LEGO's connection to KPop Demon Hunters has taken an enormous turn. Designer Björn Ramant has completed a massive brick-built version of Derpy Tiger, the blue-and-black tiger demon from the animated Netflix hit, using nearly 37,000 LEGO elements. The finished model is currently being shown at LEGO World 2026 in Utrecht, Netherlands, where it stands as one of the most eye-catching examples yet of the property's growing presence beyond the screen.
The build was commissioned by the LEGO Group and Netflix, turning a character previously represented in a comparatively compact retail set into a display piece on a much larger scale. Ramant documented the construction in a 90-second timelapse, offering a satisfying look at the complicated process behind a model that appears to stand close to the designer's own height.
For fans of the animated world of KPop Demon Hunters, the giant Derpy is a particularly fitting subject. The character's appeal rests in an unusual balance: Derpy is cute, strange, chaotic, and just a little unsettling. Reproducing that personality in LEGO at this size means more than simply enlarging the character's outline. The build had to preserve the blue fur, dark patterning, rounded form, and, most importantly, the distinctive yellow eyes that give Derpy Tiger its memorable expression.
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From Tail to Ears, One Brick Layer at a Time
Ramant's timelapse begins with the tail before moving into the core structure that supports the rest of the creature. Rather than being a simple solid stack of bricks, the sculpture uses an internal support system, including four steel rods. That framework was necessary for a model of this scale, particularly one with a long raised tail, substantial body, head, and extended ears.
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Once the underlying support was established, the build developed outward in layers. The footage shows Ramant shaping the tiger's fur through blue and black LEGO pieces, gradually turning a skeletal framework into a recognizable version of Derpy. The process has drawn comparisons to watching a human-operated 3D printer: the character emerges in stages as each carefully placed layer adds volume, color, and definition.
That comparison makes sense, although the finished result is far more dependent on artistic decisions than a straightforward print. Large LEGO sculptures need to account for structural strength, the limitations of individual elements, the visual effect of seams and studs, and how a design reads from multiple viewing angles. A rounded animated character can become blocky very quickly if its contours are not handled carefully. In Derpy Tiger's case, Ramant had to make the form feel plush and expressive while still working within the sharp geometry of bricks.
The final visual touch is Derpy's gaze. The glowing yellow eyes, framed by the model's surrounding dark details, create the slightly haunting look associated with the character. They also show why Derpy works so well as a LEGO subject. Its design has bold colors and highly legible facial features, but it is odd enough that the expression remains instantly recognizable even when translated into a brick-built display model.
A Two-and-a-Half-Month Commission
Ramant said the work took roughly two and a half months of on-and-off building time. The nearly 37,000-piece total underlines the scope of that effort, especially since the project was assembled as a one-off commissioned display rather than sold as a consumer product with a conventional instruction booklet.
The distinction matters for anyone hoping to recreate the enormous tiger at home. This is not a newly announced 37,000-piece retail set. It is a specially made exhibition build created through the collaboration between the LEGO Group and Netflix. The amount of time, planning, available inventory, steel reinforcement, and physical space involved puts it in a completely different category from a standard shelf display.
Still, the build serves as a striking demonstration of what the official smaller KPop Demon Hunters set can become when its character design is expanded into an event-scale installation. It also provides a glimpse of the kind of promotional projects that can emerge when a screen property catches on strongly enough to support physical experiences alongside its usual merchandise.
Derpy Tiger's Eyes Were Always the Challenge
The oversized sculpture follows the visual thinking behind the existing official LEGO release, Derpy Tiger and Sussie Bird. That set remains the only official LEGO product based on KPop Demon Hunters at present, and its designers faced their own challenge in translating Derpy's personality into plastic bricks.
Wes Talbott, a Master Designer who worked on the original Derpy Tiger set, previously explained that the eyes were the most difficult part to get right. Both their shape and their angle required extensive testing. That attention to a relatively small detail is easy to understand when looking at Ramant's much larger creation. Shift the eyes too far in one direction, make them too symmetrical, or miss the intended angle, and the entire character could lose the peculiar charm that makes Derpy feel like Derpy.
Derpy Tiger's design depends on a careful mix of cute proportions and offbeat facial expression, making the eyes as important as the character's color scheme or silhouette.
Ramant's display model appears to carry that design solution into giant form. The eyes are not merely decorative pieces added at the end; they are effectively the centerpiece of the character's expression. Their placement gives the finished tiger a focal point from a distance, while the surrounding fur patterns help frame the face for visitors walking around the installation.
On Display at LEGO World 2026
The towering Derpy Tiger is on display at LEGO World 2026 at the Jaarbeurs convention center in Utrecht. The event runs through October 21, giving attendees a chance to see the build at a scale that photos and timelapse footage can only partly convey.
Large LEGO event models are often most impressive in person because their size changes the viewer's relationship with familiar bricks. A piece that looks ordinary in a small set can become part of a sweeping texture when used thousands of times across a sculpture. Likewise, the tiny gaps, angles, and color variations that might be invisible in a quick image can make the animal's surface feel surprisingly detailed up close.
For this build, the convention setting also makes sense thematically. Derpy Tiger's exaggerated look is ideal for a family-friendly event floor, where the model can function both as a photo opportunity and as an example of advanced LEGO construction. The character is playful enough to invite a closer look, while the hidden structural work offers plenty for experienced builders to appreciate.
There has been no announcement about where the giant Derpy Tiger will go after LEGO World 2026 concludes. It may remain part of future promotional activity, move into storage, or appear at another event, but its next destination has not been confirmed.
What It Could Mean for KPop Demon Hunters LEGO Sets
For now, the official LEGO range is limited to Derpy Tiger and Sussie Bird. That leaves plenty of territory from KPop Demon Hunters still untouched in brick form. Fans have yet to see officially announced minifigures based on HUNTR/X or the Saja Boys, despite both groups being natural candidates for a character-focused LEGO release.
No additional sets have been revealed, so it would be premature to treat the giant Derpy Tiger as confirmation of a broader line. However, the commission does demonstrate that both LEGO and Netflix are willing to put significant effort into celebrating the animated film's characters. A giant show-floor sculpture is not the same thing as a product roadmap, but it is a high-profile way to keep the collaboration visible.
There is also a sequel to KPop Demon Hunters on the horizon, creating a long period in which the franchise could continue to build momentum. If more LEGO releases eventually arrive, Derpy's giant appearance at LEGO World may end up looking like an early sign of how much potential the partnership saw in the property.
Until then, Ramant's nearly 37,000-piece tiger stands as a remarkable standalone creation: a commissioned model that takes one of the film's oddest and most lovable creatures and makes it convention-floor sized. It is a technical showcase, a character tribute, and a reminder that the most memorable LEGO builds often succeed not just because they are big, but because they preserve the personality of the thing they are built to represent.
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