Hocus Pocus pairs perfectly with Ideas' Blacksmith – but LEGO says it wasn’t intentional

Just as we all assumed, 21341 Disney Hocus Pocus: The Sanderson Sisters’ Cottage pairs perfectly with 21325 Medieval Blacksmith – even if the LEGO Group says it wasn’t intentional.

As we’ve already espoused in our review of the latest LEGO Ideas set, 21341 Disney Hocus Pocus: The Sanderson Sisters’ Cottage has cross-audience appeal: even if you don’t like or haven’t seen Hocus Pocus, there’s plenty here worth your time. That’s mostly because, with the movie-inspired elements stripped away, it’s a perfect medieval cottage – and the first true companion for 2021’s 21325 Medieval Blacksmith.

According to the LEGO Group, though, that wasn’t the initial intention. In fact, LEGO Ideas Design Manager Jordan Scott says 21325 Medieval Blacksmith wasn’t on the design team’s minds at all while shaping Amber Veyt’s LEGO Ideas submission into a shelf-ready product.

“It’s been compared to [the Blacksmith] a lot [by fans], but we didn’t actually compare when the team was designing it,” Scott tells Brick Fanatics and other LEGO Fan Media. “We’re working from reference obviously because it's from a movie, so we're making it look as close to that as possible.”

Scott does concede that there’s a line to be drawn between the two sets, however. “I think it’s the similarities – the roof is the same shape and it's more of a Tudor style thing with the wooden beams and stuff,” he adds. “But yeah, we didn't actually take much inspiration from the Blacksmith.”

With our review copy in hand, we popped it next to the Blacksmith anyway – and it’s almost too difficult to believe that it’s pure coincidence how well these sets sit next to one another. The LEGO Group has revisited the Middle Ages since the launch of 21325 Medieval Blacksmith, but none of its subsequent sets have really scaled well with the hyper-detailed pitch by Clemens Fiedler.

That’s now changed with 21341 Disney Hocus Pocus: The Sanderson Sisters’ Cottage, which comes in at a very similar scope and scale to 21325 Medieval Blacksmith. Take away the Hocus Pocus theming, and you’ll be left with a rustic, weathered structure that sits very nicely next to its predecessor, all while offering enough visual distinction that you aren’t just putting together yet another blue-roofed building.

All of which is to show that there’s more to 21341 Disney Hocus Pocus: The Sanderson Sisters’ Cottage than perhaps first meets the eye – even if the LEGO Ideas team claims it wasn’t deliberate. Another happy accident, then…

21341 Disney Hocus Pocus: The Sanderson Sisters’ Cottage launches July 1 for VIP members. While you wait for it to go on sale, read our full review of the 49th LEGO Ideas set. 21325 Medieval Blacksmith is available now, but you’ll have to act quickly if you want to pair it with the cottage – the 2021 set is currently scheduled to retire by the end of 2023.