There are many different symbols of the festive period, but one of the tastiest is gingerbread. The slightly spiced sweet treats have been used to create decorations and structures such as houses. Gingerbread has also been the focus of several Christmas LEGO® sets, including the upcoming Star Wars AT-AT. But the set, which is the focus of this review, is a little more traditional. Here’s an early look around the Festive Gingerbread House.
Product Details
Set Name: Festive Gingerbread House | Set Number: 40809 | Pieces: 498 | Theme: Seasonal
Number of Bags: Bags x 5 | Instructions: Paper booklet + Builder App | Stickers: sheet x 1 | Characters: Santa
RRP: £34.99/39.99€/$39.99/59.99AUD/49.99CAD
Availability: LEGO Stores & LEGO Online from October 1st
This isn’t the first time a Gingerbread house has been featured in a LEGO set. In 2019, the annual Winter Village set was a Gingerbread House, and a few years before that, we were treated to a gingerbread-themed GWP. This new set sits between both sets, offering a smaller house but also an interior.
Medium Nougat has become the go-to element colour for gingerbread-themed LEGO sets. Although a little lighter in tone than actual gingerbread, it’s the perfect colour to represent the biscuit. Moreso when combined with white pieces to represent icing and other colourful pieces often used to replicate the sweet treats which decorate gingerbread characters and houses. This makes many of the gingerbread-themed LEGO sets seem quite similar, but if particular colour elements work well to represent something, why change them? One of my favourite parts of the house’s exterior detail is the smaller windows. These are simply crafted from different coloured transparent bricks.
The house is split into two sections, which are connected together with a hinge joint. So the house can be displayed as an enclosed house or opened out. This gives access to the house’s interior. Although the overall structure is quite small, there are various little details found inside the house. These include a fireplace, sink and sitting room on the lower floor. Upstairs is a small bedroom and an area where Santa can answer letters. The connection to Santa is a strange one, as he’s not normally known to dwell in a Gingerbread House.
A Santa minifigure is included in the set; this is the most up-to-date version of the character. That includes dual-moulded legs, a detailed head and the usual hat, torso and sack of gifts. I’d have preferred a gingerbread-theme minifigure, to be honest or something a little more unique instead of Santa.
LEGO fans are always treated to plenty of different builds around the Christmas period. This year in particular, we get the annual Winter Village set, Advent calendars and for the first time, a larger-scale Christmas build in the Family Christmas Tree. But it’s nice to have smaller sets such as the Festive Gingerbread House. It may seem a little too similar to past sets; however, it does offer something a little different. It’s a shame the minifigure isn’t something more unique than yet another Santa. Regardless, the set will look great as part of your festive decorations. The Festive Gingerbread House launches on October 1st.
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The LEGO Group provided this set to BricksFanz for this review. However, the thoughts expressed in this review are those of BricksFanz and do not reflect those of the LEGO Group. Providing a set for free does not guarantee a favourable opinion of the set.
