LEGO No stranger to controversy, the company's latest animal-themed release has sparked a surprisingly intense debate within its global fan community. Positioned as an addition to the popular LEGO Tuxedo Cat, the newly revealed LEGO Orange Cat set has quickly become one of the most polarizing LEGO releases in recent memory.
At first glance, the LEGO Orange Cat set seems to follow a proven formula. This is a brick-and-mortar display model that is mostly designed for adult fans, leaning heavily on realism and clearly aimed at pet lovers rather than traditional play-oriented builders. What initially seemed like a safe bet, however, instead sparked discussions about design reuse, color accuracy, and how effectively animal LEGO sets can represent one's furry friends.
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The orange cat LEGO set has divided the fan base, and the real culprit may be the color
A familiar building with minimal changes
One of the main points of contention is how exactly the orange cat mirrors the previously released Tuxedo Cat LEGO set, which became one of LEGO's best-selling sets. While LEGO didn't sell it as a simple repaint, many fans were quick to notice that the basic structure remains largely unchanged. That said, there are differences, even if they are subtle.
Key differences between Orange Cat and Tuxedo Cat kits
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Minor changes to facial detail, including small adjustments to eye contrast to accommodate lighter fur
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The Tuxedo Cat set had the option of changing the piece to have an open mouth, while the Orange Cat set includes an opening mouth piece.
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Some of the pieces on the side of the Orange Cat kit are a bit pointy to give the fur a more realistic feel, while the Tuxedo Cat kit is overall “flatter” and rounder.
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Reverse tail position, wrapping around the left side of the cat instead of the right side of the Tuxedo Cat kit
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The headpiece no longer rotates 360 degrees and now has a stop mechanism
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Despite these improvements, critics say that the overall silhouette, pose and build are almost identical, making the set look less like a new model and more like a cosmetic variant, especially compared to other LEGO 2026 sets. This has even prompted some social media users to say that you can adopt an orange cat from your local shelter for the price of the set.
Why the color choice for the Orange Cats set is more important than LEGO expected
Interestingly, the biggest criticism isn't about the reused design, but rather the specific shade of orange that LEGO chose. Unlike black and white, orange is not a universal shade for cats in the real world. The shade used in the kit is more bronze or cinnamon than orange, almost a reddish-brown shade, representing only a relatively small subset of orange cats. Many true orange cats are:
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A deeper, darker ginger
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Brighter and richer
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Muted with brown or reddish undertones
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Plain orange fur with no white parts, or at least light orange instead of white
Technically, cats aren't “orange,” but the official definition is more like red.
As a result, some fans feel that the set doesn't capture the variety typically associated with orange cats, making it harder for owners to see their own pets reflected in the model. It also doesn't help that LEGO's adorable animal sets are pretty scarce overall, so there isn't much else to choose from in this category.
Why the tuxedo cat avoided this problem entirely
Comparisons to Tuxedo Cat are inevitable and perhaps revealing. Black and white coloring is highly standardized, both in nature and in the existing LEGO color palette. There is little ambiguity in what the tuxedo cat should look like, which allowed LEGO to bypass the issue of color accuracy entirely. While there are many examples of different looking tuxedo cats, some with more white than black, others with more irregular patterns, and so on, the color palette has not been discussed.
With orange, that room for error disappears. What worked flawlessly with a two-tone animal suddenly becomes much more complex when warmth, saturation and realism come into play, especially in an adult LEGO set that is aimed more at collectors.
The fans are split down the middle
On the one hand, proponents argue:
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The LEGO building set is beautiful, charming and visually appealing
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LEGO never aimed for perfect realism
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The model still functions as a decorative, stylized piece
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Both the Orange Cat set and the Tuxedo Cat set can be combined to create a calico kitten
On the other hand, those who are not satisfied with the set state:
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The orange shade feels flat and artificial
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The design does not justify an almost identical rebuild
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LEGO missed an opportunity for modular color variations or pattern options
This division highlights a broader problem that LEGO increasingly faces: adult fans expect both emotional resonance and design ambition, especially at premium prices. Ultimately, the LEGO Orange Cat set isn't a failure, but it's also not the slam dunk that its predecessor was. By relying too much on the existing design and underestimating how personal color representation can be, LEGO may have overlooked what made the Tuxedo Cat a more universal appeal.
For some fans, it is a cozy and cute display model. For others, it's a reminder that when realism is the goal, details matter more than ever, and it's hard to buy this set for pet owners who feel the chosen shade of orange doesn't look like their furry friend. At the same time, some social media users believe that a gray cat set would do wonders, and the same goes for a tabby cat set, so there's clearly an audience for these “recolors.” So if you're wondering if the Orange Cat set is one of the LEGO 2026 sets you shouldn't sleep on, the answer might be whether you think the orange shade is okay and you're frowning on the recolor.
