LEGO Sets 1997: Every Set Released in 1997

In 1997, LEGO released 149 sets across 18 themes, led by Town, Duplo, Educational and Dacta and Technic. Sets average 195 pieces, from the 9280 Giant Lego Dacta Basic Set with 1,417 pieces down to the 2602 Dinosaurs Family Home with 30 pieces.

Town, Duplo and Educational and Dacta lead the themes

In 1997, LEGO released 149 sets spanning 18 themes. Town comes first with 29 sets, followed by Duplo with 22 sets and Educational and Dacta with 15 sets. Technic has 14 sets and Space 13. Freestyle brings together 11, Scala 9 and Castle 6.

Universal Building Set and Western have 5 sets each, Pirates and Time Cruisers 4 each. The year thus mixes city life, space, knights, pirates, the American West and time travelers.

Sets more compact than the catalog average

A 1997 set has 195 pieces on average, compared with 260 the previous year and 389 across the whole catalog. The largest sets are the 9280 Giant Lego Dacta Basic Set (1,417 pieces), the 8479 Barcode Multi-Set (1,274 pieces) and the 2184 XL Bulk Bucket (1,000 pieces), ahead of the 5561 Big Foot 4x4 (749 pieces) and the 9453 Universal School Set (699 pieces).

At the other end, the 2602 Dinosaurs Family Home and the 2883 Boat have just 30 pieces, while the 2851 Medium Dino Bucket, the 5393 Headgear (Hats and Hair) and the 9178 Vehicles have 31.

A flagship model per theme and a palette dominated by black

Each major theme has its biggest model: the 6560 Diving Expedition Explorer for Town (478 pieces), the 6097 Night Lord's Castle for Castle (607 pieces), the 6975 Alien Avenger for Space (371 pieces), the 6766 Rapid River Village for Western (354 pieces) and the 3290 The Big Family House for Scala (316 pieces). Duplo peaks with the 2247 Extra Bricks (M), which has 99 pieces.

As for colors, Black dominates with 23% of pieces, ahead of Light Gray (16%), Red (14%), Yellow (13%), White (11%) and Blue (9%).

1997 in figures

Number of sets	149
Themes represented	18
Theme with most sets	Town (29 sets)
Total pieces	29,025
Average pieces per set	195
Average in 1996	260
Largest set	9280 Giant Lego Dacta Basic Set (1,417 pieces)

The largest sets of 1997

Set	Theme	Pieces
9280 Giant Lego Dacta Basic Set	Educational and Dacta	1,417
8479 Barcode Multi-Set	Technic	1,274
2184 XL Bulk Bucket	Universal Building Set	1,000
5561 Big Foot 4x4	Model Team	749
9453 Universal School Set	Educational and Dacta	699
4128 XL Freestyle Bucket	Freestyle	657

Dominant colors

Color breakdown of the pieces across all sets released in 1997, minifigures included.

Color	Pieces	Share
Black	6,617	23%
Light Gray	4,588	16%
Red	3,933	14%
Yellow	3,878	13%
White	3,051	11%
Blue	2,547	8.8%
Green	1,327	4.6%
Dark Gray	488	1.7%

Town 29 sets

Duplo 22 sets

Educational and Dacta 15 sets

Technic 14 sets

Space 13 sets

Freestyle 11 sets

Scala 9 sets

Castle 6 sets

Universal Building Set 5 sets

Western 5 sets

Pirates 4 sets

Time Cruisers 4 sets

Aquazone 3 sets

Belville 3 sets

Model Team 2 sets

Service Packs 2 sets

Train 1 set

2126 Train Cars1997 · 383 pieces

Gear 1 set

3096 LEGO Time Cruisers Board Game1997 · 41 pieces

Frequently asked questions

What kinds of models are among the 1997 sets?

There are houses and boats, vehicles such as the 2556 Ferrari Formula 1 Racing Car, the 5561 Big Foot 4x4 or the 8459 Pneumatic Front-End Loader, as well as castles and educational sets. Large brick buckets, like the 2184 XL Bulk Bucket and the 4128 XL Freestyle Bucket, round out the range.

Has set size changed compared with 1996?

Yes, 1997 sets average 195 pieces, compared with 260 in 1996. They remain well below the average of the whole catalog, which is 389 pieces.

Which colors dominate the 1997 sets?

Black leads with 23% of pieces, followed by Light Gray with 16% and Red with 14%. Yellow makes up 13% of pieces, White 11% and Blue 9%.

What are the smallest 1997 sets?

The 2602 Dinosaurs Family Home and the 2883 Boat are the smallest, with 30 pieces each. Next come the 2851 Medium Dino Bucket, the 5393 Headgear (Hats and Hair) and the 9178 Vehicles, with 31 pieces each.

What is the largest LEGO set released in 1997?

It is 9280 Giant Lego Dacta Basic Set, from the Educational and Dacta theme: 1,417 pieces.

Which theme has the most sets in 1997?

Town: 29 sets, more than any other theme that year.