday that I love as much as LEGO! I can’t get enough of everything fall, from pumpkin-carving and scary movies to haunted houses and Halloween costumes. However, not everyone gets excited about the spookiest day of the year. Some people even get stressed out at the thought of having to come up with a costume. The good news is the world of LEGO can provide a little inspiration.
If you think about it, LEGO minifigures have been dressing up for years. Actors from movies and TV shows from Star Wars, Harry Potter, Marvel, Disney and more have all appeared as minifigs. These characters can be great sources of costume inspiration, but there’s a good chance you won’t be the only Disney Princess or Avenger at the party. For a costume that’s a little more unique, you could consider dressing up as one of the real-life famous people who have been immortalized as a LEGO minifigure.
To help you assemble your next costume, we’re highlighting the real-life people who have become LEGO minifigures. While many icons have become minifigs for the big screen during a movie (we’re looking at you, Ruth Bader Ginsberg), this list will just focus on those people who have been made into physical LEGO minifigures as themselves. So in no particular order, here is every LEGO minifigure based on a real person… and how to cosplay as them!
Abraham Lincoln
abraham lincoln lego minifigure (via bricklink)
Abraham Lincoln was a U.S. president who needs no introduction, but if you would like a quick refresher, he’s most famous for serving as the president during the Civil War. “Honest Abe” was also a lawyer, a politician, and one of the tallest men in any room.
President Lincoln made his minifig debut in 2014 as part of a collectible minifigure series that celebrated The LEGO Movie. If you’re curious, his LEGO set number is 71004-5.
To become Abraham Lincoln for a day, you must embrace a monochromatic look. You’ll need a black suit, a black beard, and a black top hat to complete your ensemble. (Though if you want his flying rocket chair from the LEGO Movie, you are on your own!)
Jane Goodall
Jane Goodall Tribute LEGO Set (via LEGO)
If you love all animals as much as I do, you’re probably familiar with Jane Goodall and her amazing work with chimpanzees. This iconic primatologist and anthropologist has earned the title of the world’s leading expert on chimps after studying them in the wild for six decades.
To honor her, LEGO released the Jane Goodall Tribute set (40530) as a gift with purchase (GWP) in March 2022. And in case you’re wondering, it was intentional to release it around International Women’s Day.
To recreate Jane’s signature look the same way the LEGO minifig did, you’ll want to pick up some khakis, a distinguished white wig that you’ll pull into a ponytail, and of course, an adorable stuffed chimp or two.
Vincent van Gogh
Vincent van gogh lego minifigure (via LeGO)
Some people just know Vincent van Gogh as the artist who cut off his ear, which is a shame because he should be known as one of the world’s most influential painters. This prolific Post-Impressionist artist created more than 2,000 paintings and inspired countless artists.
The only way to get the Vincent van Gogh minifigure is to purchase the Starry Night set (21333). You can build a LEGO version of his famous painting and display the miniature artist next to it.
To pull off Vincent van Gogh, you’ll want to consider investing in a red wig and red beard (if you don’t have one already) and carry a painter’s palette. A straw hat and blue jacket can help finish the look.
Amelia Earhart
Amelia earhart lego minifigure (via bricklink)
Amelia Earhart’s name is synonymous with adventure and intrigue. She became a pioneer in the world of aviation when she accomplished the feat of being the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. Her doomed follow-up flight across the Pacific has also inspired myths and lore for generations.
LEGO made Amelia Earhart into a LEGO minifigure as part of the Amelia Earhart Tribute set (40450) which was a free GWP for International Women’s Day in 2021. (In case you’re sensing a theme, yes, International Women’s Day does bring us some awesome GWP promos.)
You can easily become the spitting image of Amelia Earhart by picking up a pair of khakis, a brown bomber jacket, a white scarf, and an aviator’s hat with goggles.
The Beatles
The beatles lego minifigures (via lego)
The Beatles are known as one of the world’s most influential bands. Not only did they combine various musical genres and help popular music earn recognition as an art form, but they also led the youth and counterculture movements of the time.
LEGO honored the band’s achievements with The Beatles Yellow Submarine set (21306) in 2016. As you would expect, the set featured the titular yellow submarine and all four members of The Beatles.
The Beatles is a great costume for a group, assuming you can decide who will be which band member and you have tons of options for costumes depending on which Beatles era you select. You could wear anything from suits from A Hard Day’s Night to more eccentric looks from their later years.
And if you want a newer musical group to dress up as, try out a look from one of the seven members of BTS! Carrying around a microphone might help this look too.
Megan Rapinoe
megan rapinoe lego minfigure (via brick owl)
Megan Rapinoe shines in the world of soccer as a two-time World Cup Champion and Olympic Gold Medalist. She’s also celebrated for her social activism off the field, as she’s an advocate for LGBTQIA+ organizations. (Read all about her when we featured Play Unstoppable here on BrickNerd!)
In June 2023, LEGO released the Icons of Play set (40634) to celebrate women’s soccer (or football, depending on where you live). The set featured Megan as well as other famous female soccer players, including Asisat Oshola and Sam Kerr.
If you want to go as Megan Rapinoe for Halloween, you’ll need a soccer uniform, a soccer ball, and short hair in a fun color like pink (as seen on the LEGO minifigure). If you’d like to dress up as a male soccer star, you could get inspired by the DFB Soccer Team minifigures.
The Cast of Queer Eye
queer eye lego minifigures (via Lego)
Since the reboot of Queer Eye came to Netflix, the so-called Fab Five hasn’t been able to shoot episodes fast enough. If you haven’t gotten hooked on this show, let me explain. The show’s five experts, including Tan France (fashion), Karamo (culture), Jonathan (grooming), Antoni (food and wine), and Bobby (home design), work with the show’s selected hometown heroes to help them improve their lives.
As Queer Eye has become a bit of a cultural phenomenon, LEGO immortalized the five stars of this show and their loft in the Queer Eye Fab 5 Loft set (10291). They even included one of the show’s heroes and the resident pup, Bruley.
You can either pick one of the Fab Five to dress up as or get some friends together to be the whole crew. Each member has a different style and look. For example, Karamo loves colored bomber jackets and Dodger’s caps while Jonathan embraces more feminine pieces—like the minifigure’s printed heels.
Shaquille O’Neal
shaquille o’neal lego minifigure (via bricklink)
Even if you’re not a sports fan, you’ve likely heard of Shaquille O’Neal (aka Shaq). This mountain of a man is a 7’1” NBA legend who played for iconic teams like the Lakers, the Magic, and the Celtics and works as a sports analyst.
We first saw Shaq become a LEGO minifigure in 2003 as part of the LEGO Ultimate NBA Arena set (3433). The NBA superstar is rocking his yellow Lakers jersey with his number 34 and bendy legs to better shoot some hoops.
To be Shaquille O’Neal for Halloween, you must decide which team your Shaq will be playing for. If you’re like most people who dress up as him, you’ll probably want to recreate the Lakers uniform that he’s wearing in his minifig version. You might also need some stilts…
And if you’d like to dress up as a different basketball star, you can take inspiration from other famous basketball players LEGO minifigures like Kobe Bryant.
Sally Ride
sally ride lego minifigure (via The brick people)
Like Amelia Earhart, Sally Ride is a pioneer who took to the skies above. She became the first American woman to go to space when she took off in 1983. She was also the third woman overall to make the journey out of this world.
Sally Ride became a LEGO minifigure in 2017 as part of the LEGO Ideas Women of NASA set (21312). She was joined by other female groundbreakers, including Nancy Grace Roman, Margaret Hamilton, and Mae Jemison.
To become Sally Ride for an evening, you just need a blue jumpsuit that you can then decorate to match this astronaut’s original suit. A short brown wig will also help you play the part of this NASA icon. You could even use a classic space patch to complete the look!
Everyone Else
There you have it, some of the most famous people to become LEGO minifigures. As you can see, these famous faces don’t just make great minifigs, they’re also awesome inspiration for Halloween costumes. And if you need even more Halloween costume inspiration, check out these other famous faces who have become LEGO minifigures. How many do you recognize?
Julius Caesar
Walt Disney
Ole Kirk Christiansen
Cleopatra
George Washington
Gustave Eiffel
Hans Christian Andersen
Kobe Bryant
Seymour Papert
Will.i.am
Steven Spielberg
William Shakespeare
Jerry Seinfeld
J. Kawaguchi
F. Massa
M. Schumacher
Kimi Räikkönen
What’s your favorite famous minifigure based on a real person? Let us know in the comments below.
Do you want to help BrickNerd continue publishing articles like this one? Become a top patron like Charlie Stephens, Marc & Liz Puleo, Paige Mueller, Rob Klingberg from Brickstuff, John & Joshua Hanlon from Beyond the Brick, Megan Lum, Andy Price, Lukas Kurth from StoneWars, Wayne Tyler, LeAnna Taylor, Monica Innis, Dan Church, and Roxanne Baxter to show your support, get early access, exclusive swag and more.
