LEGO 43225 The Little Mermaid Royal Clamshell is inspired by an aquarium 

One of the LEGO designers behind 43225 The Little Mermaid Royal Clamshell has opened up about the set’s interesting origins. 

LEGO designer Marcos Bessa has taken to Instagram following the reveal of 43225 The Little Mermaid Royal Clamshell to discuss the unique model’s origins. 

“We had a chance to see only very few visuals – early concept drawings – of some of the key locations of the new movie, and although astonishingly beautiful, they were all very ‘organic’ and soft in their features,” wrote Bessa.  

“That’s when this idea of capturing a sample of this underwater world into a clamshell came to mind, almost like a piece of landscape inside an aquarium” 

Provided there are little or no stickers in 43225 The Little Mermaid Royal Clamshell, it might be at home in a sizable aquarium tank thanks to its natural design. 

43225 The Little Mermaid Royal Clamshell launches on May 4, 2023, for £139.99 / $159.99 / €179.99 but the initial press release and Bessa state that it is launching on May 1. The official online store doesn’t appear to have confirmed a VIP early access period at the time of writing. 

Bessa is also working on 43221 100 Years of Disney Animation Icons and expressed his excitement for that set earlier this week. 

Every 2023 LEGO The Little Mermaid set

Set name	Price	Release date
43213 Little Mermaid Story Book	£17.99 / $19.99 / €19.99	May 1, 2023 (pre-orders open from April 23)
43225 Little Mermaid Royal Clamshell	£139.99 / $159.99 / €159.99	May 4, 2023 (pre-orders open from April 23)
43229 Ariel’s Treasure Chest	£42.99 / $47.99 / €47.99	June 1, 2023

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