Polar Bear & Gift Pack

"With a BrickScore of 76.6 and overwhelmingly positive owner sentiment, the Polar Bear & Gift Pack is a delightful, well-priced seasonal ornament set — best suited as a family holiday activity and a charming tree decoration, even if the brief build and flimsy cord knots leave a little to be desired."

LEGO 40494 Polar Bear & Gift Pack is a warmly received seasonal ornament set that earns consistent praise for its festive charm, accessibility, and versatility as both a tree decoration and a family building activity. Buyers across all ages — from twin 4-year-olds to grandchildren building gifts for teachers — find it an endearing holiday tradition piece. Expert reviewers affirm the value, noting an unusually low €0.07 price-per-piece for a small set and smart structural design choices that make it approachable for young builders. The rare complaints center on a slippery hanging cord that lets knots come loose, a sticker-numbering error in the instruction manual, and one isolated case of a significantly incomplete box.

Where they split: Broad agreement on quality and value. The only mild split is on design preference: Zusammengebaut personally prefers the proportions of the Valentine's Bear (40462) — larger ears, smaller eyes, more pronounced snout — over the polar bear, while most buyer reviewers single out the polar bear as their favorite element. Playability scores diverge slightly (some rate it low given the ornament-focused nature), but this reflects use-case expectations rather than a genuine quality disagreement.