Random set of the day: Hospital - Lucy Lamb and Charlie Cat Visit Dr. Dog
Posted by Huwbot,Today's random set is 347 Hospital - Lucy Lamb and Charlie Cat Visit Dr. Dog, released during 1979. It's one of 15 Fabuland sets produced that year. It contains 205 pieces and 3 minifigs.
It's owned by 132 Brickset members. If you want to add it to your collection you might find it for sale at BrickLink or eBay.
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73 comments on this article
Charlie Cat is creeping me out.
@WesterBricks said: "Charlie Cat is creeping me out."
Maybe he's one of those cats that hangs around hospitals because he can smell death?
Ooh, that got dark.
They all have completely blacked out, soulless, shark eyes... How come nobody believes me when I say Fabuland is a dark, cursed place? That's all the evidence you need! The citizens are all just a bunch of demons!
Why does the ambulance have a jail cell on the back of it?
@Zordboy
She's just taking a walk, and the hospital is on the path. Why do you have such a jerk about it? It's a nice change of scenery, and here you go all "hYuk HyUck spEcteR of deAth!!111!". Just leave her alone.
@Monopoly said: "Why does the ambulance have a jail cell on the back of it?"
Maybe this isn't a hospital, as such, and is actually an asylum for the criminally insane?
That would explain the creepy cat. I mean, technically, they are visiting Doctor Dog, just ... it's a long, long visit.
The ambulance has bars in the window.
@Monopoly said:
"Why does the ambulance have a jail cell on the back of it?"
Suddenly I got the image in my head of the ambulance/wagon from the movie "Return to Oz".
I love how Fabuland always gets immediately made really dark and depressing by people. Previously we discussed how Fabuland is a socialist paradise where "All Animals are Equal, But Some are More Equal Than Others" LOL.
On a more serious note, I do like this set. The ambulance is great, I like the colour scheme but yeah not the best choice of windows. I'd love to get a vintage modular hospital with a 1930s/1940s ambulance.
I had a book called Doctor Dog as a kid so I found this rather amusing. Generally speaking the head moulds for the animals in Fabuland were actually really well done considering it was the 1970s/80s.
@MCLegoboy said:
"They all have completely blacked out, soulless, shark eyes... How come nobody believes me when I say Fabuland is a dark, cursed place? That's all the evidence you need! The citizens are all just a bunch of demons!"
"That's the thing about Lucy Lamb... she's got lifeless eyes. Black eyes. Like a doll's eyes."
I have said it before—Fabuland is 100% a product of an h.p. Lovecraft story. Cthulhu be praised!
Or maybe the island of doctor Moreau.
That hospital is just three giant red prefab parts with some yellow bricks on top. Very simple. Not very Blacktron. Make that red black. That would be better.
@LuvsLEGO_Cool_J said:
" @Monopoly said:
"Why does the ambulance have a jail cell on the back of it?"
Suddenly I got the image in my head of the ambulance/wagon from the movie "Return to Oz". "
Dear God, that Disney film was horrible with it's (near) early-Electro-shock treatment for Dorothy. Are we sure it was a KIDS film?
Are Lucy and Charlie a couple, visiting together? The box image implies that they just happened by at the same time, but I wonder.
Say what you will about Fabuland but they have NICE brollies.
This clearly served as inspiration for 10027
I was about to say a dog would be one of the animals I'd trust most as a doctor, but then people pointed out the jail ambulance
I never even noticed the ambulance had bars in the windows until I read the comments. Dr Dog will fix you up in exchange for an organ he'll sell on the black market
@Brickchap:
Depressing? I would think running in abject terror out of fear for your life would be quite invigorating.
Hospital can mean many things, and the barred windows on the back of the 'ambulance' may give a small clue.
But did they visit willingly?
Forget the Bionicle lore, I want to see what happens in Fabuland!!!
Holy Hanna-Barbara, I forgot Fabuland had a hospital...or is that "hospital"...could be worse: Vince McMahon (of the WWE) would force it to be called a "Medical Facility"...
And yes, I still maintain: TLG would greatly benefit bringing back Fabuland, even a modified w/minifigs...I'd 'volunteer' the animal/'K-Pawp' characters from 'Vidiyo'...
It seems Fabuland sets got much better by time. The hospital looks like its crafted from shoe boxes.
...why does the hospital have a bistro on the balcony? Hospitals aren't generally know for their outdoor seating with table umbrellas. Or is Dr Dog so reknowned (and well paid) thats just part of his personal office?
More nonsense here than in your average saturday night pub. Fabuland was a joyous theme with bright colours and thoughtful play design. The sets were fairly basic but this was because of the obvious aimed demographic as well as the era it was made. Fabuland had lovely figures and the back of the ambulance was a just mold also used for police cars.
@Huw
And apparently 347-1 Fire Station is 'also know as' this? Not sure by who!
Asylum vibes
@brick_r said:
"Holy Hanna-Barbara, I forgot Fabuland had a hospital...or is that "hospital"...could be worse: Vince McMahon (of the WWE) would force it to be called a "Medical Facility"...
And yes, I still maintain: TLG would greatly benefit bringing back Fabuland, even a modified w/minifigs...I'd 'volunteer' the animal/'K-Pawp' characters from 'Vidiyo'..."
Yet, didn't they? Looks like Chima to me. 8(
Fabuland, what a good theme. Also the right era if you look at the eyes.
Lucy Lamb was the nurse !!
I have this one. The stickers for the ambulance and hospital sign are long gone so whether it's technically a hospital any more I don't know. It may have been closed down due to only having 2 beds on the ward. Also the stairs to the operating theatre weren't attached to the building and would regularly fall over. Totally against any health and safety rules there.
Dr Dog later seemed to be working in Catherine Cat's restaurant so I am guessing he retired from being a doctor due to his dodgy hospital being condemned.
"Yes? Hello? This is Doc."
Something sinister is going on, do the taxpaying citizens disappear in the night when Dr Dog calls around with his asylum wagon after they complain that the hospital is just a sticker on a facade, and that all their taxes have disappeared into roof top terraces and other indulgences of Dr Dog and his close friends.
@Brickalili:
Dr Dog likes to have his patients out there with a nice Chianti and some fava beans.
A visit to the dogtor.
@ambr said:
"Something sinister is going on, do the taxpaying citizens disappear in the night when Dr Dog calls around with his asylum wagon after they complain that the hospital is just a sticker on a facade, and that all their taxes have disappeared into roof top terraces and other indulgences of Dr Dog and his close friends."
Or it's like in that show, Fabuland Horror Story, Season 2. You know, when volunteers are hard to come by.
@Monopoly said:
"Why does the ambulance have a jail cell on the back of it?"
To keep the patients in of course. Despite being a socialist paradise the health care bills are very American apparently.
The Charlie Cat figure reminds me f the main character of the Monday Deathmatch comic at Eurobricks. It's great! The backgrounds are all brick-built and highly detailed, and it's a wacky but dark tournament between characters from different themes. Unfortunately it stopped before it was completed however... and I just found out it resumed! Yeeeeesssss!!!!!
https://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?/forums/topic/169874-comic-the-monday-deathmatch-tournament/
So is Dr. his given name? "Dr. Dog" does fit the Fabuland naming pattern...
I don't think I ever liked so many comments in one post.
@Watsonite said:
"More nonsense here than in your average saturday night pub. Fabuland was a joyous theme with bright colours and thoughtful play design. The sets were fairly basic but this was because of the obvious aimed demographic as well as the era it was made. Fabuland had lovely figures and the back of the ambulance was a just mold also used for police cars."
Aaaaaand here's the party crasher.
@Brickalili said:
"...why does the hospital have a bistro on the balcony? Hospitals aren't generally know for their outdoor seating with table umbrellas. Or is Dr Dog so reknowned (and well paid) thats just part of his personal office?"
At private hospitals in sunny climes, I suspect that outdoor seating where you can convalesce is not that uncommon, e.g. in California or Florida. Here in the UK where most hospitals are in the public sector and the weather is hit-or-miss, terrace seating is uncommon.
Despite the comments in this thread suggesting that Fabuland is dystopian, I reckon LEGO’s intent was to create a near utopia that feels safe to the target demographic of younger kids, hence the ideal hospital.
@TheOtherMike said:
"So is Dr. his given name? "Dr. Dog" does fit the Fabuland naming pattern..."
His first name is either David or Sam, depending whether you read the English or Italian instructions/storybook.
I guess alliteration was not prioritized for the Italian market.
Why does everyone have to go so dark, though? Why can't bars on the ambulance windows just be about keeping Fabuland junkies from stealing the narcotics?
Not very effective in either case, since the ambulance has no rear door and is open to the open-top cab.
@BrickTeller said:
"Why does everyone have to go so dark, though? Why can't bars on the ambulance windows just be about keeping Fabuland junkies from stealing the narcotics?
Not very effective in either case, since the ambulance has no rear door and is open to the open-top cab. "
Uhm, it just happens to one user and us other users are happy to be dragged along =) Nothing really mean intended. All uf us were in 6th grade at some point, and the 6th-grader shows up now and then :P
@biffuz said:
"I don't think I ever liked so many comments in one post.
@Watsonite said:
"More nonsense here than in your average saturday night pub. Fabuland was a joyous theme with bright colours and thoughtful play design. The sets were fairly basic but this was because of the obvious aimed demographic as well as the era it was made. Fabuland had lovely figures and the back of the ambulance was a just mold also used for police cars."
Aaaaaand here's the party crasher."
Calling that a party to begin with sets low bars.
I am glad that Fabuland existed, though these early sets look a bit under developed compared to the 1982 range which added loads of new pieces. Lego did well to get a full decade out of the theme, just a shame it wasnt directly replaced afterwards - unless you consider Paradisa to be targeting roughly the same demographic.
@Zander:
And that’s how you end up with people lined up for hours to get their allotment of bread.
@BrickTeller:
Breaking Fab? Sure, that’s not dark at all.
@Watsonite:
Well, in this case, the bars are vertical. You don’t need to be a Jamaican accountant to manage that.
We want Fabuland back! <3
It was only in the last couple of years that I discovered that Dr Dog is actually called David. I'm not sure it suits him. He will always just be Dr to me.
In some of the later story books Nurse Lucy Lamb is changed to Dr Lucy. She obviously trained up to take over from Dr Dog after he retired.
Despite it's basic-ness the hospital obviously did suit the needs of the Fabu folks. They were obviously kept healthy. In it's decade of life Fabuland only had one hospital vs 2 police stations.
@jkb said:
""Yes? Hello? This is Doc.""
"Eh, What's up Doc?"
My favorite description of Chima is still
"Fabuland goes to war."
The names of the characters remind me that this was such a different era of toys and entertainment. I'm sure Lego's marketing team gave serious thought as to what to call this set, but there was probably no brand plan that spanned television series and future graphic novel and movie deals. (The era of the 20-minute toy commercial "TV show" was still in the future).
Fabuland feels like Richard Scarry's world, one that was already nostalgic by the time Scarry depicted it, nevermind when Fabuland released.
I think that double-nostalgia contributes to the weird vibes people are joking about in this thread. We're peering almost 50 years back at toys that themselves refract an older history.
@bookmum:
In the US, I don’t think it’s very common for someone who started out as a nurse to become a medical doctor. My cousin topped out in the nurse’s track, as a PA (Physician’s Assistant), which basically allows her to function as a doctor under someone else’s medical practice. But she carries with her the recognition of the many years of experience behind that title. If she wanted to become an actual doctor, it’d most likely, involve going to medical school with a bunch of rookies, doing an internship, residency, and nurses with half her experience would probably treat her like any other novice doctor. And she’d probably take a massive pay cut at the start.
The military can be the same way. A Master Chief has attained the highest rank possible for an enlisted member of the military, and instantly commands respect. They can make the jump to the commissioned officer track from there if they want, but that puts you back at the bottom of the pile, and you lose a lot of privileges that you can carry with you even in retirement.
@PurpleDave said:
" @bookmum:
In the US, I don’t think it’s very common for someone who started out as a nurse to become a medical doctor. My cousin topped out in the nurse’s track, as a PA (Physician’s Assistant), which basically allows her to function as a doctor under someone else’s medical practice. But she carries with her the recognition of the many years of experience behind that title. If she wanted to become an actual doctor, it’d most likely, involve going to medical school with a bunch of rookies, doing an internship, residency, and nurses with half her experience would probably treat her like any other novice doctor. And she’d probably take a massive pay cut at the start."
The PAs I know started on a completely different track than nurses, and required a different educational path as well. So the walls between these tracks are even higher, at least in the jurisdiction I'm familiar with (in the US).
@PurpleDave, I don’t think that going from a nurse to a medical doctor is common in the UK either. You still have to complete two bachelor’s degrees (BM and BCh) and do rotations at teaching hospitals just like anyone else. You don’t get any credit for your nursing qualifications or experience as far as I know.
@PurpleDave I was thinking along the lines as Abby in the TV show ER who was a nurse but then went to medical school to become a doctor. I've been watching a few episodes of ER lately so the idea was in my head.
Those are some very large module parts for buildings.
10x20 with 3 walls and a roof, must be some of the largest LEGO pieces.
@TeriXeri said:
"Those are some very large module parts for buildings.
10x20 with 3 walls and a roof, must be some of the largest LEGO pieces."
Some DUPLO parts are larger (because of the larger scale). And there's stuff like those huge baseplates, some even raised. But when it comes to system-esque parts you might be right! Belville parts can also be up there.
@Binnekamp said:
"And there's stuff like those huge baseplates, some even raised. But when it comes to system-esque parts you might be right! Belville parts can also be up there."
I think the biggest part (well actually 2 parts) might be the boat hull in 7994 : LEGO City Harbour
78x17x7 studs, and over 400 grams according to bricklink.
But for the Fabuland I most meant as building blocks, I don't know if those have ani studs on bottom.
@Padmewan: And now you've got me wondering what a Fabuland TV show would be like. And yes, Fabuland does feel a lot like Richard Scarry, whose work did, in fact, have a TV show, so Fabuland's might have been similar. Or not, considering The Busy World of Richard Scary started in 1994, which was a bit after Fabuland's time.
Hey, on the bright side, it wasn't "Lionel Lion and Kalle Crocodile visit Lucy Lamb in the Hospital." Then the outdoor dining patio with the red floors would have had even more sinister undertones.
Then again, Charlie Cat is about is big as Lucy Lamb. That's much too big for a domestic cat. What if he's really a mountain lion…?
@Brickchap said:
"I love how Fabuland always gets immediately made really dark and depressing by people. Previously we discussed how Fabuland is a socialist paradise where "All Animals are Equal, But Some are More Equal Than Others" LOL.
2023 Fabuland set: The Manor Farm?
On a more serious note, I do like this set. The ambulance is great, I like the colour scheme but yeah not the best choice of windows. I'd love to get a vintage modular hospital with a 1930s/1940s ambulance.
I had a book called Doctor Dog as a kid so I found this rather amusing. Generally speaking the head moulds for the animals in Fabuland were actually really well done considering it was the 1970s/80s. "
@CAC101 Hahaha The Manor Farm yes! With special hinges so that the pigs can walk around on 2 legs. Not sure how they would do Mr Jones considering he would need to be reasonably larger then most of the animals. Poor Boxer. :(
I recall at school someone wrote a Sesame St version of Animal Farm where Elmo (he's Communist because he's red) gets rid of Jim Henson and imposes a communist dictatorship with his henchmen Ernie and Bert. Grover just follows along with everything not understanding what's going on, Oscar just complains all the time, the Count is in charge of finances and making sure everyone does their work, "This work is strictly voluntary but any Muppet not participating will have their rations reduced by half.. ah..ah...ah"
Big Bird tries to help but is also manipulated and Cookie Monster tries to defend capitalism (all the cookies for himself) but gets killed by Elmo. Hahahhaa.
LOL Just as a joke someone should make a whole Lego 1984 theme that also encompasses current conspiracy theories "1984 WaS A WaRnInG nOT An INstrUcTiON MaNuEL."
Jokes aside I would love for Fabuland to return. Make it minifig scale but keep the animals (it is a lot like Richard Scary's books which is really cool) and have all the old cars and houses and so forth, sort of like a Lego Sylvanian Families theme.
It would be awesome getting new versions of all the cool pieces like the Hoover vacuum cleaner, 1950s fridge, TV aerial, old fashioned kettle, car roof and engine, bathtub, kitchen cabinets etc. etc. Oh and lots of brollies and parasols of course!
@Brickchap "Sylvanian Families But Made Out Of Lego" is what I frequently say to describe Fabuland to the children of today.
@TheOtherMike the Richard Scarry books were originally from the late 60s so came before Fabuland. Someone at Lego obviously had 'What Do People Do All Day' as their favourite book. But to be fair it is one of the best books ever published.
@Brickchap: If they did a new Fabuland, they would probably do a TV aerial like they did the one in 31131, rather than a new mold.
@Padmewan:
I did a little research, and it seems that PA is not part of the nursing track, which appears to end with Nurse Practitioner. My cousin was one of those before becoming a PA, but she may have let that certification lapse. PA looks like it’s a “Doctor Lite”, and was established to address a shortage in licensed doctors during WWII. It requires less schooling and no residency. For an accomplished nurse who wants to make the jump to doctor, it’s a much quicker process that’s less likely to derail your career.
Here’s the crazy thing. In 24 US states, a Nurse Practitioner can open their own practice without being attached to a physician. A Physician’s Assistant cannot. Median wage for an NP is currently about $2000 higher than for a PA (possibly due to opening independent practices?). On the other hand, NPs are usually limited to a specialty, where PAs aren’t. So PA offers more freedom in what you can practice, while NP can offer more freedom in how you can practice.
@bookmum:
I prefer a significantly greater degree of realism in my medical shows, so I watch Scrubs.
@Brickchap:
Homemaker maxifigs are significantly larger than Fabuland characters…
@TheOtherMike said:
" @Padmewan : And now you've got me wondering what a Fabuland TV show would be like. And yes, Fabuland does feel a lot like Richard Scarry, whose work did, in fact, have a TV show, so Fabuland's might have been similar. Or not, considering The Busy World of Richard Scary started in 1994, which was a bit after Fabuland's time."
There actually WAS a Fabuland TV show: Edward and Friends. It was visually similar to the Ninjago TV show in that the characters look like the lego figures but the background sets are a bit more stylized from the lego sets so that it looks like actual places in the same style as the lego sets.
If you're curious, here's a playlist:
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLhOnau-tupSwXQ5PFtE6BzNxSUvhbbK2
Spoilers: it's nowhere near as dark as Brickset users make it out to be. At least... on the surface
Edit: because I never heard of the guy before I just looked up Richard Scarry and I'm pretty sure I recognize some of those covers from when I was a child myself! It's likely, as due to American relatives I grew up on stuff like Dr Seuss too, which isn't very popular in the Netherlands AFAIK.
These comments have really gone down a strange path....
There should be a Fabuland set of the week every week so we can always have this much fun.
In support of bookmum, nurse Jane Foster became Dr. Jane Foster in the Thor comic, and nurse Christine Chapel became Dr. Christine Chapel between Star Trek TOS and Star Trek The Motion Picture, so it does happen.
@kdu2814:
It’s incredibly simple to write that into a work of fiction. Barbara Gordon also became unparalyzed, which generally does not happen.
I grew up with Fabuland so this theme will always hold a special place for me. I have all the sets still and display them in my LEGO room. At the time in 1979, there were a lot of children's programmes that depicted anthropomorphic animals that were shown on Canadian TV for example: Dr. Snuggles (Netherlands/UK), Jeremy (in UK: Barnaby, Poland: Cargol), Fables of the Green Forest. So talking animals were the norm. I think a Fabuland revival would be fun and in the LEGO inside tour the guide stated that Fabuland is the most requested theme to be brought back. Although I doubt it will ever happen, there is a large Fabuland Fan community on FB and it is highly sought after amongst collectors.
Previously I said it could be worse. I was wrong. It already *IS* worse. Consider the evidence:
• The government of Fabuland (140) is run by Lionel Lion—an obligate carnivore.
• Charlie Cat is no domestic kitty. His tawny color and large size (as big as a sheep!) give him away as a cougar.
• “Dr. Dog” is technically omnivorous, but in the wild, dogs are always predators.
• Predators famously take down the weak and sick of the herd.
• Where do sick animals go? The hospital.
• The Fabuland ambulance has bars—clearly, not all the “patients” go willingly.
• The hospital has no operating rooms. Its most prominent feature is…*shudder*…an outdoor dining patio.
Run, Lucy!
People frequently muse how the happy world of Fabuland somehow collapsed into the dystopia of Chima. They’ve got it backward. The once-defensive herbivores of Chima were lulled into docility, and they now willingly visit the “doctor” to be culled in the “hospital.” Fabuland isn’t a happy place. It’s the story of the Eloi and the Morlocks, but with primary colors.
Dr Dog in the Multiverse of Madness...featuring his lunatic asylum or 'institution' and starring Lucy Lamb from Silence of the Lambs... Also Charlie Cat is Macavity's son (from the musical Cats).
Jokes aside again I do genuinely think Fabuland is a theme that could successfully return (and probably should). Lego wants to go juniorised with everything, here's a theme for juniors. Kids love animals, and it's full of animals. In fact the vast majority of children's books and TV shows feature human-like animals.
Fabuland is a peaceful, happy village where kids can let their imagination run wild and there's no worries like climate change or politics. Maybe I'm wrong but I also feel like it would be the least likely to cause controversy.
It would also just be cool getting a regular village theme that isn't city that shows off regular life (especially in a more domestic environment) and making it a different era like the interwar years (but fictional) would help with the 'escape' aspect of it, as well as making it popular with adult fans like myself who want things that will go with their vintage modulars. Like you could potentially do a 'modern' Fabuland, but in my opinion that would lose all the charm and fun about it.
@AllenSmith:
No, it is a dystopian Fabuland. Consider this. Chima’s main factions consist of lions (predators), crocodiles (predators), eagles (flying predators), wolves (predators), ravens (flying scavengers), bears (predators), scorpions (predators), spiders (predators), bats (predators), tigers (predators), saber-toothed tigers (predators), vultures (flying scavengers), and polar bears (predators). The only major factions that aren’t predators or scavengers include gorilla, rhinos, and wooly mammoths (all more than capable of killing predators), as well as beavers (capable of building predator-proof fortresses) and phoenixes (on fire).
Then there are a few random individuals including a skunk (a skunk), a fox (still a predator), a leopard (still a predator). So basically, it’s a society that’s top-heavy with apex predators, and other than the poor beavers, anyone you might feel like eating is probably already thinking about killing you back…or it’s a skunk.
@PurpleDave said:
Yeah, but with all those predators fighting over fresh meat, it's no wonder it was a war zone. I could totally believe they finally wised up and decided to start farming the…um…neighbors, and even started naming them cute names like "Bonnie Rabbit" and "Lucy Lamb"!