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The Pirates were one of the first two factions of the Pirates theme. They were the only faction not to change over time, but they expanded with more and more sets added with each change of the good faction. Their symbol was the Jolly Roger, a black flag with a skull and crossbones.
The Pirates boasted four of the largest ship sets, Black Seas Barracuda, Red Beard's Runner, Skull's Eye Schooner and Brickbeard's Bounty. They operated out of the Forbidden Island, Rock Island Refuge, Skull Island, Pirates Perilous Pitfall and Shipwreck Hideout sets.
History[]
Pirates vs Imperial Soldiers in a catalog from 1990.
The initial release of the Pirates was hugely popular. The sets released in this era were some of the largest in the theme, including 6285 Black Seas Barracuda, 6270 Forbidden Island, and 6273 Rock Island Refuge. The Pirates were initially pitted against the Imperial Soldiers.
In 1992 the blue Imperial Soldiers were phased out and the Pirates' main adversaries were now the red Imperial Guards who resembled Redcoats of the British Army of the colonial era. The Black Seas Barracuda was replaced by the Skull's Eye Schooner, and the Rock Island Refuge was replaced by the Skull Island.
The new Jolly Roger featured from 2009 onwards.
Around late 1993 to early 1994, there was a minor split in the Pirate faction. Another captain emerged as the leader of the new Renegade Pirates faction. The two sides were not enemies, nor were they friends.
1996 brought a radical change to Hispanic themed Pirates, and much of the Pirate sets were redone to match the new Imperial Armada. The theme only ran for 1 year before it was ended.
2009[]
After more than ten years without any new Pirates releases, the theme was relaunched with visually upgraded minifigs. This time the pirates were pitted against a faction that resembled the Imperial Guards from 1992.
The pirates were given a new ship, Brickbeard's Bounty, as well as a new hideout. Their only other seagoing vessel is a raft.
2015[]
6 years later pirates has returned with new sets and Captain Redbeard with refreshed look. They were pitted against a faction that resembled the Imperial Soldiers from 1989.
Characters[]
Captain Redbeard minifigure on a keychain from 2002.
- Captain Redbeard: Famous pirate leader, distinguished from all the others by his bright red beard and a patch over his left eye. His right leg was a wooden peg-leg and he had a hook on his left hand. He often carried a pistol and a sword, and was hardly seen without his pet parrot, Popsy. He returns in 2015 with refreshed look.
- Captain Brickbeard: The captain of pirates after the theme's relaunch in 2009. He largely resembles his predecessor, but consists entirely of newly printed pieces and wears golden epaulettes and a golden hook.
- Captain Ironhook - Rival of Captain Redbeard. He looks very similar to him.
- Black Jack Hawkins - Prominent member of Captain Redbeard's crew.
- Bo'Sun Will: One of the youngest pirates and crush of Camilla, the Governor's niece. He is friend to Capt. Redbeard, and has some skill with a sword and pistol. He wears a red bandana around his head, a red and white striped shirt, and red pants. He has no distinguishing features.
- First Mate Rummey: First mate of the pirates, Rummey was a cut-throat pirate through and through. He wore a blue jacket over a red and white striped undershirt, gray pants, and a brown tri-corner hat. He also had a patch over his left eye.
- Jimbo: (according to a LEGO pirate book)He originally was a stowaway, but Captain Redbeard let him join the crew as ships boy
- Anne: Also known as the Wench.
- Flashfork: He's a crewmember of Captain Redbeard and sometimes served as second mate. He's a very poor sailor because he always shipwrecked.
- Spinoza: the monkey.
- Popsy: the pet parrot of Capt. Redbeard.
Ships and buildings[]
The Black Seas Barracuda is often considered the best LEGO pirate ship to date.
In total, the pirates had six ships that made use of the new large boat pieces. the first one was 6285 Black Seas Barracuda, which is still one of the most popular LEGO sets ever. It was replaced in 1993 by the 6286 Skull's Eye Schooner, which was, until January 2010, the only ship of the Pirates theme that had three masts and was also the biggest to that date. 1993 also brought a smaller one-masted ship, 6268 Renegade Runner. In 1996 the second two-masted ship was released, the 6289 Red Beard Runner, followed by another small one-masted ship in 1997, 6250 Cross Bone Clipper, which was the smallest of the six bigger ships and would also be the last ship for the next years. The newest ship is 6243 Brickbeard's Bounty from 2009.
With 892 pieces, 6286 Skull's Eye Schooner is the biggest LEGO Pirates set.
The first pirate base was 6270 Forbidden Island, a simple outpost on a flat baseplate. It was replaced in 1991 by 6273 Rock Island Refuge which was considerably bigger and constructed on a raised baseplate. The next one was 6279 Skull Island, released in 1995. Smaller installations include 6296 Shipwreck Island from 1996 and 6249 Pirates Ambushfrom 1997. The biggest fortification of the pirates, considering the number of pieces, was 6281 Pirates Perilous Pitfall from 1997. The latest pirate base is 6253 Shipwreck Hideout from 2009.
There were also numerous smaller islands, boats or rafts.
Sets[]
Initial release[]
| Image | # | Set | Number of pieces | Minifigures | Price | Release |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | 1481 | Pirates Desert Island | 21 | 1 | $2.99 | 1991 |
 | 6234 | Renegade's Raft | 37 | 1 | $3.25 | 1991 |
 | 6235 | Buried Treasure | 27 | Spinoza, Bo'sun Will | $3.00 / DM 5.99 (= €3.06) | 1989 |
 | 6251 | Pirate Mini Figures | 33 | Captain RedBeard, Imperial Officer, Imperial Soldier, Pirate (2×) | $6.00 | 1989 |
 | 6257 | Castaway's Raft | 50 | Darwin the Pirate, Pirate (2×) | 1989 | |
 | 6260 | Shipwreck Island | 69 | Pirate (2×) | $11.99 | 1989 |
 | 6270 | Forbidden Island | 176 | Captain Redbeard,
Bo'Sun Will, First Mate Rummey, Imperial Soldier | $31.95 | 1989 |
 | 6273 | Rock Island Refuge | 372 | 7 | 1991 | |
| 6285 | Black Seas Barracuda | 909 | Captain Redbeard, First Mate Rummy, Anne, Bo'sun Will, Pirate (4×) | $109.99 | 1989 |
 | 10040 | Black Seas Barracuda | 896 | Captain Redbeard, First Mate Rummy, Anne, Bo'sun Will, Pirate (4×) | $89.99 | 2002 |
1992 release[]
| Image | # | Set | Number of pieces | Minifigures | Price | Release |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | 1464 | Pirate Lookout | 17 | Pirate | $1.99 | 1992 |
 | 1492 | Battle Cove | 25 | 1 | 1992 | |
| 1696 | Pirate Lookout | 16 | 1 | 1992 | |
 | 1713 | Shipwrecked Pirate | 22 | 1 | 1994 | |
 | 1729 | Barnacle Bay | 89 | 4 | 1994 | |
 | 1733 | Shipwrecked Pirate | 22 | 1 | 1994 | |
 | 1788 | Treasure Chest | 154 | Male Islander
, King Kahuka , Captain Ironhook , Gonzo Goldbar | 1995 | |
 | 1871 | Pirates Cannon | 15 | 1 | 1994 | |
 | 1873 | Pirates Treasure | 45 | 1 | 1994 | |
 | 1889 | Pirates Treasure Hold | 34 | 1 | 1992 | |
 | 1970 | Pirates Gun Cart | 29 | Darwin the Pirate, Pirate | 1993 | |
 | 6237 | Pirates Plunder | 21 | 2 | $3,00 | 1993 |
 | 6254 | Rocky Reef | 101 | 3 | 1995 | |
 | 6258 | Smuggler's Shanty | 69 | 3 | 1992 | |
 | 6261 | Raft Raiders | 78 | Captain Ironhook, Pirate, Lolbroek | $13.25 | 1992 |
 | 6268 | Renegade Runner | 171 | 4 | $40.00 | 1993 |
 | 6279 | Skull Island | 366 | 6 | 1995 | |
 | 6286 | Skull's Eye Schooner | 892 | 9 | 1993 |
1996 release[]
| Image | # | Set | Number of pieces | Minifigures | Price | Release |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | 1747 | Treasure Surprise | 21 | 1 | 1996 | |
 | 1802 | Tidy Treasure | 21 | 1 | $1.99 | 1996 |
 | 6232 | Skeleton Crew | 27 | Pirate, Skully | $2.99 | 1996 |
 | 6248 | Volcano Island | 119 | Black Jack Hawkins, Skully | 1996 | |
 | 6249 | Pirates Ambush | 159 | 2 Pirates and 1 Conquistador | $21.99 | 1997 |
 | 6250 | Cross Bone Clipper | 151 | Captain Redbeard, Pirate (2) | 1997 | |
 | 6281 | Pirates Perilous Pitfall | 395 | Black Jack Hawkins,
Parma Sean LaFeet, George, Captain Valiant, Conquistador, Skully | 1997 | |
 | 6289 | Red Beard Runner | 698 | 7 | 1996 | |
 | 6290 | Red Beard Runner | 698 | 7 | $99.99 / €99.99 | 2001 |
 | 6296 | Shipwreck Island | 216 | Conquistador, Black Jack Hawkins, George, skeleton | $29.75 | 1996 |
2009 release[]
| Image | # | Set | Number of pieces | Minifigures | Price | Release |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | 6240 | Kraken Attackin' | 78 | 2 Pirates | $9.99 / €9.99 | 2009 |
 | 6241 | Loot Island | 142 | Pirate, Hank the Castaway, Imperial Guard | $19.99 / €19.99 | 2009 |
 | 6243 | Brickbeard's Bounty | 592 | Pirate,
Builder, Gunman, Imperial Guards (2), Captain Brickbeard, Admiral's Daughter, Mermaid | $99.99 / €79.99 | 2009 (First sold in late 2008) |
 | 6253 | Shipwreck Hideout | 310 | Captain Brickbeard,
Pirate, Lady Pirate, Imperial Soldier (2), Skeleton | $39.99 / €39.99 | 2009 |
 | 8397 | Pirate Survival | 16 | Pirate | $3.49 / €2.99 | 2009 |
2015 release[]
| Image | # | Set | Number of pieces | Minifigures | Price | Release |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | 70409 | Shipwreck Defense | 84 | Bluecoat Soldier, Old Pirate | $12.99 | March 2015 |
 | 70410 | Soldiers Outpost | 164 | Bluecoat Soldier, Bluecoat Sergeant 1, Pirate | $19.99 | March 2015 |
 | 70411 | Treasure Island | 180 | Bluecoat Soldier, Pirate Princess Argenta, Pirate | $19.99 | March 2015 |
 | 70412 | Soldiers Fort | 234 | Governor Hacienda, Governor's Daughter, Bluecoat Soldier, Pirate Gunner, Pirate | $29.99 | March 2015 |
 | 70413 | The Brick Bounty | 745 | Captain Redbeard, Slinger, Pirate Boy, Pirate Cook Bart, Admiral Nonsuch, Bluecoat Sergeant 2, Bluecoat Soldier | $99.99 | March 2015 |
 | 40158 | Pirates Chess Set | 857 | Ms. Dagger, Cutlass (x2), Deckboy, Pirate (x6), Bluecoat (x10) | $59.99 | 2015 |
| No image | 5003082 | Classic Pirates Set |
Other appearances[]
- 6276 Eldorado Fortress (1989, Imperial Soldiers), included a boat with Captain Redbeard and Flashfork
- 6259 Broadside's Brig (1991, Imperial Soldiers), included an imprisoned pirate
- 6267 Lagoon Lock-Up (1991, Imperial Soldiers), included an imprisoned pirate and a sailing boat with Captain Redbeard
- 6247 Bounty Boat (1992, Imperial Guards), included a captive pirate
- 6277 Imperial Trading Post (1992, Imperial Guards), included a pirate with a sailing boat
- 6266 Cannon Cove (1993, Imperial Guards), includes a pirate with a boat
- 6246 Crocodile Cage (1994, Islanders), included an imprisoned pirate
- 6262 King Kahuka's Throne (1994, Islanders), included two pirates with a sailing boat
- 6264 Forbidden Cove (1994, Islanders), included two pirates with a boat
- 6278 Enchanted Island (1994, Islanders), included two pirates with a sailing boat
- 6263 Imperial Outpost (1995, Imperial Guards), included a pirate
- 6204 Buccaneers (1996), contained two pirates, including Captain Redbeard
- 6239 Cannon Battle (2009, Imperial Guards), included a pirate
- 6242 Soldiers' Fort (2009, Imperial Guards), includes a boat with Captain Brickbeard and an imprisoned pirate