Lego Julian's Birthday Party (77046) review: "A colorful burst of joy, but missing out on some Animal Crossing touches"

Dec. 4, 2024

Small yet perfectly formed, the Lego Animal Crossing Julian’s Birthday Party set won’t be the headline in your collection, but if you’re looking to expand from one of the bigger Lego Animal Crossing kits, it’s a delightful addition.

Bright and colorful little set

Really great price

Sweet addition to a growing Animal Crossing Lego collection

Never going to be the only Animal Crossing Lego set you buy

The weakest Animal Crossing tie-in

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The smallest of the Lego Animal Crossing sets, Julian’s Birthday Party, isn’t without its charms. It’s bright, colorful, and if you’re a Julian stan like me, it’s a fantastic set to add to your collection. However, compared to the other Animal Crossing Lego options it’s the weakest when it comes to the actual video game tie-ins beyond the minifig and a couple of other additions.

Julian’s Birthday Party consists of the Julian minifigure and a small selection of green grassy plates on which you can assemble the unicorn’s various presents, assortment of birthday party supplies, and an iconic Animal Crossing tree - complete with hidden surprise inside.

The set is meant to be a nod to celebrating your birthday, or that of one of your villagers, in Animal Crossing New Horizons, but rather than being inside one of the villagers' homes, this set takes the festivities outside. The gifts, bunting decoration, and little cakes are great fun to build and set out, but there’s something distinctively ‘Animal Crossing’ missing about this set in the range. It’s unlikely to rank amongst thebest Lego setsas a result.

Handily, it combines really well with any other set in the Animal Crossing Lego range, which makes this affordable kit hard to recommend on its own but excellent as a gift or treat for anyone looking to build out their own New Horizons island with multiple Lego Animal Crossing models.

Even with me taking my time to enjoy building this set, Julian’s Birthday Party will only take you around 30 minutes from start to finish. There’s not much complexity here, beyond the placement of the pieces atop the presents to create the bows and other such decorations. It’s fiddly at worst, but not taxing at all.

However, that does reflect the fact that this is a very entry-level set when it comes to its price. It’s not designed to be a complex, lengthy build, but more a quick blocky way to fill some time with something cute.

Julian’s Birthday Party feels designed to be an addition to your collection rather than a starting point or a solo purchase. It’s delightful in its own way, with its pastel color scheme, array of presents, cupcakes, and other birthday paraphernalia. The bunting is a nice touch, and really adds some verticality to this otherwise fairly compact set.

Meanwhile, the Julian minifig with its interstellar hoodie captures the in-game character well. The ability to add a little gold party hat is pretty adorable too.

But, I do think this set is missing some of the hidden nods to the Animal Crossing: New Horizons game that I’ve discovered building other sets in the Lego Animal Crossing range. The tree keeps its secrets, and the presents can be filled with small items, but beyond the tree design and Julian himself, it doesn’t exactly scream ‘Animal Crossing’ like the other sets.

Should you buy Lego Julian’s Birthday Party?

The Lego Animal Crossing Julian’s Birthday Party set is a great way to expand your collection or as a treat for a younger fan. It’s really sweet, but lacks the Animal Crossing tie-ins that really make the other sets so lustworthy.

✅You want to complete your Animal Crossing Lego collectionAdding Julian’s Birthday Party set to your other Animal Crossing Lego builds is such a great idea. It’s such a bright, colorful burst of joy, and it works well with sets likeLego Isabelle’s House Visitor theLego Nook’s Cranny and Rosie’s Househeadliner.

✅You’ve got your heart set on the Julian minifigureThe great thing about this set being so affordable is that it’s such a great way to grab the Julian minifig if he’s one of your favorite villagers.

❌ You’re looking for an iconic Animal Crossing setThis is a great set for kids because it’s so accessible, but if you’re looking for something shelf-worthy that absolutely screams Animal Crossing, you’re better off spending a little more and indulging in those delightful - and much more obvious - game nods.

This review was made using a set purchased by the writer.

The Julian’s Birthday Party set was built on a Saturday, taking around 30 minutes to complete and admire. We compared the set’s features and quality to that of other Animal Crossing Lego builds, much of which I had also bought and built myself in the same weekend.

For more on our review process, make sure to check out our’how we test' guide.

Looking for more bricks to build? Be sure to check out thebest Lego Star Wars sets. It’s also worth dropping in on our guide toLego dealsif you want to save some money along the way.

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