Started with a house; now I have a tiny town.
Back when I had only one Animal Crossing set (Isabelle's House Visit), I didn't think I'd be buying any more. The pricing wasn't absurdly high, but it was still heavy with the weight of two famous brands, Lego and Nintendo.
Then the third wave of sets came along in January 2025, and I got swept up by Celeste, Leif, and Sasha/Mabel. Since I was going all in, I also picked up Nook's Cranny; because how could you have an Animal Crossing collection with no Tom Nook?
All of a sudden, I have a little town.
Dodo Airport isn't here because I got that set several months after these photos were taken.
I have no regrets expanding from one house to a tiny town. Few Lego series spark joy at the level that Animal Crossing does!
I was lucky to get all my AC sets (except Isabelle's Visit) at a decent discount. In contrast, doubt I'd pick up any fourth-wave sets even at half-price.
The fourth wave launched in August 2025, but it was a let-down for me. 77057 Seasons of Fun looks alright, but I don't really need more houses. I was very interested in rumors of 77056 Blathers' Museum Collection; but when the set released it was disappointing. Blathers himself and the triceratops fossil look fantastic; the rest of the museum doesn't.
What I'd love to see in 2026 are smaller sets. Hope we'll get Kicks the skunk and his shoe/bag stall (for about USD 10-15, please!), or Redd the con-fox with his boat of fake paintings, or Brewster in barista pigeon in his classy cafe.
And it will! I drafted this post weeks ago, but just yesterday a rumor came in that we'll see at least two Animal Crossing sets this year: one $5 polybag of Tom Nook and a larger $60 one. After the fourth wave, as well as general increase in Lego prices, I'm skeptical of seeing good value in 2026. And I don't think my cabinets have space for any more AC displays, but we shall see . . .