As a Lego loyalist, I was a bit hesitant about ordering this brick setdesigned to look like the famous colorful house (also known as the Holiday House) from Taylor Swift’s “Lover” music video. But since Lego doesn’t have a version of this Eras Tour set-piece yet, I caved and ordered it. It cost $90, and while I have some complaints about the building process, I’m content with the final product overall. Did I mention it lights up? Here’s what to know before you add to cart.
I should clarify that this is not officially sanctioned by Ms. Swift, but if you are a fellow Swiftie who hasn’t had much going on since the Eras Tour ended, this might help fill the void until she announces Reputation TV. (Coincidentally, building this took me about the same amount of time as watching two nights of grainy live streams of the Eras Tour.)
Putting the pieces together
The 1,426-piece set is definitely going to be a challenge. The directions are a little unclear at points, and while the brick packages are mostly numbered, it’s hard to know when to switch to new bags or when the piece you need is in a large, unlabeled bag. This made for a lot of unnecessary time spent hunting for bricks that matched the assembly manual.
Also, while Lego bricks have a nice satisfying snap and easily connect without struggle, most of these pieces didn’t have that same quality feel. There were a lot of pieces that required some elbow grease to lock together securely, and there were some small gaps between pieces that were noticeable in the finished product. Several of my bricks were misprinted and had edges that were not smooth or ridges that weren’t complete. If I wasn’t a Lego devotee, I’m not sure this would bother me as much, but if you are used to that level of attention to detail, you might feel frustrated, like I did at points.
The small details really sell it
I did appreciate some of the unique bricks here; the small cat that hangs upside-down from the kitchen ceiling is particularly adorable. I also thought it was fun that there were clothes to build and put on hangers in the stairwell, even though the ladder largely hides that. All of the tables had food, there was a projector and fan in the attic, star pieces attached to the wall of the entryway like wallpaper, and there were so many cabinets and doors that opened and closed. I was even pleased with the half circle that fit into the wall to make the fishbowl in the blue bathroom.
The bricks are gorgeous, vibrant colors, and the designers made sure that everything from rugs to curtains to furniture closely matched the music video. Another great feature was that there were no stickers to contend with. I love the look of stickers, but sometimes I get stressed out making sure they are correctly affixed. Here, the pieces were pre-printed, and in particular, I giggled with delight when I saw the tiny portrait of Taylor’s cat.
The lights are the best and worst element
I loved that illumination was a feature of this set, because I always want to ~leave the lights up until January~ (or beyond). But the actual process of incorporating them into the build wasn't as simple as I had imagined. The small LED lights are on strings that plug into a small circuit, with a USB-C cable that you plug into a charging block (not provided) or an outlet. The cord isn’t very long, so I had to use my favorite portable power bank to make this work.
I’ve never really worked with lights and circuits before, so this was a big learning curve. Getting them to fit exactly right into the light fixtures was especially challenging while also attempting to hide the wires.
There were multiple moments when installing the lights when I had to disassemble pieces of various rooms and backtrack because the instructions were unclear about where the wires would fit. Another small preference: I wish the lights were all white instead of multiple colors, so they wouldn’t alter the colors of the blocks and rooms.
I recommend that you test the lights and circuits as you go to ensure that everything fits right and is connected properly before continuing too far.
Final thoughts
It’s important to add that the listing says this is designed for ages 6 and up, but I think it is actually geared towards teens and adults, and younger kids would need a lot of assistance to assemble. I’m 50 and do crafts, Lego sets, and puzzles regularly, and I almost needed help at some points.
As a Swiftie, I feel bad that this isn’t officially licensed, but I am so charmed by how it looks (especially when lit up) that I’m working on getting over that. While building this block set was more challenging than others that I’ve put together and there were some minor quality issues, I’d still recommend it to other die-hard Taylor Swift fans. Honestly, if they make a mini Folklore cabin, I’d consider buying that, too.
