LEGO Animal Crossing’s new sets are coming full circle

The latest two LEGO Animal Crossing sets feature an inspired function that coincidentally calls back to the unofficial chapter of the theme’s history.

 77051 Fly with Dodo Airlines and 77052 K.K.’s Concert at the Plaza have been revealed by an online retailer, including pictures of the back of their boxes. These sets include a new feature for the theme that encourages you to customise your island’s flag in a four-by-four space using tiled elements.

This recreates the pattern feature that can be found in-game, allowing you to recreate the designs you have created in-game in the LEGO sets. This should remind you of LEGO DOTS and the mosaic-like customisation that was encouraged in the retired theme’s many models.

The theme has continued to live on through the likes of LEGO Disney and more since its retirement but for LEGO Animal Crossing, the connections go one level deeper.

Before LEGO Animal Crossing began as a full theme, the LEGO Group unofficially used Animal Crossing: New Horizons to promote LEGO DOTS with patterns that you could use on clothing, furniture and flags in-game.

Now, these same patterns can be recreated with LEGO elements in an official LEGO Animal Crossing set. The fact that the models are encouraging such customisation demonstrates that the theme has come full circle in its first year of release.

LEGO DOTS is living on through LEGO Animal Crossing but unlike its continued legacy in LEGO Disney, it’s more personal for the Nintendo theme as it calls back to the start of the partnership, despite it not being official with Nintendo at the time.

77051 Fly with Dodo Airlines and 77052 K.K.’s Concert at the Plaza launch on August 1, 2024, with iconic characters including Wilbur and K.K. Slider as well as adding two essential services to your island. You can find out more about them by clicking here.

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