The symbolism behind LEGO’s best dragon

In a world of many LEGO dragons, none are quite the same as 80112 Auspicious Dragon, in design or symbolism.

If there’s one LEGO dragon to not overlook right now – and there are a fair few to choose between at the moment – then it is 80112 Auspicious Dragon. Taking direct and accurate inspiration from the deep-rooted and centuries-old traditions and iconography surrounding the creature as it is depicted in Chinese culture, 80112 Auspicious Dragon offers up a LEGO set like few others.

It is first and foremost an imaginative homage to a longstanding art style, translated skilfully into 3D form to make for one of the most satisfying and unique LEGO builds of recent years, in 2024, the Year of the Dragon, of course.

Where other LEGO dragons take western inspiration and as such are depicted as primarily fire-breathing, winged aggressors, 80112 Auspicious Dragon is a celebration of the Chinese dragon’s status as a spiritual symbol of prosperity and good luck. As such, this set is intricate in design, structure and colour, and all for details that are borne from strong symbolism that has been purposefully and cleverly worked into the set.

Indeed, leading with the art form as it does, almost nothing is by chance with this 1,171-piece LEGO set, starting with the water-themed base that it stands on that reflects how the dragon is seen in Chinese culture as a ruler of water. Likewise, the yellow-gold colour for the body of the dragon is based around this being the colour that it is most commonly depicted in, whilst the pearl that the model is holding is closely associated with any number of spiritual energies or powers of the dragon. The rhythmic lines that the dragon is posed in are again traditional to its connection to water and a flowing movement.

Chinese dragons are said to bear resemblances to nine other creatures, with antlers like those of a stag, the head of a camel, eyes of a demon (or sometimes a rabbit), neck of a snake, belly of a clam, scales of a carp, claws of an eagle, soles of a tiger, and ears of a cow. Additionally, dragons are depicted with a bump on their forehead (called chimu), there to ensure the creature can ascend to the heavens. That almost all of these are fairly represented in LEGO form here – even the bump on the head – reflects the careful and authentic design process that has gone into the set.

80112 Auspicious Dragon is a beautiful set to construct thanks to this respect shown to the source material. It offers up a vibrant colourway that allows the brighter red and teal to burst through the back of the creature between those gold scales, just as the bodywork comes together in a satisfying and interesting manner, before the completed model firmly connects to the sizeable water-themed display stand.

This is a LEGO set that offered the LEGO design team an opportunity to lean into history, tradition, art and culture, and to combine those things with their innate understanding of the LEGO medium. The resulting set is evidence enough that they fully embraced that opportunity.

Whilst knowledge of the symbolism built into this set isn’t necessary, it helps explain not only its importance to audiences in the Far East, but also offers up a new perspective and appreciation for what it represents as a truly one-of-a-kind LEGO set. Mastery of the LEGO brick comes in many forms, and here is yet another we’ve not seen or enjoyed before.

For these reasons, 80112 Auspicious Dragon is a stand-out LEGO dragon like none other and one that, six months on from release, remains high on our recommendation list.

This set was provided by the LEGO Group.

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