Review - Lil' Zelfs Green House Tea House Set

"The Zelfs"' initial wave of toys (released in late summer of 2013) received an A+ in my books (click here to see my full review of the medium Zelfs and the Venus Flytrap Spin Salon playset). Colorful, collectible, well-made, and affordable, they came out of nowhere and surprised me as one of my favorite new franchises. As such, I was eager to add more of Zardenia (the fictional dwelling-place of these elvish creatures) to my collection, and readily purchased this set when it popped up on sale at TRU.

The "Lil' Zelfs Green House Tea House" is the perfect "starter pack" if you're just getting into collecting these minis. "Lil' Zelfs" are ordinarily sold blind-bag style, in small plastic flowerpots that provide little to no indication as to which character or variant you're buying. The Tea House gives you a sure-thing; 18 figurines, all fully-visible and guaranteed to be the same in every set. And for collectors, a bonus: 5 of the included characters are glow-in-the-dark Lil' Zelfs, which are not available elsewhere. It's a great value... Individually packaged Lil' Zelfs (with flowerpots) retail at around $2.99 USD each. True, the adorable flowerpots aren't included with the Green House Tea House, but you do get 18 figures for $20-$30. Not bad at all.

Here are the contents of the box: 18 Lil' Zelfs in a variety of styles, or "finishes" (5 glow-in-the-dark, 4 pearlescent, 4 glitter, and 5 standard), a flat cardboard backdrop and overlay, and a standard leaflet. The cardboard pieces constitute the "house" element of the set. They make a nice backdrop to display the included Zelfs with, but to be clear, there are no accessories, furnishings, etc.... This is more of a deluxe gift set than a doll house.

First, the exclusives. Here are the "Glowtastic"  Lil' Zelfs: Elfa, Angelala, Mermalade, Flamy, and Lunanne. The glow-in-the-dark plastic gives them a lovely, semi-transparent look, making this the most unique "finish".

The "pearlescents": Angelala, Elfa, Vampula, and Pega Sue.

The "glitters": Pega Sue, Mermalade, Buttershy, and Spellinda. The glitter is VERY securely applied! I haven't noticed any shedding whatsoever, even after lots of handling.

The "standards": Spellinda, Buttershy, Vampula, Flamy, and Lunanne.

For those unfamiliar with Lil' Zelfs, they are about half the height of a medium Zelf, standing at around 1 1/2" in the body, with approximately 3" of hair. Their legs are partially hollowed out, so that they can be used as pencil toppers. They feature no articulation.

I was surprised by how much detail has been put into these tiny figurines! The sculpts do not fall short, and manage to capture the same cute, quirky appeal of the larger Zelfs. The wings (for those characters that need them) are made in a separate mold from the body, out of a soft (aka: unbreakable), translucent, glitter-infused plastic. This appears to be the same material used for the medium and large Zelfs' wings. Unlike their taller counterparts, Lil' Zelfs tend to have a single hair color. The exception is Pega Sue, whose wild mane features an even mix of green and pink. The eyes are black with white "glints", and are neatly painted on.

Bottom Line: This is a great (and economic) way to get a diverse collection of Lil' Zelfs without risky "mystery buying". Perfect for a child or a collector who's fed up with paying for duplicates. There are 9 different characters included, with 2 finishes of each character, adding up to 18 figures in all. Scour the online market for Howlette, Garny, and Lil' D, and you'll have the full cast (as of yet there is no "Lil' Miss Clover").The set retails at around $30 USD; I managed to get mine on sale for $20 at TRU.

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