Danish toy company LEGO yesterday (22nd) announced the latest product in its LEGO Ideas series, "21353 The Botanical Garden"! It is scheduled for official global release on November 4, 2024, with a suggested retail price of US$329.99.
This exquisite LEGO Botanical Garden set originated from Italian LEGO fan Valentina Bima (Goannas89). With an architectural background, she designed it based on a Victorian-era glass greenhouse, meticulously recreating its charming wrought-iron structure. Her Botanical Garden submission to the LEGO IDEAS platform quickly garnered 10,000 votes of support in just about a month, which is quite impressive.
▼ The LEGO Botanical Garden model created by Valentina Bima using Studio 2.0, comprising approximately 3000 pieces.
Next, let's take a look at the officially commercialized version! This "21353 The Botanical Garden," with Chris McVeigh as the official designer, features 3792 pieces, stands approximately 22 cm tall, and reaches 51 cm in length. Compared to the original submission, the official version has undergone significant structural changes. Besides a larger footprint, the addition of an exterior garden, and a reduction in the number of floors, the biggest difference lies in Chris McVeigh's extensive use of green window frame pieces, accented with gold elements, which adds more visual depth to the overall design. In terms of specifications, the piece count has increased by about 700, and the minifigure lineup is also more luxurious, expanding from 8 in the original proposal to 12. In addition to the original dog, there are now birds and rabbits.
▼ This Botanical Garden also features an easily removable roof, allowing you to fully enjoy the interior details.
▼ Minifigure lineup at a glance, including the botanical garden manager, gardener, barista, and visitors. It's worth noting that the original designer of the botanical garden, Valentina Bima (6th from left), and the official designer, Chris McVeigh (5th from right), seem to have been transformed into LEGO minifigures within this product!
Finally, let's examine all the interior details! Not only is the exterior appealing, but the interior of this botanical garden is equally surprising! The beautiful flooring, stairs, flowerbeds, and more can only be described as delightful. Furthermore, according to information from the official LEGO website, this set features a total of 35 different plants, including Coffea arabica, Acer palmatum, Tulipa 'Ice Cream', and Phoenix dactylifera.
LEGO 21353 The Botanical Garden
Suggested Retail Price: US$329.99, Total Pieces: 3792, Estimated Release Date: November 4, 2024 (LEGO Insiders can purchase early on November 1)
Source: LEGO