When Charlie Bucket unwraps his Wonka Bar to see the famous Golden Ticket, he wins the chance to visit one of the most magical places ever imagined: Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory, the labyrinth confectionery workshop where eccentric genius candy man Willy Wonka makes everything from Scrumdiddlyumptious Bars to Lickable Wallpaper.
First appearing in the 1964 children’s book Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by author Roald Dahl, and unforgettably brought to life in the classic 1971 movie Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, this has long been a place adults and children alike longed to visit.
Well, now you can with the LEGO® Ideas Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory set, a deliciously detailed new creation that fans of the film or book will be hungry for.
So, to satiate your appetites, we’re heading on a tour of the new set, and you’re invited! You don’t even need a Golden Ticket.
Fan designers Roberto Ceruti (BRICKUP) and Jody Padulano (JodyPad) – collectively known as 2PPL – originally pitched their idea for a set based on the Chocolate Factory way back in 2021, and although it reached the magic 10,000 fan votes, it ultimately wasn’t approved as a set.
But, like Charlie Bucket, they remained hopeful that they could find a winning ticket. And it ended happily when the updated submission was approved!
The centerpiece of the new set is the colorful, edible paradise that is the Chocolate Room.
Just like in the movie, the Chocolate Room is a dreamland that’s filled with Wonka’s edible creations. You can imagine yourself skipping through candy-cane trees, teacup plants and lollipop plants. If you want to see paradise, simply look around and view it!
There’s even a fully functional chocolate waterfall and the Wonkatania boat for cruising down the river. Just don’t lean too far over the edges, after all, you remember what happened to Augustus Gloop
Through an Oompa Loompas’ secret door is Willy Wonka’s office where everything is cut in half, just like in the movie, and there’s a hidden Everlasting Gobstopper. Will you give it to Slugworth or return it to Willy Wonka?
There are also a couple of Easter eggs in the other rooms, like presents and yellow cellophane from the Egg Room, a TV from the Television Room (with a microfig on the sticker to represent the shrunken Mike Teavee), and a bottle from the Fizzy Lifting Drinks Room.
And now we come on to the delicious subject of the minifigures included in the LEGO Ideas Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory set.
There are nine characters represented, each of which will help you act out your favorite scenes and iconic movie moments.
For a start, there’s the eccentric Willy Wonka – of course – after all, without him, who would show us around?
Then, there are the lucky five kids who discovered the Golden Tickets. That includes the kind and selfless Charlie Bucket (complete with Golden Ticket element) and his Grandpa Joe, the only two to finish the tour; the greedy Augustus Gloop, whose Chocolate Factory experience meets a chocolatey end; the entertainment-obsessed Mike Teavee, who winds up shrunk to an inch and shoved in his mother’s handbag; the spectacularly spoiled Veruca Salt, a ‘bad egg’ who ends up down the garbage shoot; and, finally, the ultra-competitive Violet Beauregarde, who gets a severe case of the blues when she is transformed into a giant blueberry.
And, of course, no trip to the Chocolate Factory would be complete without the presence of Willy Wonka’s musical workforce, the Oompa Loompas. There are two of them here, just enough for you to act out their memorable song. Oompa, Loompa, doompa-dee-do!
The LEGO Ideas Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory set is perfect for any nostalgic fans of the original book or the 1971 movie. And if you’re looking for a gift for someone with a sweet tooth, then it’ll make a tasty present too (just remind them that, unlike Wonka’s creations, nothing here is edible!)
Getting your hands on this set will be like finding your very own Golden Ticket. Your pass to the world of Willy Wonka (and fan designer’s) creative creation.
And speaking of fan designers, if you’d like to hear more from BRICKUP and JodyPad, including the design process and Easter eggs hidden within the set, then you’ll find more amazing insights in our exclusive interview.
