The long and troubled history of LEGO Ideas The Legend of Zelda sets

LEGO 77092 The Legend of Zelda: The Great Deku Tree 2-in-1 may be on the way soon, but it’s not the first set inspired by the Nintendo video game.

The LEGO Group surprised video game fans yesterday by revealing full details of 77092 The Legend of Zelda: The Great Deku Tree 2-in-1. The upcoming 2,500-piece model is available for Insiders members to pre-order right now, while everyone else will be able to get their hands on the set when it launches September 1, 2024 for £259.99 / $299.99 / €299.99.

77092 The Legend of Zelda: The Great Deku Tree 2-in-1 may be the latest official collaboration between the LEGO Group and Nintendo, but it’s only the first to focus on the iconic The Legend of Zelda series. However, it's worth noting that the long-running video game has a had a stormy history with LEGO Ideas creators and multiple rejected fan-builds over the years.

On November 7, 2022, it was announced that The Legend of Zelda would no longer be an eligible intellectual property on the LEGO Ideas platform. While some were pleased with the decision, as it suggested the LEGO Group might in fact be creating its own official Zelda sets at some point, others were less-than happy with the news.

By that point, eight fan designs based on Nintendo’s The Legend of Zelda had each reached 10,000 supporters on LEGO Ideas, only to be rejected at the review stage. The list of projects that were turned down is enough to bring tears to even the most dedicated Zelda fan's eyes and many were as equally impressive (or arguably even more so) than the upcoming 77092 The Legend of Zelda: The Great Deku Tree 2-in-1.

Highlights from past fan creations included the likes of Iron Knuckle Encounter, with the Wes Talbott model initially listed on the now-defunct LEGO CUUSOO website. Sadly, while the build depicted an action-packed boss battle from Ocarina of Time and Majora’s Mask, it was one of the first to be rejected in the LEGO Ideas’ Winter 2014 review.

Also ticking 10,000 fans’ boxes was Breath of the Wild Stables from Hanwasyellowfirst. Not only was the detailed set rejected by the LEGO Ideas review panel in 2020, but it was also turned down in the same year that the LEGO Super Mario theme debuted.

If having one Zelda-based LEGO Ideas project rejected wasn’t disappointing enough, then BrickGallery had the misfortune of having two submissions turned away. The fan designer initially scored a 10K hit with The Legend of Zelda BOTW: Hyrule Castle, a large-scale build based on the Breath of the Wild location. Unfortunately, it went unapproved in 2020, as did Hyrule Castle 30th Anniversary in 2022, much to the frustration of supporters who gave the set their backing.

Those are just some of the many examples of The Legend of Zelda models that failed to make it past the LEGO Ideas review stage, with the door now closed to any possible future submissions.

Whether 77092 The Legend of Zelda: The Great Deku Tree 2-in-1 ultimately becomes the first of many such sets inspired by the Nintendo video game series has yet to be revealed. However, if past LEGO Ideas creations are anything to go by, there’s certainly plenty of potential for a full theme and many dedicated Zelda fans who want more models to become a reality.

77092 The Legend of Zelda: The Great Deku Tree 2-in-1 can be pre-ordered by Insiders members now and will launch on September 1, priced at £259.99 / $299.99 / €299.99. For more on the upcoming LEGO video game set, be sure to check out our in-depth visual tour here.

Support the work that Brick Fanatics does by purchasing your LEGO through our affiliate links. Thanks!