DOTS

Secret Holder

A cat shaped box with two hidden compartments and a genuinely clever build behind the cute face.

Brick Rated Score

3.8/5

Set 41924 · 2021

Pieces453

Minifigsn/a

Year2021

Set number41924

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The verdict

I love how much thought went into a set that could have just been a plain box with stickers.

The pull apart body, the two separate hiding spots, the little paw shelf, none of it is padding, it's all function dressed up as a cat. I'll be honest, if your kid isn't into decorating with tiles this loses half its charm fast, but for a kid who wants a real hiding spot for notes and hair ties rather than a toy to display, it earns its keep. Give it to a secret keeper, not a display shelf collector.

Best for: kids who want an actual working hiding spot for notes and treasures, not just something to look at

The full review

What it is

This is one of those DOTS sets that surprised me by actually being useful. The cat's body pulls apart into two separate compartments, so you get two hiding spots instead of one, and there's a small ledge built into the paws for propping up a photo or a note. It comes with a storage tray with a lid too, so the loose tiles have somewhere to live between redecorating sessions. The color palette leans into soft pinks, purples and blues against black plates, and it actually looks intentional rather than like a bag of random tiles got dumped on a baseplate.

The catch

Where it falls short is durability of the small stuff. The tail is held on by a single stud, and if your kid is opening and closing those compartments regularly (which is the whole point of the set) it will pop off more than you'd like. The little key shaped tool for popping tiles is charming but genuinely kid sized, so if you're the adult clearing a panel to start a fresh design, keep a real brick separator handy. And with 453 pieces, a good portion of that count is small repeated 1x1 and quarter circle tiles, so the actual build time is short. This is a decorate and redecorate set, not a long afternoon build.

Who it's for

Get this for a kid who wants somewhere real to stash notes, hair ties or small treasures and enjoys swapping the tile patterns every few weeks. Skip it if your child wants a substantial build to sit through, or if you know they'll be rough with small clip on pieces like the tail and ears.

What works

The body separates into two genuine hidden compartments, it's a real functional hiding spot, not just a decorated box
Comes with a Light Royal Blue tile shade new to DOTS at the time, plus glittery round tiles that make the patterns pop
Doubles as a cat or a dog depending on how you place the ears and tail, so kids get two designs for one set

Worth knowing

The tail only attaches with a single stud and tends to pop off when you separate the compartments
The kid sized tile removal tool struggles once you want to clear a whole panel, an adult brick separator does the job faster
At 453 pieces a big chunk is repeated small tiles, so builders wanting real construction will be done in a few minutes

Sold? Grab it.

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The parts story

What the build is actually like, and the pieces worth knowing about.

Building it is quick and mostly about assembly rather than tile decorating at first, the box, compartments and paw shelf go together in a straightforward session, and then the fun shifts to filling in the flat panels with your own pattern using the included idea sheet or your own design. It's more craft project than construction challenge, which is exactly the DOTS pitch, so don't go in expecting a meaty build.

The standout here is the tile selection. It introduced a Light Royal Blue shade that hadn't shown up in DOTS sets before, alongside glittery round tiles that catch the light nicely against the black base plates. None of it is rare in a collector sense, but for a craft focused set the color range is genuinely well chosen, and the tiles are fully compatible with other DOTS sets like Extra DOTS Series 3, so kids can mix in extras from other kits for even more pattern options.

Fun facts

01The Secret Holder can be rebuilt as a dog instead of a cat just by repositioning the ears and tail, giving two looks from one set.
02It retired in December 2021 after less than a year on shelves, having launched at a $19.99 RRP in January 2021.
03The set introduced a Light Royal Blue tile color that hadn't appeared in the DOTS theme before.
04Its resale value has climbed to around $36 for a new sealed set, up roughly 78 percent from its original retail price.