In 2009 it was announced that Pixar Animation Studios, now part of Disney Studios, would allow Lego to make sets that feature scenes and characters from their films, both as part of the latter company's regular and Duplo range. Duplo is Lego' s juniorized range and the first sets released include scenes from the films Toy Story and Cars. In this article we take a look at the Duplo Toy Story toys.

Lego's Duplo Toy Story wave of sets for younger builders is recommended for ages three and above and is aimed squarely at younger builders with small hands but big imaginations. Duplo pieces are larger than the regular Lego brick, and so easier to fix to one another. Overall the sets are smaller in piece count if not in overall size. Each Duplo set comes with two inch action figures that can interact with the elements in the set, carrying implements and standing securely on the studs that make Lego such an effective construction toy.

Lego released four Toy Story Duplo sets in the first wave out in stores May 2010. The sets range in size from 13 to 39 pieces and prices from $14.99 to $34.99 so there is something for every small fan and their parent's wallet. The smallest set, Jessie's Roundup features both Jessie and Bullseye but you have to go to the two largest sets, Alien Space Crane and The Great Train Chase, to get the main character draws, Woody and Buzz.

This point may detract parents from purchasing the sets but when you look at the versatility of Duplo compared to similarly priced Toy Story toys on the market, Duplo is a longer term investment for a child's imagination. Duplo and Lego are toys kids play with for years. My son is 9 and when he grew out of Duplo we passed all the toys onto his younger sister, and now they play together.

Each of the sets has their own strengths. Jessie's Roundup is small but contains enough blocks for a child to create a many different structures for the figures to interact with. In the Pizza Planet Truck set which features Buzz and a Little Green Alien, kids can also play with the truck, take it apart and build their own design. With the two largest sets the sky is the limit.

The Alien Space Crane comes with Woody, a little green Alien and Buzz Lightyear. Kids can use the garbage truck with the crane and extra building pieces to create any story situation their mind can handle. The back of the garbage truck comes off so the vehicle can become a car or even a space ship. With 23 pieces of large Duplo blocks the set is a great addition to already existing Duplo collections or the start of a new one.

The Great Train Chase comes with Jessie, Woody and Buzz and also a train engine and carriage as well as enough bricks to build a tunnel for the train to go through. As with all Duplo bricks, the train carriages come off their bases so kids can customise the designs and create their own boxcars or cabooses. At 39 pieces this is the largest set and comes with the core Toy Story figures so is sure to be a hit. The diversity of bricks and the cool train allow for hours and hours of creation.

Duplo teaches kids hand eye coordination and creative design and kids are drawn to them for many years. Combining Duplo with Toy Story ensures these sets will be around in your family for generations.