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LEGO has quietly added Pet Care & Play Center to its US coming-soon page, giving us an official first look at set 42709 before its wider release. The new LEGO Friends model is listed with 366 pieces, an age recommendation of 7+, and a US retail price of $49.99. LEGO also confirms that it is coming soon on january 1, 2027. That makes this official store listing the key source for the set right now, and it gives fans a solid early picture of the build, its target audience and the kind of play or display experience LEGO is aiming for. Below, we break down what the listing confirms, what stands out in the official images and why this new arrival matters within the current Friends range.
LEGO has now officially listed Pet Care & Play Center on its US coming-soon page, which means set 42709 has moved from rumor territory into the much more concrete phase of a live store reveal. For Afol News readers, that matters because the coming-soon page is often where LEGO first confirms pricing, age guidance, release timing and the earliest official images for a new set.
In this case, LEGO is positioning Pet Care & Play Center as a Friends release aimed at builders aged 7+ and up. The official listing confirms a part count of 366 pieces, a US price of $49.99, and a release window described by LEGO as Coming soon on January 1, 2027. That is enough to start forming a realistic view of where the set sits in the broader lineup and what kind of value proposition LEGO is aiming for.
What the official LEGO listing confirms
The most important takeaway here is simple: this is not a leak, a retailer placeholder or a vague database mention. LEGO has put the set on its own US coming-soon page, which gives the listing a much higher level of reliability than unconfirmed chatter. At a minimum, fans can now treat the set name, price point, age mark and release timing as official store information.
The numbers also tell a useful story. With 366 pieces at $49.99, Pet Care & Play Center lands in the mid-range zone for a new Friends set. It is not positioned as a tiny impulse release, but it is also not trying to be the kind of premium flagship that dominates an entire wave. That middle ground often ends up being where LEGO can be most flexible, because it leaves enough room for meaningful features without pushing the price beyond the reach of its target audience.
- Set name: Pet Care & Play Center
- Set number: 42709
- Theme: LEGO Friends
- Pieces: 366
- Age marking: 7+
- US price: $49.99
- Official LEGO status: Coming soon on January 1, 2027
What stands out in the official images
The first official images give a clearer sense of the set than the product tile alone. LEGO is using the visual presentation to show both the overall silhouette of the model and the smaller story beats packed into the build. That matters because sets in this size range live or die by how much apparent activity they deliver once the initial build is finished.
LEGO's own feature text also helps explain what it wants builders to notice first. According to the official description, The ultimate retreat for your animal friends has arrived. At the LEGO Friends Pet Care and Play Center, join Leo, Nova, and Amara to protect, nurture, and comfort your Pomeranian dog, cat, bunny, and axolotl. Here, the pampering of pets never stops.
Ditch the chores and focus on the fun. Send the pets zipping down the slide, balance them on the seesaw, or let Churro climb the cat tree to watch the room while the minidolls manage the center. Builders can rearrange the care center with a removable reception desk or pet beds, and create their own play area with other cute details.
A fun gift for kids ages 7 and up who love socializing around animal with friends, this makes a great addition to an existing LEGO Friends collection to keep theHeartlake City stories rolling.
And with the LEGO Builder app, your LEGO Friends fans are guided through every step. With digital instructions, they can rotate and zoom in on models in 3D to build with confidence on their own. Set contains 366 pieces.<ul><li>ULTIMATE ANIMAL CENTER – Join Leo, Nova, and Amara to nurture a dog, cat, bunny, and a colorful axolotl at this deluxe toy pet care center designed for kids ages 7 and up</li><li>LUXURY PET SPA – Kids can use the play water hose to wash their furry friends at the outdoor grooming station or bring their story to life with a stylish makeover</li><li>PLAYGROUND FUN – Help Brownie the bunny and Churro the cat zip down the slide or watch the other pets reach new heights on the seesaw in this vibrant animal playset</li><li>CREATIVE CARE HUB – Young builders can rearrange the care center layout with a reception desk, cat tree, or pet beds and other cute details to shape their own play time</li><li>NURTURING GIFT IDEA – Surprise a young animal lover with this pet themed building toy, an ideal holiday or birthday gift for children who enjoy nurturing playful companions</li><li>HEARTLAKE CITY ADVENTURES – Expand your world by combining this set with other LEGO Friends sets (sold separately) and watch your cast of characters host the ultimate day of social play</li><li>I CAN DO THIS – The LEGO Builder app empowers kids to create independently with visual 3D instructions that enable them to rotate and zoom in on models as they assemble</li><li>DIMENSIONS – This 366-piece colorful pethotel measures over 5.5 in. (14 cm) high, 8 in. (20 cm) wide and 4 in. (10 cm) deep, sized to fit on a desk or bedroom shelf</li></ul> That kind of wording does not tell us everything, but it does point toward the play pattern and design priorities LEGO chose to foreground on day one.
For collectors and gift buyers, the imagery matters almost as much as the raw specifications. A coming-soon listing tends to show the angles LEGO itself believes will sell the set best, whether that means motion, character interaction, room-display appeal or dense accessory work. Even before full reviews appear, those official shots already provide a better clue about the set's personality than a plain inventory line ever could.
Where this set fits in the current range
Viewed in context, Pet Care & Play Center looks like part of LEGO's broader effort to keep the Friends lineup varied rather than repetitive. Not every new release needs to chase the biggest possible piece count or the loudest possible gimmick. Often the smarter move is to deliver a set that feels immediately legible to shoppers while still offering enough detail to justify the shelf space and the asking price.
That is especially relevant with a January 1, 2027 launch date already attached. Early-year sets often need to work for several audiences at once: kids spotting them in store, parents comparing value, and adult fans watching how a theme evolves wave by wave. On the evidence of LEGO's own listing, this set is being introduced with a clear identity, which is exactly what you want at this stage of the reveal cycle.
As always, the coming-soon page is only the starting point. More official information may follow through regional listings, image updates or later product-page tweaks. But right now the basics are already solid: the set is real, it is officially priced, and it has a defined release date on LEGO's own store.
Final takeaway
For now, the big news is straightforward: Pet Care & Play Center (42709) is officially on the LEGO US coming-soon page. That means fans no longer have to guess about the core details. LEGO has confirmed the theme, the piece count, the US price and the release timing, and the first wave of official images already gives a useful sense of what the set is trying to deliver.
If LEGO adds more regional details or extra official media, we will keep an eye on it. Until then, this is a solid and very real new-set reveal for the start of 2027.
