12 fun facts you may not know about the LEGO® Ideas Viking Village

The LEGO® Ideas Viking Village (set 21343) is a true testament to fan power. After successfully enduring two fan votes, it is finally a much-anticipated reality. Join us as we pay homage to these Nordic explorers and traverse our way through their village to uncover some tasty set secrets!

The voyage began back in July 2020, when fan builder Florian (aka BrickHammer) submitted his first Viking Village design. By December of the same year, the design had already achieved the 10,000-vote accolade. The model was entered into the review phase alongside 24 other submissions, making the odds tough and, unfortunately, as a result, the Vikings were not to return at this point!

However, harnessing the true spirit of the Vikings, this was not to be the last of it. In 2022, the LEGO Group launched a new fan vote between three former 10,000-vote designs, where the winner would become a Target-exclusive set. BrickHammer’s Viking Village received 47% of the 3-way vote (16,317 votes to be exact). It had finally made it… after two fan-voting rounds, it was to become an official set.

After such an epic journey and origin story, we felt it only right to make our way through the village and discover some of those hidden gems.

• The insignia on the runestone at the edge of the bay is a nod to the classic 2005 LEGO Viking theme. This dragon motif was first seen on the sail in the original Viking Ship challenges the Midgard Serpent set (7018). The same logo also reappears on the barrels at the other end of the village, just in case you missed it.
• The Old Norse-style graphics on the blacksmith’s hammer are the initials of the fan creator BrickHammer, whilst also being a hammer that hammers… well that’s certainly something to think about!
• The print on the 1x4 tile above the main hall door is an updated interpretation of the insignia from the classic 2005 Army of Vikings with Heavy Artillery Wagon set (7020). It’s great to discover these little nods to the past theme.

• In the time it took for this set to become a reality, fan designer BrickHammer actually submitted a second Viking village design that also achieved 10,000 votes. This second version included a brighter color scheme, new features and an alternative layout. As a result, the LEGO design team took aspects from both submissions and fused them into the one LEGO Ideas Viking Village. A good example of this is the cave found under the tower, a feature that only appeared in the second design.
• The Viking village focuses more on everyday Viking life rather than the battles and mythology previously seen. However, despite the authentic details in the minifigures’ clothing and the set’s architecture, it does play on some fantasy themes as well. For example, the ‘fun’ horned helmets were included because they are recognizable, but as they are not historically accurate, the design team also included a more authentic helmet to create a balance.

• The minifigures included were chosen based on the roles required in this village. A scout for the lookout tower, a chieftain for the main hall, a blacksmith for the forge and of course the ever-popular shield maiden.
• The tree at the back was a late addition to the set. Its inclusion was inspired by the creator’s desire to have more trees and LEGO designer Isaac Snyder discovering the new fern element and wanting to create a new style of tree.
• Hidden within the build are some uniquely colored bricks; these were included as a nod to BrickHammer’s love of karate. Each of these hidden bricks represents the different color of belts from the sport.

• The printed minifigure shields are all new designs, and this is the first time the combination of yellow and green has been used on a Viking shield in LEGO form.
• The previous shields from the 2005 Viking range were actually large printed 4x4 dish elements as opposed to the printed minifigure shields in this set.
• The designs on the new ‘unique’ Viking shields are inspired by Nordic mythology. The two ravens represent wisdom and protection while the pair of wolves represent loyalty and strength. It was believed that the Norse god Odin had two wolves that accompanied him on his travels and that he relied on two ravens to be the all-seeing god he was believed to be.
• In a unique twist for a LEGO Ideas set, the pictures of the fan designer and design team in the instructions are minifigure renditions of each of them… quite a fun touch.