Lego Nook's Cranny & Rosie's House (77050) review: "A lovely, albeit relatively straightforward, set"

When it comes to the initial release of Lego Animal Crossing sets, the headliner is obviously Nook's Cranny & Rosie's House. Not only does it include Tom Nook and his eponymous store, but it's the biggest build of the lot at 535 pieces - and also the most expensive. Considering how expensive some of the key sets in other Lego lines can be, I'd actually say this one is rather affordable, and if you're already a fan of the best Lego sets and Animal Crossing both, there is essentially no reason not to splurge here; Nook's Cranny & Rosie's House is a lovely, albeit relatively straightforward, set.

Lego Nook's Cranny & Rosie's House features

• Biggest and most expensive kit so far
• Comes with lots of accessories
• Buildings are facades, like dollhouses

This kit is the biggest and most complex of Lego Animal Crossing's first wave; it's roughly double the size of Isabelle's House Visit... and is double the price as a result. However, it does feature two building facades (the iconic Nook's Cranny store alongside Rosie's House) that can be flipped around to reveal what's inside. Two minifigures and plenty of accessories are included too, alongside flowers and an orange tree for good measure.

At the time of writing, this is the only way to get the Tom Nook minifig.

Lego Nook's Cranny & Rosie's House build

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• Will only take a couple hours
• It's a bigger set, but not complex
• Lots of intricate detail

Despite being one of the largest sets in the Animal Crossing line, Nook is actually fairly tame in terms of complexity. Having put together several of them, it seems like the designers really went for specificity when it came to complexity over anything mechanical or unusual. The little quilt design, for example, on Rosie's bed is individually colored Lego bricks, as are the little flags outside the shop doors. The little multicolored awnings to either side are made from a series of layered bricks, meanwhile, as are the roofs of each building. It's not particularly complicated, but it is intricate, and it adds a certain charm to the whole thing. Due to the little tidbits, the set took nearly two hours to complete, but I wasn't exactly trying to speed my way through.

That intricacy is really what sets Nook's Cranny & Rosie's House apart from the rest of the line, if I'm being honest. It's not my favorite build I've done from the line – that is actually Lego Bunnie's Outdoor Activities, which is one of the smaller sets. But it has the largest amount of fine detail compared to the rest of them. I find that it's these smaller details that really go a long way. The fact that the little recycling bin opens up and there's a carrot in there, for example. There's an entire little tea party with an umbrella. And the aforementioned flags outside Nook's Cranny and Rosie's quilt aren't exactly amazing on their own, but those little touches add up when there are so many of them combined together as part of the whole.

Lego Nook's Cranny & Rosie's House design

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• Lots of customization options
• A focal point when combined with other kits
• Brings the entire range together

In addition to the usual Lego Animal Crossing modularity where the bases with scenes on them can be connected in any kind of way, the open backs of both homes allow for some significant customization within. The building guide actually suggests multiple different layouts for Rosie's home, for example, and it's up to the builder to decide how best to go about decorating inside. Nook's itself is more straightforward, but given the setup with multiple different pieces that can hold smaller ones – the drawer under the cash register, the fridge with shelves, the barrel for rakes and the like, and the explicit openings in the window display – there is certainly plenty of opportunity to play around beyond the designed specifications.

Of the Lego Animal Crossing sets I've built, the Nook's Cranny & Rosie's House set also has the benefit of including the only characters that actually excite me. It's not exactly a new phenomenon for the more popular characters in a franchise to appear in the more expensive sets, but at least it makes sense that Tom Nook would appear with… well, the store he owns. But Rosie also happens to be a favorite of mine, and I suspect I'm not alone, so the combination of these two together is hard to turn down even at the higher price point.

When it comes to Lego sets like this that are both somewhat expensive and aimed at children, it can be a struggle to fully recommend them. While it's not the same cost as, say, a Nintendo Switch, it does cost a not-insignificant amount, and is effectively a model kit at best. I'm not entirely convinced that the ability to swap in a different window shape into Rosie's home is worth the money.

But when it comes to the Lego Animal Crossing line, which is so obviously designed to be built together and exist as part of a modular ecosystem of sorts, it does feel like the Nook's Cranny & Rosie's House set is the obvious focal point for any larger group of them. You can have just about any of the other sets together with this one, be it Lego Kappn's Island Boat Tour or Isabelle's House Visit, and have something akin to a functional Lego Animal Crossing town, but if you don't have the Nook's Cranny & Rosie's House set, it's all a bit disjointed. I know from experience; this was the last Lego Animal Crossing set that I built, and the rest of them didn't quite work together without this one as a keystone.

Should you buy Lego Nook's Cranny & Rosie's House?

If you're going to build more than one Lego Animal Crossing set, you really should get this one as well. If you're just going to go about it piecemeal, or have a specific set you want all on its lonesome, that's probably fine. But the Nook's Cranny & Rosie's House set is a must-have for anyone that really wants to fully embrace the game's vibes.

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

How we tested Lego Nook's Cranny & Rosie's House

This set was built over the course of a single, two-hour session. As well as noting difficult or enjoyable aspects of the build, we were sure to compare the kit to other sets in the range - not to mention how they all look together.

For more on our process, see our 'how we test' guide.

Want to save as much as possible? Don't miss these Lego deals. You can also get other recommendations via our guide to the best Lego Star Wars sets.