LEGO® Orange Cat Review – What Makes It Different from a Tuxedo Cat?
The LEGO IDEAS lineup has already given us one of the most viral sets in recent memory with the Tuxedo Cat. Now its ginger sibling has arrived, and it's worth paying attention to. The LEGO IDEAS Orange Cat (21376) drops on March 1, 2026, as a near-life-size feline that demands shelf space.
But is this truly a fresh build, or just a lazy repaint?
We took a close look, so you don't have to guess.
How the LEGO® Orange Cat Came to Be?
The story behind this set starts with a fan named Damian Andres, known online as "The Yellow Brick." Back in 2020, he submitted a cat design to the LEGO IDEAS platform, originally modeled after his own pet, Miro – a Siamese-Birman cross. That submission eventually became the LEGO Tuxedo Cat (21349), which launched in June 2024 and went viral immediately. Forums lit up. Social media exploded. The LEGO Tuxedo Cat became one of those rare sets that crossed over from the builder community to mainstream pop culture.
Naturally, fans started asking for more colors. According to LEGO IDEAS Creative Lead Jordan David Scott, the team had actually considered a ginger variant back in 2024, but the available brick colors made it tricky. Bright orange would have looked cartoonish, and dark brown felt lifeless. Nothing landed right until Target stepped in. The US retailer specifically requested an orange cat as a retailer exclusive, which kicked the project into gear. LEGO Designer Chris McVeigh and the team settled on "Medium Nougat" as the fur color, and the LEGO Orange Cat was born.
This is worth noting because it marks the first time LEGO IDEAS has released a color variant of an existing fan-designed set. Damian Andres still receives royalties on this version, which feels like the right call.
1,755 Pieces, Zero Stickers, One Very Still Cat
The LEGO IDEAS Orange Cat ships with 1,755 pieces, 45 more than the Tuxedo Cat. The piece count went up, but LEGO kept the price at $99.99. That works out to roughly 5.7 cents per piece, solid value by any standard.
Inside, you get a paper instruction booklet and access to the LEGO Builder app with full 3D digital instructions. No stickers. No minifigures. Just you, the bricks, and a cat that stands 12.5 inches tall when finished.
The completed model sits in an elegant, upright pose with its paws visible and tail curled to one side. It's almost entirely static, which might disappoint anyone hoping for more articulation. But the stillness works. Real cats spend most of their day sitting and judging you, so the pose fits.
Five Upgrades That Make the LEGO® Orange Cat More Than a Recolor
Calling this a simple recolor would be selling it short. LEGO made several thoughtful changes that improve the build in meaningful ways.
🟠The tail is mirrored. The LEGO Orange Cat curls its tail to the opposite side compared to the Tuxedo Cat. This was a deliberate choice — place both cats side by side, and they face each other without awkwardly overlapping. Smart display design.
⚫The mouth now hinges open and shut. The original Tuxedo Cat required you to rebuild a small section of the head every time you wanted to change the mouth position. Fiddly and annoying. LEGO fixed it with a proper hinge this time around. Open, closed, mid-yawn — you can switch without deconstructing anything.
🟠Head rotation is limited. The Tuxedo Cat's head could spin a full 360 degrees, and the internet ran with it — cue the horror-movie clips. The LEGO Orange Cat introduces a small internal limiter that restricts the head to about 45 degrees in each direction. It feels more lifelike this way. And if you hate it, you can remove the red limiter piece and go full exorcist again.
⚫The fur has more texture. LEGO used "pagoda plates" (part 4190) throughout the build to create whimsical tufts of fur that stick out at odd angles. Combined with the warm color palette, it gives the model a fluffier, more organic look compared to the sleeker Tuxedo Cat.
🟠Facial markings are asymmetrical. There's more white chest fluff, no white tip on the tail, and the face pattern is slightly off-center. These subtle differences add character and help both cats look distinct on a shelf.
Same Structure, Fresh Twists – Building the Second LEGO® Cat
If you've built the LEGO Tuxedo Cat, you know what you're getting into. The internal structure is identical — large sectional builds that come together at the end. You'll work through the body, legs, and tail as separate modules before assembling the final model.
Where it gets interesting is the workarounds. According to the designers, around 30 parts had to be recolored to medium nougat for this set. Some of those parts didn't previously exist in that color, so the team had to re-engineer small sections to accommodate the new palette. That means certain steps feel fresh even if the overall shape is the same.
One useful trick: the curved panel on the cat's back pops open and has just enough room inside to stash your spare eyes. Keeps them safe and within reach when you want to swap colors.
Swappable Eyes and Why Both Sets Play Well Together?
The LEGO Orange Cat comes with two sets of interchangeable eyes — green and brown. If you own the Tuxedo Cat (which ships with blue and yellow), all four eye colors work with both models. You can even give your cat heterochromatic eyes by mixing colors from both sets. That's a small detail, but it means the two builds feel like they belong together as a collection and not as competing products.
A Soft Glow Changes Everything – Lighting Your LEGO® Cat
A model this detailed deserves proper display treatment. Our Lights for LEGO® are designed to bring exactly this kind of build to life, especially in low-light settings where the fur textures and facial details tend to get lost.
We already offer a custom-designed light kit for the LEGO® Tuxedo Cat 21349, and the response from customers has been incredible. A soft glow makes the texture and color differences pop in ways that natural room lighting simply can't match. The same principle applies to the LEGO Orange Cat – those warm caramel tones look especially rich under LED illumination.
If you're planning to display both cats together, lighting both builds creates a cohesive showcase that turns a shelf into a genuine conversation piece.
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Four Reasons to Buy the LEGO® Orange Cat (And One to Hold Off)
This set lands in a sweet spot for a few different audiences.
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Ginger cat owners get something no other LEGO set offers – a near-life-size brick replica that actually resembles their pet. The Tuxedo Cat never scratched that itch for orange cat households, and this fills a gap that fans have been vocal about since 2024.
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Display-focused collectors will find that two cats on a shelf tell a better visual story than one. LEGO designed the pair to sit as companions, and from a home decor standpoint, the warm and cool tones of the two models create a natural contrast that draws the eye.
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First-time builders looking for a relaxing weekend project get a set with no sticker placement and no fiddly minifigure accessories. The LEGO Builder app's 3D instructions make it approachable even if you haven't touched a LEGO set in years.
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Gift shoppers have a safe pick here. Cat lover in your life? This works for birthdays, housewarmings, or holidays, and the 18+ age rating means it's marketed toward adults who appreciate detailed builds, not just kids.
If you already own the Tuxedo Cat and feel lukewarm about adding a second cat, this probably isn't a must-buy. But if you want more feline energy in your collection, the LEGO IDEAS Orange Cat delivers.
So, Should You Add This Cat to Your Collection?
The LEGO IDEAS Orange Cat (21376) could have been a cynical cash grab – same cat, different paint job. It isn't. LEGO used this second pass to fix real complaints from the first build and sneak in quality-of-life tweaks that the Tuxedo Cat probably should have had from the start. At $99.99 for 1,755 pieces with zero stickers, the price-to-brick ratio holds up well against most 18+ sets on the market right now.
FAQ
How many pieces does the LEGO® IDEAS Orange Cat have?
The LEGO Orange Cat (21376) contains 1,755 pieces, which is 45 more than the LEGO Tuxedo Cat (21349) at the same price.
What color is the LEGO® Orange Cat actually made from?
LEGO used Medium Nougat bricks, not bright orange. The color reads as a warm brownish-caramel that approximates real ginger cat fur, particularly in natural lighting.
Can I display the LEGO® Orange Cat next to the Tuxedo Cat?
Yes, and LEGO designed them for exactly that. The Orange Cat's tail curves to the opposite side of the Tuxedo Cat's, so the two models complement each other when placed side by side without overlapping.
Are the eyes interchangeable between the Orange Cat and the Tuxedo Cat?
They are. The LEGO Orange Cat includes green and brown eyes, and the Tuxedo Cat comes with blue and yellow. All four colors are backward-compatible across both models, so you can mix and match freely.
What improvements does the LEGO® Orange Cat have over the Tuxedo Cat?
The main upgrades include a hinged mouth that opens and closes without rebuilding, a head rotation limiter for more realistic posing, textured fur using pagoda plates, and asymmetrical facial markings that add character.
Is the LEGO® Orange Cat a Target exclusive?
In the United States, Target has exclusive retail rights. Outside the US, the set is available directly from LEGO.com and authorized LEGO retailers worldwide.
When does the LEGO® IDEAS Orange Cat release?
The set launches on March 1, 2026. Pre-orders have already opened (and briefly sold out in the US), so availability may be limited at launch.
Can I add lights to the LEGO® Orange Cat?
Game of Bricks offers custom-designed Lights for LEGO® that work beautifully with the cat builds. LED lighting accentuates the fur textures and warm caramel tones, making the model stand out as a display centerpiece, especially in dim settings.
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