By Barry Kay (SAFOLs Brick Boss, CapeLUG EXCO, Batman … Ssshhhh!)
One could not describe this set better that how it has been in the official LEGO® press release.
Voted for by LEGO brick lovers all over the world, a wonderfully nostalgic new LEGO® Ideas set has been brought to life after being envisioned by an avid builder. The brand-new LEGO® Ideas 123 Sesame Street set is the latest product from the LEGO® Ideas collection, which conceptualises and produces the creative wonders imagined and voted for by LEGO® brick fans themselves.
Created with all the delightful elements of 123 Sesame Street, the new set is packed with authentic details from the famous New York City neighbourhood. From Bert and Ernie’s apartment, in which Bert famously pleaded with Ernie to remove a banana from his ear so he could hear better, to Big Bird’s nest, where the grown-ups finally met Mr. Snuffleupagus in person – builders will marvel in Sesame Street’s most memorable moments.
As they embark on their immersive build journey of LEGO® Ideas 123 Sesame Street, seasoned LEGO® fans and younger builders alike can take a trip down memory lane, passing by Hooper’s Store, Oscar the Grouch’s trash can, and many more quintessential Sesame Street locations, making it the perfect set to enjoy on your own or together as a family. Fans can even bring their favourite characters and show moments to life with the brand new and exclusive buildable minifigures which have been moulded specifically for the set, including characters such as Cookie Monster, Elmo and Big Bird.
The Box, Inside and Outside
The box presentation is the new 18+ black box with the set images brightly printed to jump out and catch your eye.
The instruction manual is also all black with the well-loved character minifigures in a row on the front and just the Sesame Street sign logo on the back. Inside has some detail about Sesame Street, the original designer and LEGO® designers.
We get 2 16×16 Light Bluish-Grey plates and 11 bags of parts.
There is also a sticker sheet with 22 wonderful Sesame Street designs, which also bring in some of the well-loved characters that were not made into minifigures.
The Build
We begin the build with the base (the street block) and then see the building emerge from the ground up.
The building has been cleverly thought out and with excellent part use in the finer details and the features of the building. There are also some hidden “easter eggs”, such as the spider on its web in the basement.
Most of the image detail come from the sticker sheet, but we have been given some nice new printed parts as well.
Once each part of the building structure is put together, we start to furnish the rooms. It is a great learning experience to see how the furniture and fittings are put together and what parts are used which one would not necessarily think of.
As the build progresses and the set comes to life, the memories start flooding back from the time spent watching these loveable teachers.
The set has been built in the standard LEGO® “Dolls House” design so that you can display or play with the minifigures in the various different rooms and outside areas.
The Minifigures
Each bag set contains one of the iconic characters supplied in the set.
Starting from first to last, we have Big Bird, Elmo, Ernie, Bert, Cookie Monster and lastly Oscar the Grouch in his trash can.
Conclusion
Although the set is very much reduced in size to the original Ideas submission, it is a real joy to build. There are no big complexities in the build, but there is a lot of fun and learning involved, which I would say is the essence of Sesame Street. I highly recommend this set to build either for yourself or your kids to have fun playtime with.
Reviewer Pictures
Press Release Pictures
