Building a city, constructing a superhero base, or creating beautiful natural landscapes at home with LEGO bricks is undoubtedly a dream for many toy enthusiasts. Among these, the Fairground Collection series is a popular line deeply cherished by many collectors. Today, let's take a look at the Fairground Collection themed sets that LEGO has released throughout its history!
LEGO 10196 Grand Carousel Part Count: 3263 pieces, Price: US$249.99, Release Year: 2009
First up is the flagship creation of the Fairground Collection, the 'Grand Carousel,' designed by the legendary Steen Sig Andersen! At the time, this LEGO set, capable of operating just like a real carousel, was incredibly novel and enjoyable. Furthermore, with the installation of a power functions system, the ride could operate on its own, looking incredibly therapeutic! Even after LEGO later released the new version, '10257 Carousel,' it couldn't stop the value of 10196 from multiplying several times over, solidifying its status as an absolute holy grail for many LEGO fans!
LEGO 10244 Fairground Mixer (Tentative Translation)Part Count: 1746 pieces, Price: US$149.99, Release Year: 2014
Next is the '10244 Fairground Mixer,' a product with extremely high playability. Based on the design concept of 'freely moving and playing with the amusement rides,' players can pack up the equipment and mount it onto two trucks. After selecting a location, they can park the trucks, unload and unfold the attractions, and begin a joyful play experience.
▼ The equipment, neatly folded and stacked on the trucks for storage, looks incredibly satisfying. The design of the play scenario, where you separate the truck cabs, set up the stairs, and arrange the fences before welcoming guests, is truly brilliant.
▼ This truck carries the ticket booth, Dunk Tank, and Strongman attractions. The Strongman is stored in the chassis of the truck – super cool!
It's worth noting that Jamie Berard, the designer of this set, also serves as a judge on the American version of the reality show 'Lego Masters.' The first episode coincidentally tasked contestants with creating a scene model based on a fairground theme. His confident and outspoken judging style contrasts sharply with the youthful demeanor he displayed when first introducing the '10244 Fairground Mixer' – what a difference!
LEGO 10247 Ferris Wheel Part Count: 2464 pieces, Price: US$199.99, Release Year: 2015
Next up is the "Ferris Wheel," released the following year. This set was also designed by Jamie Berard, who not only utilized astonishing building techniques to combine Technic elements with LEGO bricks, creating a Ferris wheel that boasts both aesthetic appeal and a strong presence, but also achieved a rotating linkage mechanism and space for external power functions.
▼ The carriages, which can open their doors, can accommodate up to three minifigures, and with their vibrant colors, they are truly adorable.
LEGO 10257 CarouselPart Count: 2670 pieces, Price: US$199.99, Release Year: 2017
The LEGO Carousel, once considered a must-buy by many toy enthusiasts but long delayed due to soaring prices, finally saw a new version designed by Mike Psiaki in 2017. This creation not only features beautiful decorations and a sturdy structure, but the various animal seats, crafted around a fairy tale theme, are also a major highlight.
In the official LEGO video, Mike Psiaki stated that his favorite aspect of this creation wasn't the beautiful embellishments of the sky-blue parts, the cute and realistic animals, or even the impressive linkage mechanism. Instead, it was the fact that the central flag does not rotate when the entire carousel is in operation. He even said, "Do you know how hard it was to do that?" This clearly shows the immense effort he put in! It's also worth noting that the base of this carousel is incredibly stable; you can directly pick it up with one hand to showcase the building structure underneath.
▼ The frog is my personal favorite among the animal lineup in this set.
LEGO 10261 Roller CoasterPart Count: 4124 pieces, Price: US$379.99, Release Year: 2018
Next, we have the largest set in the current Fairground Collection, and the only one with over four thousand pieces – the Roller Coaster. In addition to lead designer Robert Heim, Mike, Carl, and Jamie, mentioned earlier, all contributed to parts of the design. The combined efforts of multiple individuals resulted in this spectacular attraction, which truly boasts excellent playability and interesting details. However, even though this Roller Coaster set is so vivid and fun, designer Robert Heim has never personally ridden a roller coaster!
▼ Once assembled, this Roller Coaster set not only stands at an impressive 55 cm tall but also stretches to an astonishing 88 cm in length. Coupled with its high price, the difficulty of acquiring and displaying it is certainly not low!
Toy enthusiasts who are interested may refer to our previous unboxing report for the 10261 Roller Coaster:
Super thrilling amusement ride, exciting track structure!! LEGO 10261 Creator Expert Roller Coaster Unboxing Report
LEGO 10273 Fairground Haunted House (Haunted House)Part Count: 3231 pieces, Price: US$299.99, Release Year: 2020
Next up is the Haunted House, which also features a free-fall ride. As an architectural attraction within the Fairground Collection, it boasts a beautiful Gothic exterior, intricate and rich interior details, and a super fun free-fall mechanism. What's coolest about this set, however, is the storyline developed around Baron Von Barron and the Easter eggs hidden within the set.
Who is this Baron Von Barron (馮·巴隆男爵), whose name is quite a mouthful? This takes us back to the LEGO Adventurers theme series, which began in 1998. Baron Von Barron, with his monocle and a hook for a left hand, was the villain of that series. His adventures took him across deserts and jungles; wherever there was treasure, he would appear and steal it. In the 10273 Fairground Haunted House, you can find many of the treasures he has stolen.
▼ The minifigure below is Baron Von Barron, holding the stolen Re-Gou Ruby, a crystal imbued with immense magical power. Pressing the light brick reveals a mummy minifigure pattern, fully conveying the story of Baron Von Barron's curse.
▼ Once assembled, the height of 68 cm is quite astonishing.
▼ The sphinx in the center of the house is a classic element from the old Adventurers set "5978 Sphinx Secret Surprise".
It's also worth noting that, apart from the first Fairground Collection set, "10196 Carousel," all other sets were released under the now-retired Creator Expert category within the Creator series. The next set we'll introduce is released as part of the ICONS series.
LEGO 10303 Loop Coaster (Loop Coaster)Part Count: 3756 pieces, Price: US$399.99, Release Year: 2022
The next item is the Fairground Collection's latest product, the "Loop Coaster," which was just released this year. Not only does it stand at an impressive 92 cm once assembled, but its two circular loops are also a very striking feature. Even sliding down from a nearly vertical track, passing through two loops and returning to the starting point is certainly no easy feat.
Compared to the previous roller coaster's red and white color scheme, this time, the loop roller coaster adopts a more striking yellow and blue color palette as its base. Just the fact that LEGO fans can collect track pieces in different colors is a testament to its sincerity. Also, due to differences in the overall structure, the 2x2 cylindrical support frames that appeared in large numbers last time are shorter this time, and the tracks are secured using ball joints and long bar elements.
The above is an overview of the LEGO Fairground Collection sets currently released. Each set boasts a considerable size, requiring ample space for proper display. The prices are indeed on the higher side, which might deter toy enthusiasts who love fairground-themed LEGO but have limited space at home. But don't worry, LEGO has also released several smaller, more affordably priced amusement park-themed creations!
LEGO 31095 Fairground CarouselPiece Count: 595 pieces, Price: US$49.99, Release Year: 2019
First up is the '31095 Fairground Carousel' from the Creator series, featuring a 3-in-1 build. In addition to building a space-themed flying carousel, it also offers two other build modes: a free-fall ride and a mini Ferris wheel. The overall color scheme is vibrant, and the UFO at the top, along with the brick-built 'UFO' lettering, are both excellent.
LEGO 31119 Ferris WheelPiece Count: 1002 pieces, Price: US$79.99, Release Year: 2021
Next up is another 3-in-1 set from the Creator series, the '31119 Ferris Wheel'. The contents include the main Ferris wheel body, which stands approximately 27 cm tall when assembled and is rotatable, along with a ticket booth, a shaped balloon cart, and multiple minifigures. The lineup is quite complete, enough to create a full play scenario.
▼ This moderately sized set is fantastic for both play and display!
In addition to the Ferris wheel, this 31119 set can also be built into two other combinations: 'Swing Boat & Gumball Machine & Claw Machine' and 'Bumper Cars & Ticket Booth'.
LEGO 60234 People Pack - Fun Fair Piece Count: 183 pieces, Price: US$39.99, Release Year: 2021
Finally, this set is perfect for toy enthusiasts who want to make their LEGO amusement park more lively and fun, and add adorable minifigures. And it's not just minifigures! This set also includes ring toss, a shooting game, face painting, an ice cream cart, and more. The stilt-walking clown is incredibly eye-catching and charming no matter where it's placed!
The 10 sets above comprise all the content for this amusement park-themed LEGO introduction. We wonder if any of you toy enthusiasts have collected any of these, or which amusement ride is your favorite. Feel free to leave a comment and discuss with us!