Discover The Therapeutic Power Of Pink Frogs!
And guess what? They grow on trees! How cool is that?!?
Have you heard the story of the 101 Dalmatians? I bet you have. But have you heard the story of the 101 frogs? No? Thought so. They’re also pink! All 101 of them! How about that for a plot twist, ha? 😁
I regretfully must admit something. I am absolutely terrible at keeping plants alive. My mum’s great at it. One of my best friends Raluca LICĂU is great at it. The last girl I talked to on Bumble was great at it too! I’m, however, complete shite at it. Most of my actual plants are in a perpetual cycle of coma and short lapses of consciousness, in which I’m sure by now, all they can think of is their next coma session. It’s a shame, really, because I do like plants. I mean, they look great and brighten up any place, not just a room. Imagine a world without plants. It would be incredibly depressing, to say the least. So, to solve my problem, I went down a — let’s call it — creative path and got myself some plants that don’t need any interaction from me, yet look gorgeous and undoubtedly brighten up my living space.
Meet the Lego bonsai tree…
I think one of the most genius moves from Lego in the last couple of years was the introduction of the Botanical Collection sets. These are all medium-sized sets, and all under 100 bucks, in fact, many can often be found for under 50 bucks! A generally good price-to-piece ratio, generally ranging between 600 and 900 pieces per set. The Lego Bonsai Tree, set number 10281, is another fantastic example of how imagination coupled with bricks can result in truly artistic creations, and who knew it comes with 101 frogs! Pink frogs!
The Lego Bonsai Tree set is an interesting one, and in some ways I think the design on the box doesn’t quite do it justice. I’ve been aware of the set for quite some time, and kept putting it off because I didn’t think it was impressive enough for the money. But today, as I went to shop for another Botanical Collection set (review coming very soon, so subscribe), I decided to go for it. It was priced down to just 47 bucks, and I knew there was a chance this set will not be around for much longer. This is what usually happens with Lego sets. You have the initial launch price, then for a while the price will keep going down, bit by bit, to around 70% of its original price up to the point where it becomes a legacy set overnight, and the price shoots up like crazy. Some sets are easily selling for 10,000–15,000 bucks! Fucking crazy!
This set, regardless of the 18+ recommended age, I still think is of medium difficulty and even a 13–14 year old teenager can have a go at it. I think I spent a leisurely two hours building the entire set, and that includes the alternative foliage. On that note, I think it’s worth highlighting the absolute accuracy when building said foliage isn’t really required. Following the instructions religiously, especially for the blooming flower branches, is entirely unnecessary. As long as you follow the general idea, you’ll be grand.
And since I’m on the topic of blooming flowers, that’s where the pink frogs come in. Believe it or not, that’s what Lego decided to use, and I genuinely think it works. In fact, I think it works so well, that out of the two alternative builds, I think the blooming bonsai tree looks much better than just the regular green.
On that note, you’ll be happy and surprised to know that all the pieces that represent plants are actually made of plants. Yup! Plastic from plants. Suck on that, Putin! We’ll just make plastic from grass now, no need for yer dirty oil.
Overall, as said, this isn’t a difficult set to build, and the clearly staged approach of six stages with their respective bags, makes this an even easier build. I will say this, though: Lego needs to up the print quality on their instruction manuals. Having all that brown and trying to follow all the steps, even for me with 20–20 vision, was sometimes difficult. Definitely, a bit more contrast is needed to avoid mistakes. You’re also only left with just a couple of spare pieces, so mistakes are not something you want to make.
Even if building Lego plants is not really up your alley, I still think this is a great present for both males and females, a unisex set really for anyone who loves plants regardless of age.
This is yet another set that enabled me to remove myself from the daily rinse-and-repeat of working from home, staring at screens because regardless of how much I love writing code, or talking to my colleagues on Zoom, sometimes all I need is a few bags of bricks that I can stick together in peace and solitude, with a record playing in the background. It’s therapy like no other.
Keep ’em coming, Lego!
I am sure many of you who will read this article will find it quite surprising to see a plant made of Lego. This is also not the first one I feature on my blog, nor will it be the last. I’m quite invested in this series. I have been a Lego fan since the age of 7, so clearly these are an easy sell for me, but what I think Lego manages to pull off now is something entirely different. It’s getting adults — which these sets are clearly intended for with the 18+ rating on the box — interested in a method of relaxation, therapy, a new, creative approach to disconnecting from everything else, which building a set like this will absolutely deliver on.
There is one flaw though in Lego’s strategy, which one could argue isn’t necessarily Lego’s fault, but the retailers who sell these sets. All major retailers are either toy shops or supermarkets that place these on the toys’ aisle. I think this is a major mistake.
The Lego Botanical Collection is anything but a toy. These sets should sit proudly among other products catering to relaxation, therapy, creativity, and home decor.
Lego could turn its Botanical Collection into a new craze among adults, and all it would have to do it market it appropriately. These are sets that would find a fantastic home in every IKEA store, randomly placed on appropriate furniture. I could see them being promoted in pharmacies and holistic medicine and relaxation shops next to teas and aroma diffusers. I think many people will be amazed by the power of a relaxing Lego set that they don’t just build, but get to place on the night-stand, the window-sill or wherever it makes the most sense to them.
No, it’s not a real plant, but it’s genuinely the next best thing.
Keep ’em coming, Lego. These are the sets I’ll never say no to. But, how about you? Would you see yourself building a set like this? 💬
Attila Vago — Software Engineer improving the world one line of code at a time. Cool nerd since forever, writer of codes and blogs. Web accessibility advocate, Lego fan, vinyl record collector. Loves craft beer!
