Join us as we go behind the scenes to learn how we recreated the iconic Weasley family home, The Burrow, in our latest Collectors’ Edition set.
It all started with a field trip to the Warner Bros. Studio Tour: The Making of Harry Potter™. Our LEGO® designers ventured just outside of London to check out the amazing props and sets. At the time, the Studio Tour was working on a brand-new model.
And while the model wasn’t yet open to the public, LEGO designer George Gilliat managed to get a sneaky glimpse by reaching his phone over the wall. Classic Slytherin™.
He was amazed at what he saw…
“I could see this half-scale version of The Burrow with a pig pen on the side of the house. The pen had this kind of architectural detail that you see in a lot of English country gardens, where it has a rounded top to the wall, and it comes together in a corner.”
It reminded him of a LEGO piece they’d just created in that exact shape. How convenient.
George went back to his workshop to see if the piece worked. It did. The team got excited…
“We’ve done The Burrow twice before as playsets, once in 2010 and once in 2020,” said George. “It was a product that we knew a lot of people loved, but we also knew there was so much more that we could do if we made a bigger version.”
With a swish and a flick, the new LEGO Harry Potter The Burrow – Collectors’ Edition was born. Measuring over 18 in. (46cm) high and 9.5 in. (25cm) wide, the new set is packed with hundreds of magical details that fans will love, including the first-ever pigsty and all nine Weasleys in minifigure form. Fifty points, if you can name them all.
Fans first set eyes on The Burrow in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets™. In the movie, the toppling structure is held up by magic. Our team had to achieve this same look without wands.
“I did a lot of math to figure out the perfect angle we needed to make the structure tip to one side, but not stress the LEGO elements,” George explained. And the result? A perfectly crooked cottage.
“I’m also proud that we managed to make the building fully enclosed.” This means you can display the set, open or closed, with a seamless hinge function. Time to step inside…
Unlike Muggle™ homes, daily tasks are a little easier in the Wizarding World.
“In the movies, it’s the first time that Harry sees a wizarding household and we wanted to translate as much of that everyday magic into the set, like the dishes washing themselves and floating knitting needles,” said George. “You can push a button on the side of the sink and a brush will move on its own over the top of the frying pan”, he adds.
Let’s not forget the fireplace. Place a character into the fireplace, turn a dial and watch green LEGO flames send them up into the Floo Network. Just don’t say “Diagonally” unless you want to end up in Knockturn Alley (which is entirely possible with the Borgin and Burkes: Floo Network (40695) Gift with Purchase set, available on BrickLink).
Homecooked meals, magical clocks and cozy Christmases, The Burrow plays host to many memorable scenes, and now fans can recreate the magic at home.
When it came to the bedrooms, the team managed to include them all.
“There are so many rooms that we don’t see in the movies, but we knew they all had to be there, so we did some research and worked with Warner Bros. to pack them with Easter eggs.” (Like Arthur Weasley’s fascination with rubber ducks and Ginny’s love for the Holyhead Harpies...)
The Weasleys are one of the most loved families in the Wizarding World (by fans anyway!). When they’re not at Hogwarts™, you’ll find them at The Burrow, a rickety home that’s just as warm and brilliant as they are.
“Bill and Charlie have never been made as minifigures before. Charlie’s not even in the movie franchise, so it was cool working with Warner Bros to decide what his minifigure would look like,” enthused George.
Since he’s always out of the country catching dragons, they put him in slick dragon leather. As for Bill, his head can be reversed to depict his scarred face in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince™. Molly Weasley also gets her most detailed minifigure yet, while shouting “WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?”
Finally, we couldn’t forget to include Harry Potter and Errol the old family owl. Oh, and two LEGO pigs, of course.
Over the years, The Burrow has become a home away from home for fans. Extend your display further with other compatible sets like the Flying Ford Anglia™ (76424) and Diagon Alley™ (75978).
