I already knew Lego’s new Animal Crossing: New Horizons sets were going to be cute — I mean, look at them — and yet I was still impressed with all the tiny little details there are to appreciate for die-hard Animal Crossing fans like me. Yes, Lego’s included all the things you might expect, like fruit trees, Bell bags, and flying presents, but there’s also a bevy of smaller things that surprised and delighted me when I put together the sets with my family.
Starting today, March 1, Lego is selling five new sets as part of the Animal Crossing: New Horizons line, and they all are modular so as to fit together in a single scene. The biggest set is Nook’s Cranny & Rosie’s House, which is priced at $74.99 for 535 pieces. Next, there’s Isabelle’s House Visit, which has 389 pieces and costs $39.99. The three smaller sets are Kapp’n’s Island Boat Tour at $29.99 with 233 pieces, Bunnie’s Outdoor Activities at $19.99 for 164 pieces, and Julian’s Birthday Party at $14.99 for 170 pieces.
Across the five sets, Lego has created eight original minifigs — not including Maple from the Maple’s Pumpkin Garden polybag — that are adorable renderings of their video game counterparts. Marshal’s got his signature grumpy face, while Tom Nook looks depressed and ready to collect your Bells. Isabelle, of course, is adorable as ever. But the real treat is putting the sets together; my family doesn’t know much about Animal Crossing, but was still delighted to discover small details from the sets as we put them together.
Each of us put together one of the five sets, and there were very few stretches of time when we weren’t bugging each other to look at a small but neat touch. Often, it was to show off a set’s hidden compartments, of which there are several in each. Naturally, presents have little gifts in them, and certain spots — like under a rock, perhaps — have a space for Bells. (Finding the rock that drops Bells is a daily task for the avid Animal Crossing: New Horizons player.) Elsewhere, I enjoyed finding the perfect spot to drop the Lego recipe cards (essential for crafting in New Horizons), K.K. Slider’s albums, and the NookPhone. There’s even a few tiles for New Horizons’ star-shaped ground markers that denote where to dig, complete with a fossil.
These are simple sets to put together, which makes them approachable for the Animal Crossing fans that aren’t so into Lego. But even for the enthusiasts, these solid sets are worth the money if you’re a fan of the game series. Lego understood the assignment, filling each box with details that fans will appreciate. Even the instructions are cute! At the bottom of the included instruction manuals, a little minifig walks along the bottom of the page, left to right, to show your progress.
Unlike some bulkier Lego sets, these are the sort of sets I’d like to keep together and put on display somewhere, like in my office, so I can be reminded of Animal Crossing’s inherent chill quality during the workday. Lego’s New Horizons kits are a welcome jaunt back into the world of Animal Crossing even after the Switch game ran its course for me.
