Answers.Body: <p>Microfigures. Described by LEGO as "Microfigures...The Minifigures for Minifigures!" As far as useability go, it is true that within the Games theme they are only used as pawns/game pieces. However, in recent years, they've seen larger use. for example, in the 2012 Star Wars set "Palpatine's Arrest", it is used unprinted in pearl gold to represent a statue/trophy. As far as the community go, they've been pretty popular with fans to create micro-sized builds, and perhaps even more so as pilots for micro-sized robots.</p>
  
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2013-07-27T06:42:51.987Z
Answers.Text: +1 Good answer on usability. Was going to ask about utility in a separate question.
Answers.UserDisplayName: JoshDM
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2013-07-29T10:16:14.663Z
Answers.Text: Yep, they are cropping up more and more as statues as well - even within the Games theme, the Heroica sets have featured a few plain grey ones as statues.
Answers.UserDisplayName: Zhaph - Ben Duguid
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Answers.CreationDate: 2013-07-27T04:45:43.983Z
Answers.LastActivityDate: 2013-07-27T04:45:43.983Z
Answers.UserDisplayName: Fikko3107
Answers.Body: <p>When looking at the inventory of one of the LEGO games (<a href="https://service.lego.com/en-gb/replacementparts/#BasicInfo" rel="noreferrer">as if you were missing a part</a>), you can see these are clearly labelled "MICRO FIGURE" </p>
  
  <p><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/4VgxE.png" alt="enter image description here"></p>
  
  <p>On <a href="http://www.bricklink.com/catalogItem.asp?M=85863pb003" rel="noreferrer">Bricklink</a> they are known as 'Microfig', Lego Digital Designer refers to them as 'Micro Figure.</p>
  
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2013-07-27T06:35:40.797Z
Answers.Text: When looking at the inventory of one of the LEGO games ([as if you were missing a part](https://service.lego.com/fr-be/replacementparts/#WhatBrick/3874)), you can see these are clearly labeled "MICRO FIGURE"
Answers.UserDisplayName: Joubarc
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2013-07-27T06:41:51.967Z
Answers.Text: @Joubarc - I wouldn't know; I don't own one.  I've only seen them on the covers, like on Minotaurus.
Answers.UserDisplayName: JoshDM
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2013-07-27T13:45:44.327Z
Answers.Text: I don't mean the inventory in the instructions (they don't name parts anyway, just part IDs); but the online inventory which has part names as known by LEGO. Unfortunately my link doesn't work directly, you'll still need to enter your age and country, then "my set is missing a piece", then a set number (3874 for example), then when you click on on of the microfigs you'll see their name. Interestingly, the red one is named "BABY", though.
Answers.UserDisplayName: Joubarc
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2013-07-27T18:41:06.770Z
Answers.Text: @Joubarc All the microfigures in #3838 are listed as BABY, but Microfigure seems to be the most commonly used word to refer to this piece.
Answers.UserDisplayName: Ambo100
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2013-07-27T19:51:48.263Z
Answers.Text: Once again we face the mysteries of LEGO part naming - and once again they elude us.
Answers.UserDisplayName: Joubarc
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2017-01-24T09:34:49.507Z
Answers.Text: It's possible that the name *baby* comes from the fact that they were originally intended as a baby for a minifig-scale mother or father, although I can't find anything to back this up. And that's not to say that it was ever used this way; it's common that the early naming sticks, even though the actual use in practice changes drastically over time. I have experienced this in dev work and project management, it sure makes things awkward for newcomers to the project when it occurs, and I doubt Lego is immune from that :)
Answers.UserDisplayName: flith
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Answers.CreationDate: 2013-07-26T20:04:40.387Z
Answers.LastActivityDate: 2013-07-27T19:16:46.150Z
Answers.LastEditDate: 2013-07-27T19:16:46.150Z
Answers.UserDisplayName: Nathan
Body: <p>I see many of the LEGO boardgames come with mini figures which are armless and have no holes for arms. While I think it is kind of ridiculous to not simply provide a full figure, I understand it's probably primarily for usability purposes.</p>
  
  <p>What are these smaller minifigs called?</p>
  
Tags: <terminology><microfigure>
Title: What are the armless minifigures from the LEGO boardgames called?
UserDisplayName: JoshDM
ThreadText: # What are the armless minifigures from the LEGO boardgames called?
  
  (Asked by: username_0 on 2013-07-26)
  
  I see many of the LEGO boardgames come with mini figures which are armless and have no holes for arms. While I think it is kind of ridiculous to not simply provide a full figure, I understand it's probably primarily for usability purposes.
  
  What are these smaller minifigs called?
  
  **Tags:** terminology, microfigure
  
  ---
  
  ## 2 answers
  
  ### Answer by username_3 on 2013-07-26. Score: 8 | Accepted answer
  
  When looking at the inventory of one of the LEGO games ([as if you were missing a part](https://service.lego.com/en-gb/replacementparts/#BasicInfo)), you can see these are clearly labelled "MICRO FIGURE"
  
  ![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/4VgxE.png)
  
  On [Bricklink](http://www.bricklink.com/catalogItem.asp?M=85863pb003) they are known as 'Microfig', Lego Digital Designer refers to them as 'Micro Figure.
  
  > **Comments:**
  > **username_4**: When looking at the inventory of one of the LEGO games ([as if you were missing a part](https://service.lego.com/fr-be/replacementparts/#WhatBrick/3874)), you can see these are clearly labeled "MICRO FIGURE"  
  > **username_0**: @Joubarc - I wouldn't know; I don't own one.  I've only seen them on the covers, like on Minotaurus.  
  > **username_4**: I don't mean the inventory in the instructions (they don't name parts anyway, just part IDs); but the online inventory which has part names as known by LEGO. Unfortunately my link doesn't work directly, you'll still need to enter your age and country, then "my set is missing a piece", then a set number (3874 for example), then when you click on on of the microfigs you'll see their name. Interestingly, the red one is named "BABY", though.  
  > **username_5**: @Joubarc All the microfigures in #3838 are listed as BABY, but Microfigure seems to be the most commonly used word to refer to this piece.  
  > **username_4**: Once again we face the mysteries of LEGO part naming - and once again they elude us.  
  > **username_6**: It's possible that the name *baby* comes from the fact that they were originally intended as a baby for a minifig-scale mother or father, although I can't find anything to back this up. And that's not to say that it was ever used this way; it's common that the early naming sticks, even though the actual use in practice changes drastically over time. I have experienced this in dev work and project management, it sure makes things awkward for newcomers to the project when it occurs, and I doubt Lego is immune from that :)  
  
  ---
  
  ### Answer by username_1 on 2013-07-27. Score: 7
  
  Microfigures. Described by LEGO as "Microfigures...The Minifigures for Minifigures!" As far as useability go, it is true that within the Games theme they are only used as pawns/game pieces. However, in recent years, they've seen larger use. for example, in the 2012 Star Wars set "Palpatine's Arrest", it is used unprinted in pearl gold to represent a statue/trophy. As far as the community go, they've been pretty popular with fans to create micro-sized builds, and perhaps even more so as pilots for micro-sized robots.
  
  > **Comments:**
  > **username_0**: +1 Good answer on usability. Was going to ask about utility in a separate question.  
  > **username_2**: Yep, they are cropping up more and more as statues as well - even within the Games theme, the Heroica sets have featured a few plain grey ones as statues.  
  
  ---
  
  