LEGO Wicked 75681 Glinda, Elphaba & Nessarose at Shiz University review

LEGO Wicked’s smallest set looks basic but is curiously complex, making it too difficult for the youngest of LEGO fans – and too dull for anyone else.

Let’s face it: most people looking to pick up 75681 Glinda, Elphaba & Nessarose at Shiz University will do so because the other LEGO Wicked sets are a little too expensive. Unfortunately, all of the best things about LEGO Wicked are reserved for the pricier sets, and 75681 Glinda, Elphaba & Nessarose at Shiz University ends up feeling a bit sparse and featureless despite having been designed for a 7+ audience that frankly deserves something more interesting.

Release: 1 October, 2024 Price: £24.99 / $29.99 / €29.99 Pieces: 304 Mini-dolls: 3 LEGO: Order now

What the Shiz?

It’s difficult to know exactly what type of LEGO fan 75681 Glinda, Elphaba & Nessarose at Shiz University is actually designed to serve – beyond, of course, fans of Wicked. Taking an initial glance at the set, it calls to mind some of the more basic Disney Princess sets – potentially even some of the 4+ sets that are little more than a few large, chunky columns and archways that hint at a building without being too difficult to construct.

What is odd about 75681 Glinda, Elphaba & Nessarose at Shiz University, though, is that the set itself is made up of a lot of smaller elements, which all combine to create the false impression of simplicity. Many fiddly elements are used to create something that looks like a larger, more straightforward element.

In practice, this means that the set is too complex for younger fans, but older LEGO fans will likely be underwhelmed by the final build, which lacks much in terms of substance. But, then, those who are buying this set are here less for the actual architecture itself, and more for the mini-dolls included in the box.

Lacking character

There’s no denying it: the mini-dolls that are included in this box are not the best that the Wicked theme has to offer. While Glinda’s pretty pink outfit, complete with hair bow, is certainly fitting (if a little less ornate than the dress included in 75684 Welcome to Emerald City), Elphaba’s school outfit is significantly less fun than her all-black witch’s garb from later in the story.

This set is no doubt going to appeal to LEGO fans who want a little bit of Wicked without having to commit to the higher price point for the other two sets, and unfortunately, that means receiving a less exciting selection of mini-doll clothing.

The only redeeming feature among these mini-dolls is the inclusion of Nessarose, a character who doesn’t appear in any of the other Wicked sets. While the character does come with a lovely golden wheelchair, she doesn’t get a unique hair mould, and, without wanting to give concrete spoilers, her most interesting wardrobe choices don’t appear until long after the Shiz University part of the Wicked story has concluded, so this doesn’t feel like an absolute must-have mini-doll.

All wet

The sailboat that comes with 75681 Glinda, Elphaba & Nessarose at Shiz University is one of the more interesting features in the box, and while it’s not really anything that hasn’t been seen before in various LEGO Disney Princess sets, it is nice to see this particular boat mould in coral rather than the more traditional brown.

The boat’s sails are delightfully ornate with some enjoyable printing, while Glinda’s many boxes of clothes are similarly detailed thanks to some printed tiles. Nothing here is all that new or innovative, but the boat is a nice highlight in a set that otherwise struggles to look like much of anything beyond a featureless archway.

This set was provided for review by the LEGO Group.

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Our honest opinion: Somehow both barebones and over-designed, this is too basic for older LEGO fans to get much out of, but too complicated for the younger audience that these kinds of sets typically aim for.