Are vintage Lego heads with the classic grin still in production?

I am having trouble deciding whether the head-with-grin piece (element ID 9336, called "MINI HEAD NO.1") which is produced today (and available in the Bricks and Pieces online store) is 100% identical to the classic head used in the 70s, 80s and 90s. If not, what's the difference?

lego head

Visually I think it looks the same, but it appears that 9336 is not the code used for vintage sets.


Yes, visually the simple smileys are the same now as in the past. The difference is in the stud. Some have a stud like what you have pictured above; with an open stud and others have a solid stud. Other than that, the face itself is exactly the same. You can three all three versions of the stud here (solid, recessed open and recessed blocked) here: http://www.bricklink.com/catalogList.asp?pg=1&q=standard+grin+pattern&catLike=W&v=2

  • Just to add to your answer, the smileys tend to be found in the special Creator sets, such as the modular buildings and the winter scenes. Most other themes use more customized heads with different facial expressions or facial hair, etc. – Mr. Shiny and New 安宇 Aug 17 '15 at 15:23
  • 2
    For some reason, I always found the original smiley face more attractive than the custom faces, which are frequently aggressive. As a kid, I never had issues pretending the smiley face to be angry but - as a grown-up - I have a hard time pretending that the aggressive custom faces are friendly. – xxbbcc Aug 20 '15 at 2:33

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