How many pieces are in the Pretend and Create?

Pretend and Create contains 1,000 pieces.

What age is the Pretend and Create recommended for?

This set is recommended for ages 18+.

When was the Pretend and Create released?

Pretend and Create was released in 2004.

🏛 Creator

Set #4497

Pretend and Create

Name: Pretend and Create
Brand: LEGO
SKU: 4497-1

The Pretend and Create set is a classic LEGO bucket overflowing with possibilities.

🏆 Best For: Ideal for children and families who enjoy open-ended creative building. ⏱ 4.5 hr build 🧩 1,000 pcs

★★★★☆ 4.0

Fans appreciate the sheer volume of bricks and the open-ended creative possibilities, but some find the lack of specific instructions limiting. The set is praised for its value in providing a large number of basic LEGO elements.

MSRP

$19.99

Best Price

$17.99

You Save

10% OFF

View on eBay

Check price on Amazon

📝 Our Take

The Pretend and Create set is a classic LEGO bucket overflowing with possibilities. Released in 2004, this 1000-piece set offers a vibrant assortment of basic bricks, encouraging builders of all ages to unleash their creativity and construct whatever their imaginations conjure.

This set is perfect for young LEGO enthusiasts and families looking for open-ended building fun. With a wide variety of colorful bricks, it's an excellent way to foster creativity and develop problem-solving skills, offering hours of engaging play.

Skip this if you're seeking complex building techniques or licensed themes. This set focuses on basic building and imaginative play; for more structured builds, consider sets from themes like LEGO City or LEGO Creator 3-in-1.

✨ New

Ask BlockTalk about this set

AI assistant with full set data

BlockTalk

Hi! I'm BlockTalk, your LEGO expert. Ask me anything about the Pretend and Create - building tips, investment potential, comparisons, or anything else!

Try asking:

What kind of models can you build with 1000 basic LEGO bricks? How does this set compare to other LEGO Creator sets in terms of building experience? Is this set a good investment for LEGO collectors? What is the best way to store and organize the bricks in this set?

🧱 Building Experience

🧩

1,000

Pieces

⏱

4.5h

Build Time

📊

Beginner

Difficulty

Build Highlights:

Simple, straightforward building experience perfect for beginners.
Focus on classic brick-building techniques.
A wide array of colorful bricks encourages creativity.
No specific instructions – just pure imagination.

📈 Investment Analysis

↑ Trending up since release

Investment Grade

⏳ Appreciating

The Pretend and Create set, with its high piece count and focus on basic building bricks, holds moderate investment potential. Its age and retirement status contribute to its increasing value. While not a licensed theme, the sheer volume of useful bricks makes it appealing to both collectors and MOC builders. However, its mass-market appeal when initially released could limit significant appreciation. The rising price trend suggests growing demand, but potential investors should be aware of possible fluctuations.

Not Financial Advice: Content is for educational purposes only. Past performance doesn't guarantee future results. Full disclaimer

⚖ Compare Similar Sets

LEGO Medium Creative Brick Box

Classic • 484 pcs

$29.99

LEGO Creative Monsters

Classic • 140 pcs

$9.99

LEGO Large Creative Brick Box

Classic • 790 pcs

$59.99

This set is a solid choice for those who prefer open-ended building over structured, instruction-based sets. Compared to licensed sets like Star Wars or Harry Potter, it offers a different kind of creative freedom. For a similar experience with more guided building, consider a LEGO Classic set with included instructions and project ideas. This set stands out due to its large quantity of basic bricks, making it ideal for freeform building.

📦 Full Parts Inventory - 32 unique parts • 1,000 total pieces

Brick 2 x 6

Part #: 2456 2× Red

Brick 2 x 6

Part #: 2456 2× Light Bluish Gray

Brick 2 x 6

Part #: 2456 2× White

Brick 2 x 6

Part #: 2456 2× Yellow

Brick 2 x 6

Part #: 2456 2× Blue

Brick 2 x 4

Part #: 3001 6× Medium Blue

Brick 2 x 4

Part #: 3001 6× Black

Brick 2 x 4

Part #: 3001 12× White

Brick 2 x 4

Part #: 3001 6× Green

Brick 2 x 4

Part #: 3001 18× Red

Brick 2 x 4

Part #: 3001 6× Light Bluish Gray

Brick 2 x 4

Part #: 3001 6× Orange

Brick 2 x 4

Part #: 3001 18× Yellow

Brick 2 x 4

Part #: 3001 18× Blue

Brick 2 x 4

Part #: 3001 6× Lime

Brick 2 x 3

Part #: 3002 6× White

Brick 2 x 3

Part #: 3002 4× Orange

Brick 2 x 3

Part #: 3002 4× Green

Brick 2 x 3

Part #: 3002 4× Medium Blue

Brick 2 x 3

Part #: 3002 4× Black

Part #: 3002 4× Light Bluish Gray

Brick 2 x 3

Part #: 3002 8× Red

Brick 2 x 3

Part #: 3002 8× Yellow

Brick 2 x 2

Part #: 3003 32× Blue

Brick 2 x 2

Part #: 3003 18× Light Bluish Gray

Brick 2 x 2

Part #: 3003 32× Red

Brick 2 x 2

Part #: 3003 18× Orange

Brick 2 x 2

Part #: 3003 18× Lime

Brick 2 x 2

Part #: 3003 18× Medium Blue

Brick 2 x 2

Part #: 3003 32× Yellow

Brick 2 x 2

Part #: 3003 18× Black

Brick 2 x 2

Part #: 3003 18× Green

Brick 2 x 2

Part #: 3003 28× White

Brick 1 x 2

Part #: 3004 16× Black

Brick 1 x 2

Part #: 3004 28× Red

Brick 1 x 2

Part #: 3004 16× Light Bluish Gray

Brick 1 x 2

Part #: 3004 28× Yellow

Brick 1 x 2

Part #: 3004 16× Medium Blue

Brick 1 x 2

Part #: 3004 28× Blue

Brick 1 x 2

Part #: 3004 16× Lime

Brick 1 x 2

Part #: 3004 16× Orange

Brick 1 x 2

Part #: 3004 24× White

Brick 1 x 2

Part #: 3004 16× Green

Brick 1 x 1

Part #: 3005 12× Light Bluish Gray

Brick 1 x 1

Part #: 3005 12× Medium Blue

Brick 1 x 1

Part #: 3005 20× Red

Brick 1 x 1

Part #: 3005 21× Blue

Brick 1 x 1

Part #: 3005 12× Orange

Brick 1 x 1

Part #: 3005 18× White

Brick 1 x 1

Part #: 3005 12× Black

Brick 1 x 1 with ...

Part #: 3005pr9996 4× Yellow

Brick 1 x 1 with ...

Part #: 3005pr9996 2× Green

Brick 2 x 8

Part #: 3007 2× Yellow

Part #: 3008 2× Light Bluish Gray

Brick 1 x 8

Part #: 3008 2× Yellow

Brick 1 x 8

Part #: 3008 2× Red

Brick 1 x 6

Part #: 3009 2× White

Brick 1 x 6

Part #: 3009 4× Red

Brick 1 x 6

Part #: 3009 4× Yellow

Part #: 3010 4× Light Bluish Gray

Brick 1 x 4

Part #: 3010 2× Orange

Brick 1 x 4

Part #: 3010 4× Black

Brick 1 x 4

Part #: 3010 8× Yellow

Brick 1 x 4

Part #: 3010 4× Lime

Brick 1 x 4

Part #: 3010 4× Green

Brick 1 x 4

Part #: 3010 6× White

Brick 1 x 4

Part #: 3010 6× Blue

Brick 1 x 4

Part #: 3010 4× Medium Blue

Brick 1 x 4 with ...

Part #: 3010pr9980 1× Yellow

Plate 2 x 4

Part #: 3020 2× Black

Plate 2 x 4

Part #: 3020 4× White

Plate 2 x 4

Part #: 3020 2× Light Bluish Gray

Plate 2 x 4

Part #: 3020 2× Green

Plate 2 x 4

Part #: 3020 2× Red

Plate 2 x 4

Part #: 3020 2× Yellow

Plate 2 x 4

Part #: 3020 2× Blue

Plate 2 x 4

Part #: 3020 2× Orange

Plate 2 x 3

Part #: 3021 2× Orange

Plate 2 x 3

Part #: 3021 4× Blue

Plate 2 x 3

Part #: 3021 2× Yellow

Plate 2 x 3

Part #: 3021 2× Red

Plate 2 x 3

Part #: 3021 2× Green

Plate 2 x 3

Part #: 3021 4× White

Plate 2 x 2

Part #: 3022 6× Blue

Plate 2 x 2

Part #: 3022 2× Green

Plate 2 x 2

Part #: 3022 6× White

Plate 2 x 2

Part #: 3022 2× Black

Plate 2 x 2

Part #: 3022 4× Yellow

Plate 2 x 2

Part #: 3022 4× Red

Plate 2 x 8

Part #: 3034 2× White

Part #: 3034 2× Yellow

Slope 45° 2 x 4

Part #: 3037 6× Red

Slope 45° 2 x 2

Part #: 3039 4× White

Slope 45° 2 x 2

Part #: 3039 2× Trans-Dark Blue

Part #: 3040b 4× White

Slope 45° 2 x 1 w...

Part #: 3040b 2× Green

Slope 45° 2 x 1 w...

Part #: 3040b 4× Orange

Slope 45° 2 x 1 w...

Part #: 3040b 2× Yellow

Slope 45° 2 x 1 w...

Part #: 3040b 4× Red

Slope 45° 2 x 1 w...

Part #: 3040b 2× Light Bluish Gray

Slope 45° 2 x 1 w...

Part #: 3040b 4× Blue

Part #: 3065 4× Trans-Red

Brick 1 x 2 witho...

Part #: 3065 4× Trans-Dark Blue

Slope 33° 3 x 2

Part #: 3298 4× Red

Slope 33° 3 x 2

Part #: 3298 4× White

Slope 33° 3 x 2

Part #: 3298 4× Blue

Brick 1 x 3

Part #: 3622 2× Green

Slope Inverted 45...

Part #: 3660 2× White

Part #: 3665 2× Yellow

Slope Inverted 45...

Part #: 3665 2× Green

Slope Inverted 45...

Part #: 3665 4× Orange

Slope Inverted 45...

Part #: 3665 2× Light Bluish Gray

Slope Inverted 45...

Part #: 3665 4× White

Part #: 3710 2× White

Slope Inverted 33...

Part #: 3747b 2× Blue

Plate 2 x 6

Part #: 3795 2× White

Plate 2 x 6

Part #: 3795 2× Yellow

Part #: 4286 4× White

Part #: 4287a 4× White

Slope Inverted 34...

Part #: 4287a 4× Blue

Brick 2 x 2 witho...

Part #: 6223 2× Trans-Red

This set provides a fantastic array of basic bricks in fundamental colors, perfect for MOC builders needing a wide variety of standard elements. The large quantities of 2x2 and 1x2 bricks in red, blue, yellow, and white make this a great source for foundational building blocks.

🛒 Where to Buy

eBay

✓ In Stock

$17.99 →

Walmart

✓ In Stock

$18.99

Target

✓ In Stock

$19.99

Amazon

Check price

→

💎 Notable Parts

Red Brick 2 x 2 (32x) $1.60

Blue Brick 2 x 2 (32x) $1.60

Yellow Brick 2 x 2 (32x) $1.60

White Brick 2 x 2 (28x) $1.40

Red Brick 1 x 2 (28x) $1.40

Est. BrickLink Part Value

$7.60

💡 MOC Potential

🏰 Classic castle designs with towers and fortifications

🏙 Expand your LEGO city with houses and buildings

🚗 Build cars, trucks, and other vehicles

🌳 Create landscapes, trees, and animals

Community Insights

Real opinions from Reddit and YouTube

What Reddit Says

No Reddit discussions found for this set.

What YouTubers Say

Searching for YouTube reviews...

This may take a moment

Inventory Statistics

Unique Parts

1,000

Total Pieces

Minifigures

Inventory Version: 1

Unleash Your Creativity!
1,000 Pieces, Limitless Possibilities

Pretend and Create

📝 Our Take

Ask BlockTalk about this set

🧱 Building Experience

📈 Investment Analysis

⚖ Compare Similar Sets

📦 Full Parts Inventory - 32 unique parts • 1,000 total pieces

🛒 Where to Buy

💎 Notable Parts

💡 MOC Potential

📰 Creator News

This week's top news articles

This week's top news articles

Discounts at Amazon.com