Disney

Toy Story Slinky Dog Bookends

A clever, funny idea that half-lands, and the price is the real sticking point.

Brick Rated Score

3.5/5

Set 43301 · 2026

Pieces1,311

Minifigs1

Year2026

Set number43301

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The verdict

This one had my heart before I even opened the box, because Slinky Dog is pure joy, and splitting his spring into two bookends is genuinely charming.

The build is playful and the hidden mechanisms are lovely. But at $149.99 for 1,311 pieces, the fabric ears, the pixelated stickers, and the visible leg joints started to nag at me. If you adore Toy Story and can catch it on sale, you'll grin the whole way through. If you want flawless finish for your money, wait.

Best for: Toy Story superfans who want a display piece with a wink of playfulness

The full review

What it is

Some LEGO® sets make you laugh out loud at the concept before you've placed a single brick, and this is one of them. Slinky Dog, the good-natured dachshund with a spring for a middle, gets turned into a pair of bookends, and his coiled body literally becomes the part that props up your books. It's a set that knows exactly what it wants to be visually: a bit silly, a bit sweet, and completely soaked in Toy Story nostalgia. You can build him as one complete Slinky Dog standing proud, or slot his spring sections into the sides of two brick-built books so he stretches across your shelf with a row of novels wedged in the middle. That flexibility is the whole charm here, and honestly it won me over on idea alone.

The catch

Here's where I have to be straight with you, though. At $149.99 for 1,311 pieces, this sits at the pricier end for what you actually get, and the finish doesn't always justify it. The ears are fabric cloth pieces wedged between plastic rather than molded, and they're too soft to hold the perky shape you see in the promo shots, so they flop and gather dust. The book spines use five stickers, and multiple reviewers found them pixelated with colors that came out a touch wrong, which stings on an 18+ display set where you'd expect printing. The front leg joints are also visible and a little unfinished up close. And the bookend halves aren't especially heavy, so they'll happily hold paperbacks and kids' books but struggle with anything hefty. None of these are dealbreakers on their own, but together they explain why early reactions have been genuinely split.

Who it's for

So who's going to love this? If you're a Toy Story person, the kind who still gets a little misty at the end of the third film, this belongs on your shelf and you'll forgive its rough edges because the character shines through. It's also a lovely set for anyone who likes a display piece with a bit of interactive playfulness baked in. Who should pass? If you build for engineering precision and crisp finish, or you want your dollars-per-piece to feel generous, this isn't the one, and I'd tell you to wait for a discount without hesitation. It's a warm, funny, slightly flawed set. Go in loving Slinky and you'll be delighted. Go in expecting perfection and you'll pick it apart.

The parts story

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

The build splits into a few clear chapters, and it's a nicely paced afternoon rather than a marathon. You construct two brick-built books first, each with a hidden trick inside: the purple book has a rotating dial on the back that swings Woody into view, plus tucked-away storage for the spring pins, while the other book hides a pull-out platform and a spine mechanism that releases the dog. Then comes Slinky himself, with a turning head, movable paws, and ribbed tubing forming that instantly recognizable tail. The clever bit is the spring: it's made from half-circular Technic pipe sections linked together so it reads as one continuous coil, and two removable pins let you separate it into sections that plug into holes in the book sides. That's what turns one dog into two bookends, and it's a genuinely satisfying piece of design to assemble.

For parts value, this is more concept than treasure chest. There's no shiny new mold to get excited about, and the star technique is really the Technic-pipe spring being repurposed as a structural, springy centerpiece, which is a smart use of existing elements. You get one minifigure, Woody, reused from earlier sets rather than a fresh printing, and the Pixar deep cuts live in the details: the purple book's spine nods to the short Knick Knack while the blue one carries the Tin Toy logo, with Buzz and Bo Peep Easter eggs hidden in the construction. At 1,311 pieces for $149.99, roughly 11 cents a part, the maths lands on the expensive side, and a chunk of those pieces are small connective elements doing the springwork. You're paying for the character and the mechanism, not a mountain of rare bricks.

Fun facts

01This is the first time Slinky Dog's coiled body has been recreated as a functional part of a build, with two removable pins letting his spring split into a pair of separate bookends.
02The two brick-built books nod to Pixar's early shorts, with the purple spine referencing Knick Knack and the blue one carrying the Tin Toy logo, both of which predate and helped pave the way for the original Toy Story.
03In France, Slinky Dog goes by the name Zigzag, which is why some international reviews refer to the set's star by that name.
04Look closely during the build and you'll spot hidden Easter eggs of other Toy Story characters, including Buzz Lightyear and Bo Peep, tucked into the design.