It seems like it was not even a month ago that we heard about Maté Szabo’s submission to LEGO® Ideas being selected to be made into an official LEGO Set. And now it is due to be released on the First of April.

This is one of those occasions where the final set has turned out to be a bigger build than the initial submission, and I personally prefer the final product on this occasion.

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Steamboat Willie was released in November, 1928 – a little over 90 years ago: both the Mickey and Minnie Mouse Brickheadz released last year were in commemoration of this fact. This was the first Disney film where we saw synchronised audio and vision. (It was not quite the first appearance of Mickey and Minnie: they appeared in ‘Plane Crazy’ at a test screening in May of the same year.)

The original submission for this set was fairly small: 156 bricks all up, and this final model has a part count of 751. I am impressed that this production version of the boat has wheels that are connected to make the chimneys move up and down as it is pushed along. As well as the boat, we also have monochrome figures, as well as celebratory display base .

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Here’s the press release…

21317 Steamboat Willie
Ages 10+. 751 pieces
US $89.99 – CA $119.99 – DE €89.99 – UK £79.99 – FR €89.99 – DK 749DKK – AU $129.99
*Euro pricing varies by country.  Please visit shop.LEGO.com for regional pricing.

All aboard Steamboat Willie to celebrate Mickey Mouse’s birthday!

Disney Mickey Mouse fans will love this LEGO® Ideas 21317 Steamboat Willie building toy marking the 90th anniversary of the most famous cartoon character ever. Mickey Mouse made his screen debut in a 1928 black-and-white animated short film called ‘Steamboat Willie’, which was also the first Disney film to have synchronized sound. This LEGO brick version of the S.S. Willie features steam pipes that move up and down and paddle wheels that rotate when the boat is pushed along. The boat’s bridge has room for a minifigure and play-inspiring nautical details such as the ship’s wheel, life buoy and buildable bell. On deck there is a working crane to lift the ‘potato bin’ cargo aboard and this unique toy building set comes with new-for-April-2019 Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse minifigures, each with special silver-colored decoration, plus a parrot figure. An ideal LEGO set for kids and adults to recreate scenes from the original Mickey Mouse cartoon or simply build and display this striking monochrome model.Build and display this collectible LEGO® set or recreate your favorite scenes from the classic Disney Mickey Mouse cartoon, ‘Steamboat Willie’.

This unique toy building set includes 2 new-for-April-2019 minifigures: Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse, each with silver-colored decoration, plus Mickey Mouse’s parrot figure. 

The iconic Steamboat Willie boat features a black-and-white color scheme, hidden wheels, moving steam pipes, rotating paddle wheels, adjustable crane and assorted elements including the ‘S.S. Willie’ boat name sign, ‘1928’ year sign and a ‘potato bin’. 

The boat’s bridge has space for a minifigure, a brick-built bell and assorted elements including the ship’s wheel and life buoy.

The 2 steam pipes move up and down and the 2 paddle wheels rotate when the boat is pushed along.

Accessory elements include Minnie Mouse’s guitar and music sheet.

This LEGO® Ideas creative toy building set comes with a booklet with building instructions, fun facts about the historic 1928 animated Disney short film ‘Steamboat Willie’, and information about this awesome retro set’s fan creator and LEGO designers.

Steamboat Willie toy boat measures over 5” (15cm) high, 10” (26cm) long and 5” (14cm) wide.

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I think this is a great example of where the important aspect of the model is intact the Idea itself, rather than the actual submission. Mickey Mouse occupies a special place in the cultural heritage of the world, and I think this set looks like a great way to celebrate the 90th anniversary of the debut of this classic film.

This is certainly another Ideas set playing on our desires for icons of popular culture, and I think will certainly appeal to the casual Disney fan who is not currently engaged with LEGO. What do you think? Why not leave your comments below, and until next time,

Play Well!