LEGO Disney 43225 Ariel’s Palace rumoured to be the first 18+ mini-doll set

LEGO Disney 43225 Ariel’s Palace is rumoured to be on the way in 2023 – and is expected to be the first 18+ set anchored around mini-dolls.

To date, mini-dolls have mostly been restricted to LEGO Friends and Disney sets, branching out only occasionally into themes like The LEGO Movie 2 (which was also the first theme to combine minifigures and mini-dolls in the same box). And while we’ve seen increasingly ambitious mini-doll-focused sets like 43197 The Ice Castle, none have yet broached the 18+ ceiling.

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That’s apparently all set to change in May with 43225 Ariel’s Palace, which brick_clicker reports will carry the 18+ tag on its box. Previous rumours on the set have already indicated that it will include 1,808 pieces for $159.99 – details brick_clicker corroborates – and come with mini-dolls rather than minifigures. If that’s true, the bigger picture here is that the Little Mermaid set will be our first 18+ build with mini-dolls.

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This wouldn’t be the first brick-built incarnation of the iconic Disney castle: a DUPLO version was among the earliest Disney Princess sets, while 43207 Ariel’s Underwater Palace debuted on shelves in March 2022. That 498-piece set includes mini-dolls of Ariel, Arista and King Triton – all characters we can probably expect to see in a version of the set nearly four times bigger than the current iteration.

More specific details are few and far between at this point, but brick_clicker says 43225 Ariel’s Palace (which was once suspected to be a follow-up to the now-retired 71040 The Disney Castle) will include a ‘big shell build’, and will launch on May 1. That timing makes sense given Disney’s live-action The Little Mermaid remake is currently due to debut in cinemas on May 23.

That might also mean the LEGO set is actually based on the palace as it appears in that movie, rather than the original animated feature – if it exists at all. It’s still just a rumour for the time being, so treat it with caution until we get official confirmation from the LEGO Group.

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Author Profile

Chris Wharfe
I like to think of myself as a journalist first, LEGO fan second, but we all know that’s not really the case. Journalism does run through my veins, though, like some kind of weird literary blood – the sort that will no doubt one day lead to a stress-induced heart malfunction. It’s like smoking, only worse. Thankfully, I get to write about LEGO until then.

Chris Wharfe

I like to think of myself as a journalist first, LEGO fan second, but we all know that’s not really the case. Journalism does run through my veins, though, like some kind of weird literary blood – the sort that will no doubt one day lead to a stress-induced heart malfunction. It’s like smoking, only worse. Thankfully, I get to write about LEGO until then.

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