‘I wanted an absolute army of squirrels’, says LEGO Snow White designer

LEGO Disney 43242 Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs’ Cottage almost had a whole lot more squirrels than it ended up with.

Snow White’s unique skill of charming animals is one of her defining features, so it was understandably expected that there would be a zoo’s worth of animals in LEGO Disney 43242 Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs’ Cottage. While there are plenty of minifigures, in terms of animals and creatures, we’re working with two squirrels (grey and brown), three birds (two white doves and a blue bird), a white rabbit, a spider, and a pale yellow butterfly. There’s no sign of any larger animals at all, whether that’s a deer, a raccoon, or any of the other furry friends that we see Snow White hanging out with during the original animated movie.

It’s not just LEGO Disney fans who were keen to see more animals, either. The set’s own designer, Ryan Van Woerkom, had a philosophy of ‘the more, the merrier’ when it came to animals – only to realise that it wasn’t wholly practical.

“I would have had an absolute army of squirrels,” Ryan said during a roundtable ahead of 43242 Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs’ Cottage’s release. “That was an ongoing joke that I had throughout the whole process with my creative lead.

“I always said: if I get any more budget, I’m just getting more squirrels. That’s all we’re doing. It’s just more squirrels.”

We’ve already touched on how there was a potential deer element ready and waiting, thanks to the Bambi figure from 43230 Walt Disney Tribute Camera – potentially in need of some recolouring but otherwise good to go. However, while a deer was discussed, Ryan ultimately decided on other priorities.

“Ultimately, that deer was swapped out to allow for the well build, which I felt was more iconic and a nice way to start the building experience with this first scene from the film,” explained Ryan.

All in all, animals are a relatively easy element to add more of to your own build, whereas the design-led builds, like the well, rely on expertise from designers like Ryan. If the LEGO Disney team had to pick one part of the set to prioritise, it’s probably smart to focus on areas that fans can’t fix themselves.

For example, a quick look at LEGO’s Pick a Brick service shows you can pick up the very same squirrels used in 43242 Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs’ Cottage for as little as £1.37 a piece, while some deer options courtesy of LEGO DUPLO are available between £4.57 and £7.25.

43242 Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs’ Cottage arrives on March 1 for LEGO Insiders, before receiving a wider launch on March 4, priced at £189.99 in the UK, $219.99 in the US and €219.99 in Europe. You can find out more about the upcoming model by taking a look at our visual guide here.

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Rachael Davies

I write about all the very best fandoms – and that means LEGO, of course. Spending so much time looking at and talking about LEGO sets is dangerous for my bank balance, but the LEGO shelves are thriving. You win some, you lose some.

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