Today, I’d like to take my first look at one of the upcoming Animal Crossing sets – Due for release in March 2024, with 389 pieces, Isabelle’s House Visit is one of the larger sets in the range. It has a recommended Price of AUD69.99/USD39.99/€39.99/£34.99. The set has 2 minifigures, and an opportunity to decorate it as you wish.

It is almost inevitable that someone will compare Animal Crossing sets with Fabuland , the play theme that ran from 1979-1989 , so I shall look to compare and contrast different aspects of both of these themes, as we move through the sets. As I am a relative novice in Animal Crossing, I have asked my daughter, Tash, to provide some insight into what’s going on.

The elements

There are blocks of colour here that caught my eye when the Knoller in Chief lay the parts out: Lots of green square plates with rounded corners. There are some light grey masonry bricks in 1×2 and 1×4, while the bulk of the house if made up of white bricks with a dark orange trim. We have some 1×2 tiles in orange: both rectangular and semicircular. We also have lots of floral/fruit: red apples, flower stems, leaves (bright yellowish green) pale yellow flowers.

Besides the minifigures, there are 5 new moulds I can readily identify: the door 1x6x61/3 in dark orange, which is design to clip onto the new 4×5 door (red in this case), which features a 4 paned window, as well as some ‘boards’ moulded into its form. The arched doorway has room for a plate at the top, to ensure it is held in place.

There are Two new window frames, 1x4x3: both square (in dark orange) and arched (in medium blue). The frames are thin, but has a 1×4 sill, which allows them to be connected to a plate set under the window.

Finally, there is the 2×2 round brick with spikes, which functions as a tree root. There are 4 rounded spikes/roots, which fit between studs if this brick is placed on a plate.

There are several printed elements – and, like the other Nintendo theme, LEGO Super Mario- there are no stickers to be found in the first wave of sets. Several 1×2 tiles, including an acorn print, a new mobile phone print, and the good old letter print. There is a 2×2 round green tile with a star motif printed on it, as we as a 2×2 portrait of KK Slider, a popular musician around the Island. New one x 1 round tile prints include the Bell: a coin, with a star printed on it and a spiral – this represents a fossil and, in game, you might take it to the museum to be identified. We also have a collection of 1×1 round tile pastries: choc chip cookies, waffles and doughnuts. Finally, a clock print – the 2017 version set at not quite 11o’clock, with a red second hand.

The Minifigures

There are two minifigures in this set: Isabelle and Fauna. The minifigures in Animal Crossing have heads exaggerated in proportion, relative to their bodies, and the moulds used here do a great job to maintain the feel:

Isabelle

Isabelle is a dog, specifically a Shih Tzu. Interestingly, the outfit she is depicted in does not coincide with the New Horizons version, but rather one that she has worn in previous versions of the game.

Her head is dual moulded in cool yellow, and flame yellowish orange. There is a pin hold to allow her to pin a flower in her hair, or wear a party hat. She wears a hard plastic, dark blue skirt, and has mid length cool yellow legs. An implication of the head and skirt used is that her arms cannot move backwards at all, without removing her head or legs first. That said, she is a beautiful version of the character, with a chequered green and white vest over her white blouse with a red shoestring bow. Unlilike many of the other characters, her tale is not translated into LEGO form.

Fauna

Fauna is a deer. She features a reddish brown and bright yellowish orange highlights. She is not as intrinsically animated in her appearance, and is depict wearing a shearling coat, fastened with toggles. She has a pinhole between her ears, for party hats or other accessories, and has midlength legs.

The Build

We start off by building Isabelle, as well as a few accessories for the garden: a vegetable patch as well as a tool bench. The garden is growing pumpkins and carrots, and the watering can element that has been around Friends and City since 2001 makes an appearance (it also appeared in the Disney Madrigal house.). The tool rack holds a hammer, spade and slingshot.

We start work on the house, using the 8x16x2/3 plate which featured heavily in LEGO city last year, adding green curved plates to each end and the front, to increase the overall footprint and provide some landscape. We build up the walls in white, with dark orange trim. The windows are arched, and a plate is protruding underneath to accomodate the new window elements.

We add the new window frames and the door, securing ir in place using a plate at the top of the door frame. The window frames can be readily substituted for the square ones, should you wish. We add some sloped bricks to give us the shape of the roof gable, and add a chimney – with a cloud plate to use as a puff of smoke, for good measure.

The rook is constructed, as has been the trend over the last few years, using a plate and clip, with tiles used to achieve the shape of the roof tiles: A small angled roof to go over the doorway conceals the clip, and holds the roof plate in position.

Finally, we add some tiles for the front facade, and the appearance is complete. By the way, I substituted the square window frames, which felt a little more ‘on brand’ for Fauna’s house. As you can see, the inside of the house is a little empty. and so we start building furniture for the interior.

We build up a quilted bed, a side tale, wit a clock above it; a potplant, a store and oven, with a little baking going on. A sink, because if the pandemic reinforced anything, it was that we should wash our hands, There is a table, set for afternoon tea – with a pot, tea cups, and a a couple of cookies and doughnuts, but in deference to tradition, no plates! Finally, fauna has a dark brown book, with blank pages. Is it a diary? A sketchbook? Maybe a lost book to be returned to another villager? Perhaps we will get some hints soon.

Having furnished the house – and yes, it is possible to fit it all in, although it does get a little cosy – it is time to move onto the landscaping. We add some flowers and a postbox to the house, and it is starting to look really quaint. (note from Tash: if the lights are on, and smoke is coming from the chimney, the villager is home.)

We add a tree, and a little pond – represented by a medium azure 4x4x2/3 plate (a new colour for the element.). the trunk is built up using inverse curved slope elements, appearing in green for the first time. The body of the tree is built up to include a hidden space, while snot bricks allow apples to be attached tot the tree using clips. A 1×1 round tile with a star printed on is hidden inside, before completing the top of the tree. This tile is a ‘bell’ – a unit of in game currency, that the player uses to purchase accessories, outfits and furnishing for their home.

Finally, we build a package, with a sliding lid. It has a balloon attached to the top, carrying it high above the tree. Inside the package is a paintbrush and palette. Just the thing Fauna needs for her sketchbook!

The Legacy AFOL’s Guide to Animal Crossing Part 1

As I put this set together, I realised that I was a little behind the 8-ball compared to some of my Millennial colleagues in the LEGO Fan Media: I’m from a different generation. I was even a little old for Fabuland, a theme which I find appealling in its nostalgia value today – even if it is not my nostalgia. I am not going to equate Animal Crossing to Fabuland. That will do both a disservice. I probably will not be able to resist comparing them. But, I thought I should fill in some of the gaps in my knowledge, so I could appreciate the subtleties of some of the references in the set. I asked Tash, one of the zoomers in the family for a little assistance.

Animal Crossing is a Video Game series from Nintendo in which the player takes on the role of a villager, and establishes a settlement with other non player characters – typically animal headed humanoids, with distinct personalities.  As part of the game play, the player customises their outfits, and environments.

The game has been around in various forms since the early days of the century, and the latest iteration, New Horizons has the player settling on an island, and shaping it to their will. Animal Crossings: New Horizons was released in early 2020, for the Nintendo Switch and based on conversation with my children and their friends, was instrumental in helping to preserve the mental health of many a young adult around the time that the COVID 19 Pandemic was provoking lockdowns around the world.

I started by asking “How do you get such a cool Island?”

“There is a bit of variety regarding initial island layouts, and you pick your favourite when starting the game. You get to customise your entire island, from where the houses go, to how many villagers you want (10 is the max, this is the most common option).

“Terraforming: you can even unlock the ability to alter the cliffs (adding or removing), alongside rivers – the modular nature could be represented well with LEGO (this is limited in this set, but we shall see later that it is an intrinsic part of the play)

“You pick where the villagers live, you buy plots of land and when they are empty you can either go searching ‘random islands’ to find ones you want to convince to come live on your island or wait for it to be filled with a random one.”

Explain the Bell. Why is it hidden in the tree, here?

Bells are the primary currency used in Animal Crossing, and with them you can buy a range of things on the island, from clothing to furniture to island upgrades such as bridges, ramps and your personal house renovation. Small amounts are represented in coin shapes, most commonly found when shaking trees: this is why they are encased in the trees in the set. Larger amounts are represented in bags/sacks, much like Tom Nook is holding.

Turnips are not technically currency, rather investments that you buy with bells with the aim of selling at a higher price (hilariously called the ‘stalk market’) – [I am yet to encounter a proper turnip in the sets: only carrots and pumpkins, along with some fruit.]

Miles are another form of currency. They are a bit different and you use them in a slightly different way, and you earn them by completing tasks / goals such as ‘catch three bugs’ or ‘spend 1,000 bells’ etc. You can buy tickets with miles to go to random islands, where you can hunt for villagers / insects / fruit not native to your island. These random islands vary in season and layout, but are pretty small compared to your island.

In this set, there is a work bench, including some tools, a slingshot and a tile printed with an acorn. Any hints as to what they are for?

The bench is a DIY workbench. The tile with the acorn print represents a recipe. In the game, you use a recipe at the work bench to used to unlock the ability to craft certain items in the game.

You shoot balloons down from the sky with slingshots, available to craft or purchase from Nook’s Cranny (like all of the tools in the game) The contents of the balloons varies, but can contain bells, outfits, objects, or recipes.

In terms of crafting, alongside the classic core items there are also seasonal recipes that you make with ingredients you can only get during specific seasons: In autumn you can find acorns on the ground or by shaking trees, and with them (and some other goods including wood, branches etc) you can make unique furniture and clothing items. The equivalent in winter is snowflakes, and around Easter there are Easter eggs (literal ones, not just hidden references!).

Vehicles were a key part of Fabuland (and LEGO Play in general). Are there any of significance in Animal crossing? I have only seen Kapp’n’s boat and a skateboard. Do you think we can expect more?

There is a seaplane: Dodos run the airport, where you are able to travel to your friends’ islands, Harv’s island or other random islands. There are other vehicles such as cars, sail boats and bicycles amongst others, but these are non-functional and are purely for decorative purposes.”

Can I resist a little Fabuland Comparison?

No!

Fabuland was the LEGO Group’s first transmedia theme, launched 45 years ago in 1979. Anthopomophic animals with alliterative names lived (mostly in harmony). It was not without drama: there were police and fire sets included in the range. I am uncertain about its reception in Japan, however I know there was a deck of memory cards released with a Japanese translation, which tells me that the brand was not unknown there.

The theme featured lots of furniture and accessories – some brick built, some borrowed from minifigures, and in later years, its own distinctive oversized accessories. There were lots of vehicles involved: cars, trucks, campervans, airplanes and boats. There was even a Fishing shack that converted into a helicopter as the B-Model.

Construction was based around modular walls and roofs, while a standard vehicle base only required a few bricks to become roadworthy.

Meanwhile, the LEGO Animal Crossing sets are based on a decades old videogame franchise, where a player customises their character’s appearance as well as the environment which they live in. In part, these aspects are also to be found at the core of LEGO play, particularly with LEGO Friends and City, although it seems to be pushed more heavily in the friends line. Unlike most LEGO themes, vehicles are not a prominent part of game play, although some of the characters have crossed over to Mario Kart games.

The Figures:

The LEGO Animal Crossing figures are based on standard minifigures, where is interchangability of parts opens up a world of customisation. The head moulds are new, and capture the form of the characters brilliantly. You can readily place them on top of any other minifigure you find. the outfits are extremely detailed, and match the onscreen appearance nicely. I do think it is clever that most of the Animal Crossing figures released so far do NOT coincide directly with existing fabuland figures. – Maybe Bunnie and Julien (the unicorn – its almost a horse), while there are definite differences between Isabelle and Paulette Poodle!

Fabuland was less versatile. figures are essentially fixed. For the first few years, the characters had plain torsos, and from 1986 onwards, some decorations were added. By the end of the run, there were over 100 different fabuland figures to be found.

These figures cannot be readily pulled apart, although, with some determination and a pair of pliers, you can pull them apart, and rearrange them. These figures use the same head articulation parts as seen in Belville and Technic Figures, which can result in some terrifying hybrids.

Modules

The builds throughout the Fabuland range were relatively simple, due to the modular nature of the walls and roofs. While there are plenty of small modular areas in Animal crossing, thanks to the use of the rounded square plates, it is not quite the same.

That said, the building in 77049 Isabelle’s House Visit is able to have its windows readily exchanged, while the roof is able to be exchanged with that on Rosie’s house, in 77050 Nook’s Cranny & Rosie’s House. I’m sure we will see some other modular examples as we proceed through future sets.

I asked Tash if the Villager’s houses were essentially the same designs/shape: essentially so. there are a couple of designs, and they are all in the colours of the different characters. I see this as a sign that we will see further houses going forward, so long as distinguishing features can be found, they will have exchangeable doors/roofs and windows. To say nothing of the different furnishings inside.

Accessories

Accessories were are intrinsic part of Fabuland play, although the range borrowed heavily from Town in the first few years: shovels, brooms and more, before Fabuland specific versions were developed in the early 80s. Some moulds, such as the Fabuland Broom and Cauldron persist to this day…

77049 Isabelle’s House Visit has a good collection of both minifigure accessories and brick built furniture: Table and Chairs; bed, stove, sink and more. The level of detail seen in these is in keeping with trends in recent years to use smaller elements (the 1×2 brick feels like the core brick these days, rather than the 2×4); To say nothing of the varied colour palette compared with 1980’s red, blue, yellow, black and white. Fabulanmd figures and the later accessories appeared in many more colours BUT the building elements were restricted to the primaries.

That said, even in the early days, some Fabuland elements such as beds were essentially premolded, while others were brick build. Premoulded Tables and chairs would follow.

Tiles would be used to represent some items in Fabuland, such as clocks, balls or other accessories, when mould was not deemed appropriate. In Animal crossing, the printed tiles are typically representing recognizable items from in game: Recipes (the acorn card); Fossils, Bells, the mobile phone or baked goods.

Fabuland and Animal Crossing feature similar play features: furniture, kitchens, garden detail. The modern parts palette allows a greater level of detail, through the accessories, but also a wider range of smaller elements and colours. The tree which was a simple one piece element in 1979 now incorporates dozens of pieces.

The Big modular building elements might be gone, but there are modular aspects of the Animal Crossing sets, to say nothing of a degree of ‘player’s discretion’ – Where does the furniture go? What about the different parts of the garden?

Modern head moulds do make these new figures VERY impressive, but I have to admit that I prefer the posability of the fabuland heads. Perhaps it is in part that Fabuland set out to build a complete society: bakers, builders, gardeners and more, while Animal Crossing appears to be full of villagers indulging their whims, while Tom Nook seems to be the only character running any sort of business? Is this key to some of the intrinsic attitudinal differences we see between Generation X and our children?

I’ll continue to look at the parallels and differences as I work through the sets but in the meantime, suffice to say that if Fabuland sets were Designed for younger children (4-9) in the 70s and 80’s; Animal crossing will have broader appeal across kids and young adults these days. Particularly those who have grown up with anmal crossing over the past 20 years. I guess this covers people from 7-8 years through to their mid 30s!

While there is not really any crossover between the story matter in Animal Crossing and Fabuland, there are aspects which I will continue to look at as we move through the sets: modularity; accessories and intriguing animal headedcharacters.

In Conclusion

As for Isabelle’s House Visit? The figures are great, and I enjoyed the landscaping and the details included in the furnishings. I see great potential for the modularity of the range, although potentially having houses locked into a given foot printcould become a little dull after a while. That said, it provides a ready template to cover the houses for future villagers (or indeed, Fabulanders)! As a first set to look at, with a house , some engaging characters and play starters, I quite enjoyed putting it together and setting up different scenarios. I find the inability of the characters feet to fit under the tables to be a little frustrating. That said, I am happy to give it 4 arbitrary Praise units out of 5. I do feel it might be a little overpriced in Australia, but is not too outrageously priced.

The set will be available at LEGO.com with a recommended retail price of AUD69.99/USD39.99/€39.99/£34.99. Please consider using our affiliate links: the Ramblingbrick might receive a commission, and it costs you mothing.

In the Meantime…What do you think of this set? A No brainer? Or a travesty to the memory of Fabuland? What not leave your comments below. We will have a look at another Animal Crossing set very soon.

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Until Next Time,

Play Well!

This set was provived by the LEGO Group for review purposes. All opinions are my own.