The recent announcement of this news has driven many toy enthusiasts wild! Danish LEGO Group, in collaboration with Nintendo, has finally officially unveiled its Animal Crossing-themed products! And it's not just one set, but a series of five sets at once! Numbered 77046–77050, they are scheduled for release on March 1, 2024, which is quite an early announcement for these products.
Released by Nintendo, Animal Crossing (どうぶつの森) is a social simulation video game where players take on the role of a human character called an "islander" and settle into a village of anthropomorphic animals. Although there are many activities to participate in and quests to challenge in the game, its open-ended gameplay allows players to unleash their creativity and design various areas according to their personal preferences. And the release of Animal Crossing: New Horizons on Switch in 2020, which was the first time the game received Traditional Chinese localization, introduced this game to a vast number of Taiwanese toy enthusiasts and swept social media platforms by storm.
These LEGO Animal Crossing sets, now commercialized, feature many cute houses and lush natural environments that align with the game's art style. While creating super cute LEGO character minifigures (looking at the Super Mario series), they also infuse a wealth of Animal Crossing elements: Tom Nook's Nook's Cranny, the incredibly adorable Isabelle minifigure, houses with enjoyable interiors and interchangeable window frames, gifts falling from the sky, money bags, and cherry blossom trees and apple trees presented with brand new building techniques... it's all simply amazing! Let's take a look at each one!
LEGO 77046 Julian's Birthday Party
Suggested Retail Price: US$14.99, Total Pieces: 170, Estimated Release Date: March 1, 2024
LEGO 77047 Bunnie's Outdoor Activities
Suggested Retail Price: US$19.99, Total Pieces: 164, Estimated Release Date: March 1, 2024
LEGO 77048 Kapp'n's Island Boat Tour
Suggested Retail Price: US$29.99, Total Pieces: 233, Estimated Release Date: March 1, 2024
LEGO 77049 Isabelle's House Visit
Suggested Retail Price: US$39.99, Total Pieces: 389, Estimated Release Date: March 1, 2024
LEGO 77050 Nook's Cranny & Rosie's House
Suggested Retail Price: US$74.99, Total Pieces: 535, Estimated Release Date: March 1, 2024
We wonder if toy enthusiasts still remember that back in 2020, a LEGO fan named Micro_Model_Maker submitted his MOC creation of "Nook's Cranny" to the LEGO IDEAS platform. Although it garnered widespread attention and passed 10,000 votes of support at the time, it ultimately did not pass the review process for official commercialization. Now that the Animal Crossing LEGO sets have been officially announced, LEGO fans who pursue intricate detailing might feel a slight sense of regret. After all, the current official products are relatively simplified, moving towards a direction where collecting more makes them more enjoyable. The editor also believes this might be a design consideration by LEGO to attract more non-LEGO fans, and personally, I still really like them.
Source: LEGO