As a millenial, I grew up during what I consider the golden era of cartoons – the 1990's. Some of my favorites included Rugrats, The Angry Beavers, Hey Arnold!, and Rocko's Modern Life. But, just as the 90's came to a close, Nickelodeon dropped another certified classic on my young, impressionable mind. I knew there was something special about SpongeBob SquarePants from the very first episode, and now, more than 25 years later (wow, I feel old), it's one of the most popular children's cartoons of all time, and is still going strong with over 300 episodes.
LEGO SpongeBob SquarePants: Bikini Bottom (available now exclusively from the LEGO Store) is the first new SpongeBob-themed set since 2012, and the first designed for adults with an 18+ age rating. It includes plenty of references and gags from the series, making it an excellent set for longtime fans to put together.
The original set featuring the iconic homes and denizens of Bikini Bottom released in 2006, composed of just 579 pieces, and included a rather horrifying Squidward minifigure. Now, 20 years later, the set is much larger and has been completely reimagined for an older audience. At 1,794 pieces, more than three times the number of the original, this is also the largest LEGO SpongeBob SquarePants set released by far.
The contents of the massive box are split across 14 bags. This is the second set I've built that uses LEGO's new eco-friendly packaging, which replaces the transparent polyethylene bags with paper bags, an initiative that began back in 2021. While I appreciate the positive environmental impact these new bags promise, I've found that they are prone to having small pieces get stuck in the seams. If you're building a set that includes these new bags, be sure to double-check each one if you're potentially missing a piece.
One aspect I really like about this set is just how good the minifigs look. Each one has been redesigned from the previous iterations, with more accurate colors and improved moldings. SpongeBob, in particular, looks great. The color is spot-on, and he finally has a proper pair of printed pants instead of looking like he's standing on a pair of brown stilts. SpongeBob also comes with his trusty jellyfish net.
Patrick's minifig received a substantial redesign compared to his originals as his head and stomach are now one large piece that fit over the torso like a sort-of reverse cape that more accurately depicts his food-loving physique. He even comes with one of his favorite junk foods – a Neopolitan ice cream cone.
Squidward got the biggest glow-up compared to his original minifig. Although later iterations fixed this by giving him a proper head mold, the version included in this set features a more accurate face, improved coloring, and little tentacles printed on the feet.
While not minifigs per se, the set also comes with a buildable DoodleBob (complete with the Magic Pencil) and a buildable Gary the Snail, although it hasn't changed much from early LEGO iterations aside from having better coloring. He still doesn't have eyes, though.
سەرچاوەی فەرمی بە زمانی ئینگلیزی: https://www.ign.com/articles/we-build-lego-spongebob-squarepants-bikini-bottom-11386
