Brickbot_Studio here again, and today we’re taking a trip back to 1971 with one of the strangest, most whimsical LEGO Icons sets yet. 21360 Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory is based directly on Mel Stuart’s classic film and brings one of cinema’s most surreal settings to brick form. With a full cast of kids, a couple of Oompa Loompas, the eccentric chocolatier himself, and a gorgeous recreation of the Chocolate Room, this set is packed with nostalgia, clever features, and just enough weirdness to feel true to the movie. Let’s unwrap this baby and see if it contains a Golden Ticket.
LEGO Ideas 21360 Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory | 2025 Pieces | Available September 15 |US $219.99 | CAN $279.99 | UK £199.99
The LEGO Group provided The Brothers Brick with an early copy of this set for review. Providing TBB with products for review guarantees neither coverage nor positive reviews.
The Build
Inside the box you’ll find 16 paper bags (always a welcome sight), a small sticker sheet, and a single instruction booklet.
The main build of the Chocolate Room begins with opposing wedge plates forming the base and rounded plates helping flesh out the terrain. The first seven bags construct the landscape, while the remainder flesh out the candy details and the flowing chocolate river.
The highlight here is without question the chocolate waterfall mechanism. Using Technic gears and tank tread pieces, the river actually flows in motion with a turn of a crank on the rear of the build.
The movement is smoother than I expected, and the feature is so well integrated that I didn’t even realize it was functional until I built it. This transforms what could have been a fairly static display into something interactive and magical.
Also included is Willy Wonka’s riverboat, the Wonkatania, beautifully rendered in alternating blue and white with pearl gold highlights. The confectioner’s craft comfortably seats six passengers plus a driver and looks every bit as whimsical as it should. And yes, the thought of sending this boat into a dark tunnel filled with screaming children feels just as disturbing as it did in the movie.
The details in this build are incredibly fun, from printed lollipops and candied fungus…
To my personal favorite, the edible teacups. (Brickbot not included)
A hidden door leads to the reverse side of the build where the LEGO designers included Wonka’s bizarre office, complete with bifurcated décor, lickable wallpaper, and a legally binding contract for the kids to sign.
You’ll also find the Wonkavision chamber, with a stickered microfigure of Mike Teavee trapped within. A printed element would have been far better here, but it’s forgivable. The build is rounded out by a wheelbarrow for the Oompa Loompas, which can be stored neatly next to the Wonkavision machine.
The Minifigures
This set includes nine minifigures: Willy Wonka, Augustus Gloop, Violet Beauregarde, Veruca Salt, Mike Teavee, Charlie Bucket, Grandpa Joe, and two Oompa Loompas.
Willy Wonka is immediately recognizable in his purple coat and beige hat. His new dual-molded hair-and-hat piece looks fantastic, and the two facial expressions nail Gene Wilder’s performance: one side has a smug smirk that captures Wonka’s sly charm perfectly, while the other offers a warmer, friendlier smile. He comes equipped with a cane which in this case is a reused wand from the Harry Potter Theme.
The Oompa Loompas are surprisingly well done, complete with printed overalls and two different facial prints, one male and one female on the reverse. Now, I don’t personally remember female Oompa Loompas in the 1971 movie, but I am all for Oompa Loompa inclusion initiatives. They look great, though part of me wonders if LEGO could have experimented with the Dreamzzz microfigure bodies to emphasize their smaller stature. Still, they work nicely as-is.
Now for the kids:
Augustus Gloop looks like he walked straight out of the chocolate river scene. His torso and legs match his film outfit very well, and his head prints capture his character perfectly: one side with a smug expression, the other smeared with chocolate, ready to be sucked up a pneumatic tube on his way to the fudge room.
Violet Beauregarde looks excellent in her iconic blue outfit. While the torso and hair are perfectly executed, the head is not exclusive to this set, which feels like a missed opportunity. A unique bubble-blowing print would have been ideal here. And yes, let’s talk about the big blue elephant in the room… Where in the chocolate dipped technicolor hell is the Blueberry Violet Figure? LEGO literally has a perfect design already from Aunt Marge and yet they didn’t include it. Ahh well…
Veruca Salt is pitch perfect in her red dress, with facial expressions that run the full gamut from bratty scowl to smug smile. She looks fantastic and captures her character’s spoiled essence.
Mike Teavee shows up in his White and yellow cowboy outfit, complete with hat hanging down his back. Like Violet, his head print is reused, which is another missed chance for something more unique. Still, the figure gets the point across and looks sharp.
Charlie Bucket is appropriately plain in his dark blue shirt and nougat pants. He looks the part, but I wish LEGO had given him some extra torso detail since he is the central character. His head includes a grin on one side and a confused look on the other, which feels fitting considering how many children disappear under Wonka’s watch.
Grandpa Joe, the true archvillain of the film, also makes an appearance. This is the same Grandpa Joe who sat in bed for twenty years until a free trip to the chocolate factory magically cured his ailments. My dislike for the character aside, the figure looks good with messy grey hair, simple suit printing, and two face options: an excited grin and a softer smile, complete with a large moustache.
Each child includes a printed Golden Ticket, which is an excellent touch. However, the total lack of printed Wonka Bars feels like a major oversight.
Final Thoughts
21360 Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory succeeds in bringing one of film’s strangest, most whimsical worlds into LEGO form. With recognizable characters, fun details and a very neat waterfall mechanism I can definitely see the appeal for fans of the film.
Personally, I would have liked to see a few more simple inclusions that I think would have really taken this set above and beyond. The omission of printed Wonka Bars and a Blueberry Violet figure seems odd, given that they literally already have a mold for the figure having used it for Aunt Marge in set 76451 Privet Drive. My gripes aside, I completely understand that it’s a different scene entirely from the one being portrayed here and as such it can be excused.
While most of the minifigures got fairly accurate torso prints and facial expressions, Charlie and Grandpa Joe seem fairly plain, and I feel like the two main protagonists deserved slightly more (yes I know they looks plain in the movie too). Willy Wonka looks fantastic with his new dual molded hairpiece, although compared to Gene Wilder’s hair in the movie it does feel ever so slightly off.
Some of the color choices do seem a tad strange as well when compared to the source material, specifically the nougat bricks that make up a large portion of the waterfall structure and surrounding rock might have been better suited to dark bluish grey, although perhaps the contrast would have been too great.
Minor nitpicks aside, this is a fantastic set and a fun build overall, with vibrant details and a surprisingly fun chocolate waterfall mechanism that adds real play value. The riverboat is a standout model in its own right, and the candy details sprinkled throughout the scene bring everything to life.
At $219.99 USD for 2025 pieces, the price feels reasonable compared to other Ideas releases. It’s a display piece first and foremost, but with enough interactive features to keep the build engaging.
As a fan of the 1971 film and of Gene Wilder’s iconic performance, I can wholeheartedly recommend this set. It’s quirky, fun, and detailed, with just enough nostalgia to make it feel like a true golden ticket.
LEGO Ideas 21360 Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory | 2025 Pieces | Available September 15 |US $219.99 | CAN $279.99 | UK £199.99
The post LEGO Ideas 21360 Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory: Candy is dandy but plastic’s fantastic [Review] appeared first on The Brothers Brick.
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