Review: LEGO Ideas 21324 Sesame Street

October 23, 2020 | 19

One of the most highly anticipated LEGO Ideas set in 2020 is 21324 123 Sesame Street, a playful, nostalgic journey that will surely surprise and delight anyone, regardless of how old you are.

First of all, no this set is not just for those aged 18+. LEGO’s box design choice was terrible, and this is a really family-friendly set that is suitable for even younger builders – it’s not super challenging at all.

Cookie Monster, Elmo, Bert, Ernie, Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch make their debut into the LEGO world with this incredibly playful and fun set.

LEGO 21324 Sesame Street will be released on 1 November globally, and will be available from LEGO.com and your local LEGO store.

Check out my review and thoughts of one of the most anticipated LEGO Ideas sets below!

Thanks to LEGO for providing this set for review.

Name: 123 Sesame Street
Set Number: 21324
Pieces: 1,368
Price: AU$199.99 | US$119.99 | £109.99 – Buy from LEGO.com [AU] [US] [UK]
Exclusive to: LEGO Brand Retail Stores, LEGO.com
Theme: LEGO Ideas
Release Date: 1 November

First up, stickers. We’ve been spoiled with recent LEGO Ideas sets being relatively sticker-free with prints aplenty.

The LEGO Sesame Street set relies heavily on stickers, not so much for set texture or architectural details but for the purposes of character references, and fun little Easter eggs.

Don’t be alarmed, there are some exclusive printed elements in the set (such as the Sesame Street sign).

Meet the cast of the LEGO Sesame Street set! We get the main* and most iconic characters – Elmo, Cookie Monster, Bird Bird, Bert, Ernie and Oscar the Grouch in minifigure form.

This set makes LEGO Ideas history by being the first set with new moulds introduced for the heads of the main Sesame Street cast. Previously, LEGO Ideas sets had only used existing moulds, but I’m glad LEGO made an exception with this set as I can’t think of any way to bring the muppets to live without these new heads.

Here’s Big Bird, in all his big, yellow-y glory. Did you know, Big Bird is 249cm (8’2″) tall, and debuted on the very first Sesame Street episode in 1969?

The Big Bird minifigure uses the wings from Chicken Suit Guys, but his tall headpiece is a brand new mould – it’s quite sturdy, but isn’t made out of typical ABS plastic and is instead rubbery, although not soft like certain hairpieces.

The Big Bird mould is really large, and I love that his tail is fused to it as well. It fits in very snugly onto the body.

I love Big Bird’s feathery texture which accurately mimics his appearance on the show.

Meet Oscar the Grouch, everyone’s favourite trash can-dwelling grouch. While not a minifigure, LEGO have done a decent job including him in the set, with the printed sphere featuring his trademark scowl.

Have you ever wondered what Oscar looks like outside his trash can? Wonder no more.

Here’s the Bert and Ernie minifigures, the two life-long best friends and roommates on Sesame Street. The LEGO designers have done a remarkable job capturing their appearances, and they translate best to minifigure form, with highly detailed moulding and printing on their faces.

I really love that Bert has his turtleneck as part of his outfit.

Here’s a look at the back of their heads, and back printing on their torsos. To account for their height differences, Bert has medium-length legs.

Next we have the most marketable Muppets, Cookie Monster and Elmo. These two juggernauts of merchandising have probably been responsible for turning Sesame Street into a monster marketing machine, based on how universally loved they are by kids and parents alike.

I love Cookie Monster’s google-eyes, which captures his appearance perfectly.

Unfortunately, their bodies and legs are completely plain, and it would’ve been nice to have some texture or printing on them to match their furry muppet looks.

I think the selection of minifigures is great if a little flawed – LEGO did pick the right characters to include based on their overall popularity.

Because the Sesame Street universe is so expansive, we can get into a massive discussion into who got cut that deserved to be in – frankly, I am surprised that Abby wasn’t included to balance the gender scales, but I am most disappointed at the Count’s exclusion.

Here’s the completed set! The build was really fun, and not particularly challenging. You definitely don’t have to be 18+ to build this set.

You do a bit of everything with the build, and with only 6 bags, went by a lot quicker than expected. The facade of 123 Sesame Street is really attractive with some cool architectural features.

I also enjoyed the interiors and furnishing which make great use of space, packed with details and easter eggs.

The set was also a lot larger than I expected, and from what the official photos make it look like. It’s a formidable display piece but at the same time, has plenty of room for younger kids to play around with.

There’s so much going on with the set, and I really enjoyed just how many elements of the show the designers managed to pack into the set, and you’ll definitely enjoy looking around and discovering all sorts of different references hidden in nearly every corner of 123 Sesame Street.

Here’s a look at the back of the set, which has a dollhouse like exposed back, allowing you to appreciate the interiors and place the characters in their respective homes.

Now, let’s take a tour of 123 Sesame Street.

Here’s a look at the entrance of the most important address of all – 123 Sesame Street, with its wide, inviting front stoop which has plenty of space for the minifigures to gather.

The entrance also features a printed address – the iconic building number 123 is printed on a transparent 2×1 brick which is a really nice touch.

And another nice surprise – the iconic street sign (and number above it!) is also a printed element, and I’m really glad that LEGO decided to print this part instead of opt for stickers, which they totally could have.

The street lamp also fittingly makes its debut in green, and I really like the use of the pearlescent globe which just makes it pop.

In this shot, you can also see the blue mailbox (remember to vote if you’re in the US) which was constructed using a really ingenious technique – using light blue syringes as feet.

There’s a lot going on in the main Sesame Street thoroughfare, and I love how much space is available for all the minifigures to interact with one another.

Here’s a look at Oscar’s home – a small enclave located right next to the Sesame Street steps. He’s in a really prime spot to be grumpy at passerbys.

I LOVE the fact that they included Oscar’s pet – Slimey the worm, printed on a heart tile. It’s super cute, and I just love that he has a buddy keeping him company.

Next to Oscar is a dark red crate, which contains a green sack, a particularly rare element, as it was previously only available in the Christmas X-Wing, which was an employee set.

It also wouldn’t be New York without a pizza box, and it’s nice to get another one of these printed Pizza tiles.

Over on the right is Big Bird’s nest, which is littered with a ton of cool little Easter eggs. I love his blue mailbox, and also the portrait of Mr. Snuffleupagus, his wooly mammoth imaginary friend, as well as the portrait of Mr Hooper behind him.

Moving back to the other side of the building, we have Hooper’s Store, a small general store, that’s set up like a bodega. Outside of the store is a box filled with a carrot, banana, and a newspaper with a reference to Super Grover. There’s also a newspaper about a Winter Porridge shortage.

The insides of Mr Hooper’s store is packed with little things to buy, and I love that the designer incorporated tiles from Dots to serve as illustrated elements without resorting to stickers.

I’m not sure if the tile with peanuts is new, but I’ve never seen it before. There’s also a cash register, and a counter to serve guests.

Directly across Hooper’s Store is a table and chair, and some really nice fencing on the side, along with a streetlamp.

Hooper’s Store has an upper level for Cookie Monster’s room. I don’t really recall Cookie Monster having an apartment, but my memory is hazy, but he has quite the cozy loft. No bed as real estate prices in New York are insane, so he just has a pale yellow couch and footrest.

Here’s a closer look at Cookie Monster’s room, which is littered with Easter eggs. Firstly, there’s a photo of Cookie Monster’s Foodie Truck behind him.

On the TV there is Guy Smiley the game show host, and above it a massive portrait of The Count. It’s so large and prominent probably as an apology for him getting cut from the set.

Now let’s take a look at the main 123 Sesame Street building. The facade is really well done, especially the design of the windows, and small architectural sculptures over the main entrance.

Windows are used prominently in the show (handy, when you’re using puppets), and thus also feature heavily around the build, with plenty of detail around them, and open windows for the minifigures to stick their heads out.

The sides of the building feature plenty of details as well, such as this massive poster of Biff and Sully’s Construction Company, and an outdoor wire balcony with some weed, a potted plant.

The designers probably felt bad omitting Abby, so there’s a massive graffiti portrait of her right next to her fairy garden, which is super charming. As a nod to the fairy muppet, her wand is also featured in the garden.

Here’s a look at the roof, which has some nicely designed chimneys.

On the other end is a little hutch for pigeons, and also two white birds included which is great as urban wildlife is a constant theme in the show.

What I love most is just how much space there is for minifigures, so you could pack the entire cast on the roof easily.

The ground floor is mostly taken up by Elmo’s bedroom. There is a dresser with a rocket, and a fishbowl on it, a toy train that goes under Elmo’s bed, and a stuffed bunny.

On the wall are more omitted muppets, including a family portrait with Elmo and his dad, and beneath it a photo of Rosita and Zoe.

On the other end of the room in the main hallway is a message board filled with all sorts of notes and drawings, a black telephone, and above it a bell, which clever uses the cherry element.

The last room in the home is the most detailed – Bert and Ernie’s room. Their room is captured almost perfectly, and is the most detailed out of every other section of the set.

Bert and Ernie’s single beds are situated next to each other, and there are plenty of neat decorations inside such as a dinosaur model, a ball, a board where Bert proudly displays his collection of bottle caps.

The lamp is sublime, making great use of the LEGO Minecraft heads.

There’s also a dark green lounge chair, for uhm, Bert to watch Ernie in the bath? There’s a recipe book on Cooking with Oatmeal, which has a pretty gross instructions to mix 1 Cup of Oatmeal with Mango, and Butter Milk on the inside.

I wouldn’t try it if I were you.

And to close the 123 Sesame Street tour off, we have what is one of the most recognizable spots in the entire home – Ernie’s bathtub, which also contains his beloved Rubber Ducky.

The design of the Bathtub is great, even if the positioning and proximity to their bed is pretty suss, but I love how simple yet effective they’ve made it.

Above the bookshelf is also a reference to the Pinball game!

What I liked:

• Fun, varied build that’s both enjoyable and interesting
• The minifigure designs absolutely nail it and translate well into LEGO
• The set’s large size and display presence
• All the Sesame Street Easter eggs hidden throughout
• The playability and displayability is amongst the best this year
• Despite the high price, it packs a ton of value

What I didn’t like:

• No Count minifigure
• Sticker sheet is a little excessive
• The box design and calling this an 18+ set is just silly and confusing
• The Australian RRP of AU$199.99

Final thoughts: I absolutely love the LEGO Ideas 123 Sesame Street set, and this is one of the best LEGO sets in 2020 in every single area.

First of all, outside of some character omissions like The Count, or the large number of stickers, this set is pretty much flawless.

Unless you count the packaging. I understand, but cannot fathom why LEGO would lump  a Sesame Street set into its 18+ theme. This is clearly aimed at nostalgic adults, but also parents who have Sesame Street-watching kids, and apart from the design, is a really accessible, family-friendly set.

Now that it’s out of the way, you can truly tell that the designers poured their hearts and souls and love of Sesame Street into this set. The minifigures are great, and I love that LEGO bent their rules about no new moulds or minifigure elements in an Ideas set for this set.

Having Cookie Monster, Elmo, Big Bird, Bert and Ernie as minifigures is so great, and their cartoony muppet looks translate so well to minifigure form.

The LEGO Sesame Street set just exudes charm, and I love that the designers who were obviously limited by the number of characters and minifigures to include in the set, littered the entire set with references and Easter Eggs to the wider Sesame Street universe, and characters who were left out.

Despite the set’s high price, I think this set is amazing value, and will be a great set to pick up for those who grew up with Sesame Street (all of us?) or if you’re a parent to young kids who have been entranced by the magic and wholesomeness that is Sesame Street.

I also loved how amazing this set looks on display. It is a large set, and commands quite a presence on your display shelf. As a bonus, there is so much space to play with, and you can place the minifigures around in so many spots, that the play options are endless.

My daughter just loves playing with this set, and interacting with all the elements throughout thanks to the dollhouse design.

With the Christmas season coming up, this is going to sell like absolute hotcakes, and is one of the best pop culture-themed LEGO Ideas sets to have been released.

Instant buy recommendation for this – you will not regret it at all. I don’t hand out perfect scores often, but the LEGO Ideas Sesame Street set gets a convincing 5 out of 5 stars from me.

Rating: 5/5

Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed this early review of 21324 Sesame Street

What do you think of the LEGO Ideas Sesame Street set? Is this a must-buy?

If you have any other questions about the set, or minifigures, please let me know in the comments!

21324 123 Sesame Street will be available from LEGO.com on 1 November onwards from LEGO.com or your local LEGO store.

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