LEGO SpongeBob SquarePants returns!

The three houses set seems like it'd be fun to grab two and some hinge bricks to turn them into proper dollhouse-style buildings. Although, maybe not at that price haha

The Bikini Bottom set is the best these houses have ever looked in Lego form and the open back design doesn't seem to harm their displayability as much as some other recent releases.
the interior details are instantly recognizable as well.

Not a fan of the price tag though, but that's with most licensed sets at this point.

I hate the show with a passion, but the set looks cool.

Love this set, but feels like a perfect example of a set that past LEGO would have released in multiple cheaper parts.

Why is the SpongeBob brickheadz a tall rectangle

Fingers crossed for a Ren and Stimpy BrickHeadz set.

@Broken_Cheese_Slope said:
"Love this set, but feels like a perfect example of a set that past LEGO would have released in multiple cheaper parts. "

Absolutely! Great set, but once again they have priced out their younger fans in order to go after adult collectors.

@SinKiller_Nick said:
" @Broken_Cheese_Slope said:
"Love this set, but feels like a perfect example of a set that past LEGO would have released in multiple cheaper parts. "

Absolutely! Great set, but once again they have priced out their younger fans in order to go after adult collectors."

They've priced out their adult collectors too! At least in my case they have.

the "houses" look good with seamingly nice building techniques, but... dare I say "why"? Is this show still a thing?
Spongebob as a brickheadz doenst' work, because of his typically not-squared head.

Oh, who lives in a pinnaple under sea and is back?

MEOHOYMENYOY lego, YEOMEYNYOY nice set YEBOMENOYBEHOY a little overpriced EHOMEYNOYBEOY nice to see

Bikini Bottom looks epic but the Brickhead looks a bit weird!

A DOODLEBOB?!

So… expensive!!! Less than 2000 pieces for over $200!? Is this a record? More than 20 cts per piece.. and is that SpongeBob RectanglePants?

Wow, spongebob brickhead, really odd and wrong looking as entierly the wrong shape - Should be a really easy blocky character to do in Lego and that theme why'd they have to keep it 4 studs deep - way too thick and just looks wrong!!

BOLD AND BRASH! Too bad it's a sticker.

Fourteen years later...

Several instruction steps later...

I can't comprehend the absence of a Sandy minifigure. I can only hope she, Plankton, and Krabs will be in another set. It seems unfair to leave them out of this revival. SpongeBob having a new torso instead of a sandwich board looks good, and Patrick looks better *with* one! It's also refreshing to see a cartoon style adapted straight rather than the characters being squished into LEGO's minifigure art style for their face designs.

Doodlebob might be more exciting than anything else in this set lol

@jBXavier said:
"So… expensive!!! Less than 2000 pieces for over $200!? Is this a record? More than 20 cts per piece.. and is that SpongeBob RectanglePants?"

It's a little over twelve cents per piece.

Pity the Brickheadz set doesn’t include Gary.

"I don't need it… I don't need it… I NEEEEEEED IT!"

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HA1mbZ_MMh8]

I just wish that the houses had no open back, but I'm used to it now…

And hopefully there'll be more Spongebob sets, including one with Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy, so that I can re-enact this exchange:

Barnacle Boy: Now, we want you boys to keep an eye on the place. Water the plants, and make sure that...
SpongeBob: Oh, my gosh, Patrick! This is the greatest wall of superhero secret gadgetry ever! I'm going to play with the Cosmic-Ray!
Patrick: I get the Aqua-Glove!
Mermaid Man: Hold on there, boys! You cannot play with this stuff.
SpongeBob: What about the Orb of Confusion? [turns the orb on and makes confused faces]
Mermaid Man: [turns it off] No, no! Prolonged exposure to the Orb of Confusion will give you... uh... confusion!

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v0wC1VkmmeI]

I have nothing in particular to say that's specific to the set itself so instead I'll just point out, because it took me an embarrassingly long time to realize this, that Patrick literally lives under a rock.

The brickhead reminds me more of Mr. Poopybutthole.

After the huge success that was hitting the Millennials nostalgia, LEGO now starts going for Gen Z nostalgia as well.

Spongebob Rectangleface, Spongebob Rectangleface, Spongebob Rectanglefaceeeeeeeeee

Too expensive for me, but it looks amazing.

If Spongebob has returned does that mean we might get Avatar sets as well? :)

Where is Sandy?

Somehow Spongebob returned

Serious squirrel deficiency here.

@jBXavier said:
"So… expensive!!! Less than 2000 pieces for over $200!? Is this a record? More than 20 cts per piece.. and is that SpongeBob RectanglePants?"

I don't think your math checks out

Did they use two colors on Squidward’s door, or is the color consistency between pieces just awful?

The Bikini Bottom set looks amazing! I'm very nostalgic for the 2006 version but it's extremely rudimentary and inaccurate by modern standards. This set finally gets the shaping right on all three houses, including that wonderfully detailed pineapple texture. The figs are a great improvement as well, taking advantage of new co-injected leg pieces and more accurate colors. I don't get as many movie/TV-based sets these days but I may have to get this one for old times' sake.

I was pretty distraught that Area-X lost the license because they made the best figures of all the Spongebob lines whereas LEGO made the worst. Now seeing the set I can acknowledge that the figures are much better than I expected but also still far from the perfection of Area-X, but on the other hand this is pretty much the only decent actual build of the Pineapple house where previous LEGO sets have just been blocks and Area-X also ended up cheating with its 2 giant shell halves making up the entire outside, though still having a far more detailed and larger interior than any LEGO Set including this one.

Overall I would still prefer more of the Area-X builds because they are the pinnacle of design in general but LEGOs pineapple design and the size of many of these builds are probably the better for the common displayer and play, though it sure is funny that buying the three Area-X versions at their common retail prices at launch was still cheaper than this set while offering about three times the amount of parts. Area-X also has better color consistency than LEGO when looking at Squidwards house and door.

Ultimately I will buy this set alongside much of the Area-X run and then will have to MOC my Pineapple House according to the techniques LEGO is using here. Squidwards house from Area-X is larger and better but I do wonder about the scaling, which would fit better next to the Pineapple MOC. I have not gotten Patricks rock from Area-X yet, it is huge and making it smaller may make more sense. LEGO has a nice build but maybe too small when I put it next to larger Squidwards and Spongebobs Houses, so maybe another case where a new design is needed.

@gunther_schnitzel said:
"Where is Sandy?"

Not in the molding budget, that's for sure.

I first saw the image and thought "oh man, the kid is going to love this" and I expected $100 price tag...but +18 and over $200? What are we doing? Between this and Pokemon, two IPs my son is all into...but they're practically all Icons sets...wtf?

Only 3 minifigures plus Gary...

They could have added another 5 or so for the price.

That set is fantastic….buy good gravy that price is insulting. I hate that this is a broken record these days, but they’re really shooting themselves in the foot. I don’t base my purchase on piece count to price, but it’s sorta a baseline. If the set itself feels worth it, I’ll get it. This one comes pretty close.

@Anonym said:
" I was pretty distraught that Area-X lost the license because they made the best figures of all the Spongebob lines whereas LEGO made the worst. Now seeing the set I can acknowledge that the figures are much better than I expected but also still far from the perfection of Area-X, but on the other hand this is pretty much the only decent actual build of the Pineapple house where previous LEGO sets have just been blocks and Area-X also ended up cheating with its 2 giant shell halves making up the entire outside, though still having a far more detailed and larger interior than any LEGO Set including this one.

Overall I would still prefer more of the Area-X builds because they are the pinnacle of design in general but LEGOs pineapple design and the size of many of these builds are probably the better for the common displayer and play, though it sure is funny that buying the three Area-X versions at their common retail prices at launch was still cheaper than this set while offering about three times the amount of parts. Area-X also has better color consistency than LEGO when looking at Squidwards house and door.

Ultimately I will buy this set alongside much of the Area-X run and then will have to MOC my Pineapple House according to the techniques LEGO is using here. Squidwards house from Area-X is larger and better but I do wonder about the scaling, which would fit better next to the Pineapple MOC. I have not gotten Patricks rock from Area-X yet, it is huge and making it smaller may make more sense. LEGO has a nice build but maybe too small when I put it next to larger Squidwards and Spongebobs Houses, so maybe another case where a new design is needed."

The Area-X sets are fragile, and multiple houses do rely on giant single pieces of plastic (the pineapple, Sandy’s dome, Patrick’s rock) which is kind of cheating.

However, they are huge, have lights, and have so much detail straight from the show.
The Krusty Krab set is perfection!

For the same price as this one LEGO set you could get almost their entire collection…

I never got into the show. This is really quite pretty, though.

All photos only show Gary from one side. Is the printed shell only on one side? Looks like he may be built using Bricklink parts 99781 and 1748 on the back.

The main set looks pretty much perfect, but the most egregious missed opportunity here is not casting the chef hat in trans-pink. Those pieces are quintessential to Lego SpongeBob and perfectly represent jellyfish in minifig scale.

Also the naming convention confirms that this will likely be a yearly thing. I'm assuming next year will be the Krusty Krab or Sandy's tree dome since those are the two obvious main cast members missing

Is nobody gonna talk about this looking just like the twice rejected 10K supported Ideas submission? Or are we gonna pretend like TLG totally did this on it's own and thought about it over 3 years ago but didn't block the IP from being submitted repeatedly? Not to mention all the rejected Krusty Krab submissions...
https://ideas.lego.com/product-ideas/ca1feb45-fb96-4517-9db7-6284395fe4dd

@R0Sch said:
"Is nobody gonna talk about this looking just like the twice rejected 10K supported Ideas submission? Or are we gonna pretend like TLG totally did this on it's own and thought about it over 3 years ago but didn't block the IP from being submitted repeatedly? Not to mention all the rejected Krusty Krav submissions...
https://ideas.lego.com/product-ideas/ca1feb45-fb96-4517-9db7-6284395fe4dd"

Krusty Krav Maga?

@recce said:
"Only 3 minifigures plus Gary...

They could have added another 5 or so for the price. "

"My Leg" Fish guy, Crabs, Plankton, Sandy, all would've been good candidates... unless they plan on releaseing a Krusty Crab later on? or Sandy's house later on? etc.

Bruh, they got Chip, Penny, & Used Napkin.

@R0Sch said:
"Is nobody gonna talk about this looking just like the twice rejected 10K supported Ideas submission? Or are we gonna pretend like TLG totally did this on it's own and thought about it over 3 years ago but didn't block the IP from being submitted repeatedly? Not to mention all the rejected Krusty Krab submissions...
https://ideas.lego.com/product-ideas/ca1feb45-fb96-4517-9db7-6284395fe4dd "

I mean, any prominent Sponge locale is gonna have a 10k Ideas submission lol, it's not like they can really do a unique interpretation of this one anyways.
I think they specifically avoided doing the Krusty Krab for that reason because that's the most prominent submission, and one that's been copied wholesale by other brands

That being said, I think the real reason this isn't an Ideas set is because the licensing agreement resulted in a subline, not a one-off (which is probably also why this took so long to happen and a competitor's license to end).

@Graupensuppe said:
"BOLD AND BRASH! Too bad it's a sticker."

Which for many fans undoubtedly changes the name to BELONGS IN THE TRASH!

I was going to excuse Sandy being absent, but if they included Chip, Used Napkin, and Penny, you have to include Sandy too!

I get this is an Icons set, but seeing a Lego SpongeBob set be labeled 18+ is wild to me.

Looks nice. Probably not getting though.

That is probably the worst Brickheadz figure I have ever seen though, I didn’t think you could mess up a SpongeBob Brickheadz figure this bad.

@R0Sch said:
"Is nobody gonna talk about this looking just like the twice rejected 10K supported Ideas submission? Or are we gonna pretend like TLG totally did this on it's own and thought about it over 3 years ago but didn't block the IP from being submitted repeatedly? Not to mention all the rejected Krusty Krab submissions...
https://ideas.lego.com/product-ideas/ca1feb45-fb96-4517-9db7-6284395fe4dd "

Of course it’ll look like the Ideas submission…it’s based on an existing IP that has very distinct characteristics,

You don’t get to call dibs on a design you copied from someone else’s work. Unless one of the Ideas submitters also did the concept art for the show the similarities have nothing to do with their design.

Can't say I'm the biggest Spongebob fan, have seen (and enjoyed) the movie, but haven't seen all that many epiodes beyond that. So not much nostalgia here. That said, I do think the Bikini Bottom set looks quite good. Does it look like a €210 set though? Not to me. And with the separate parts, I can't help but get a bit Assault on Hoth-feel from it. More a set for play than display.

As for the Brickheadz.....you'd think this would be perfect for such a character, but it totally doesn't work for me. Dare I say it loks more like a square Minion? The eyes are too low and look off, and as a whole it just doesn't look like a sponge. Square instead of rectangular, and neither the prints nor the studs give it a spongey texture.

Three separate sets so kids can gain access to them over time through holidays/birthdays? Nope! Bunch em' together under one big price!

The fact this is yet another 18+ set annoys me, why does every set without a theme these days have to be 18+ in such an ugly box? Not even mentioning the absurt price. They don't even try with their marketing anymore.

Wow, Patrick really let himself go since the last time we saw him.

@Andrusi said:
"I have nothing in particular to say that's specific to the set itself so instead I'll just point out, because it took me an embarrassingly long time to realize this, that Patrick literally lives under a rock."

And Bikini Bottom is under Bikini Atoll, where the US surface-tested nuclear weapons.

@gatorbug6 said:
"Three separate sets so kids can gain access to them over time through holidays/birthdays? Nope! Bunch em' together under one big price!"

I mean, back in 2006 they bundled all three together as well. And to be honest, while separate sets can sell well when you have multiple subjects that are equally appealing, I feel like if Lego tried to sell these separately you'd run into the issue of Patrick and Squidward's houses not selling nearly as much as Spongebob's pineapple (by far the most iconic of the three).

@R0Sch said:
"Is nobody gonna talk about this looking just like the twice rejected 10K supported Ideas submission? Or are we gonna pretend like TLG totally did this on it's own and thought about it over 3 years ago but didn't block the IP from being submitted repeatedly? Not to mention all the rejected Krusty Krab submissions...
https://ideas.lego.com/product-ideas/ca1feb45-fb96-4517-9db7-6284395fe4dd "

They lost the license rather dramatically. Every LEGO-branded store had to return their unsold stock to be destroyed, rather than being allowed to sell it down like fellow Nickelodeon IP TMNT. Any Ideas set released during that time was an easy auto-rejection. Rules already state that if someone else owns the license, it’s out. Once Nick decided to talk to Billund again, the IP was probably already on the table for a revival. And the rules state that any IP that’s “active” is also out as far as Ideas is concerned. So what else is there to talk about?

that BrickHeadz is pure nightmare fuel
there's already a 2x2 round tile printed BrickHeadz eye (as seen in BrickHeadz sets such as the Pixar's Up pack), but for some reason recently the BrickHeadz set designers insist on this ugly round jumper plate combination that has rather the same effect as disgustingly bulging eyes
and if they had just used a printed 2x2 round tile they could have included SpongeBob's distinctive azure irises as a ring around the pupil as seen with the Harry Potter (Child) and Minions eyes
although here they also easily could have reused the Dark Azure eyes from the Tails the Fox BrickHeadz, but that might have looked even more ugly what with the disproportionately tiny printed pupil

Yes I wish it was cheaper, yes I wish there more figs, yes I wish the houses were sold separately (even though very few would buy just Squidward's house), yes it's silly to make 18+ SpongeBob products... but damn did they nail the design here. I can't really imagine these builds being better.

ICONS seems the perfect branding for this given that LEGO is aiming it firmly at adults and not kids.

@ecleme11 said:
"If Spongebob has returned does that mean we might get Avatar sets as well? :) "

Exactly my thought ;)

@PurpleDave said:
" @R0Sch said:
"Is nobody gonna talk about this looking just like the twice rejected 10K supported Ideas submission? Or are we gonna pretend like TLG totally did this on it's own and thought about it over 3 years ago but didn't block the IP from being submitted repeatedly? Not to mention all the rejected Krusty Krab submissions...
https://ideas.lego.com/product-ideas/ca1feb45-fb96-4517-9db7-6284395fe4dd "

They lost the license rather dramatically. Every LEGO-branded store had to return their unsold stock to be destroyed, rather than being allowed to sell it down like fellow Nickelodeon IP TMNT. Any Ideas set released during that time was an easy auto-rejection. Rules already state that if someone else owns the license, it’s out. Once Nick decided to talk to Billund again, the IP was probably already on the table for a revival. And the rules state that any IP that’s “active” is also out as far as Ideas is concerned. So what else is there to talk about?"

Nice internal story. You sure you're allowed to tell it publicly? There is no such thing as "auto-rejection" as long as an IP is not actively on the market by TLG or against the brand values. LEGO knew over a year ago that this license would be reclaimed, yet allowed multiple Ideas submissions based on it as late as March 2026. They could have just blocked it in the IP checker like they did with Zelda 4 years ago. This lead to the clear conclusion that something official is upcoming, helped avoid disappointment in yet another rejected 10k idea and built up hype, that both fandom and TLG profited from.
But for some reason you can still submit now Dragonball Z & Hello Kitty (even though whole themes are launching in 2027), Zootopia (also 2027), Elf (coming in 10/2026) etc. Still think it's consistent or fair play and not worth mentioning?
There used to be a clear difference between Icons and Ideas, but now it's just the same 18+ IP slop. They even make the exclusive GWP's for Ideas sets nowadays. Making Spongebob an adult branded set is just as dumb as 18+ Winnie the Pooh and Sesame Street.

@R0Sch said:
"Nice internal story. You sure you're allowed to tell it publicly?"

What internal story? I mean, besides being told by a LEGO Store employee that the unsold SpongeBob merch was recalled and destroyed, it’s all public knowledge. And that wasn’t hard to figure out because one day they had a SpongeBob section, and the next it had all been replaced. And it was also right around the time they lost another Nickelodeon license (TMNT). This was over a decade ago. I can’t remember which specific person told me (and I was never told _why_ the contract was voided), and they may not even be working there anymore. If it was the original store manager, he passed away in 2019, so there’s not much they can do to him now.

"There is no such thing as "auto-rejection" as long as an IP is not actively on the market by TLG or against the brand values. LEGO knew over a year ago that this license would be reclaimed, yet allowed multiple Ideas submissions based on it as late as March 2026. They could have just blocked it in the IP checker like they did with Zelda 4 years ago. This lead to the clear conclusion that something official is upcoming, helped avoid disappointment in yet another rejected 10k idea and built up hype, that both fandom and TLG profited from."

They have rules posted on the website. It includes a list of active themes that are off limits to Ideas. Anything on that list at time of review is automatically rejected.

It includes a list of past Ideas sets, and the concepts/IPs that are permanently banned from Ideas because the whole point of the theme is to do new stuff. Anything on that list is automatically rejected from any future review (though the Ideas team did cheat this at least once, because the Space Shuttle is on that list and has shown up in at least two Ideas sets).

It includes a list of subject matter that is just banned in general. Anything on that list is automatically rejected.

And they don’t include a list (it would be too large to maintain), but they make it clear in the rules that they can’t approve a project if they can’t get the IP license. Announcements of new licenses have to happen on the IP owner’s timeline. And that includes not adding it to the list of active licenses.

Also, I don’t think you’re allowed to snipe someone else’s license. If it has a clear end date in the contract, or if the owner has already informed the licensee that they’re terminating it early, that’s one thing, but the whole point of a contract is to protect the rights of both involved parties. For the licensee, that means having a guaranteed window of exclusivity, so you don’t sink millions into product development only to have the IP owner call you a month out from release and say someone made them a better offer, so you have to can the whole line.

"But for some reason you can still submit now REDACTED & REDACTED (even though whole themes are launching in 2027), REDACTED (also 2027), REDACTED (coming in 10/2026) etc. Still think it's consistent or fair play and not worth mentioning?"

Nice internal story. You sure you’re allowed to tell it publicly? I haven’t seen any official press releases on any of these themes. And that means they can’t be added to the list of active themes yet.

"Making Spongebob an adult branded set is just as dumb as 18+ Winnie the Pooh and Sesame Street."

I mean…it’s just…well…

https://brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.php?i=6774304

I DON'T HAVE A STRONG CONNECTION TO THIS AND I INTEND TO MAKE THIS EVERYONE ELSE'S PROBLEM, BLEAH

Is every set going to be over $150 now? All the previous incarnations of Bikini Bottom have been $50 or less.

I just wish Lego was more accessible for kids that save money and buy sets. I was one of those kids, and I can't imagine being a kid now and trying to afford all the interesting themes at their inflated prices.

The Brickheadz is pretty awful. The character is iconic in large part for his shape, so abstracting that quite so much does not work, in my opinion. If a true Brickheadz version of him was not possible, it should not have been made, not every set has to be made. This is something LEGO seems to be forgetting these days.

I've waited 14 years for this. I was a kid when the last sets came out and was so disappointed. I will 100$ be getting this, it looks perfect.

I've seen a lot of people making fun of the absurd amount of display sets that LEGO has released recently, and have seen many of them referred to as "displayslop". If most of everything else is displayslop, I think this is a rare example of displaypeak.

Brickheadz Spongebob's face oddly and inexplicably looks nothing like Spongebob's face.

@Bagelwolf said:
"So Spongebob gets a nose as a Brickheadz but the hundreds of past characters have to do without?? Now I see why they bumped the price by $3. ??"

Other non-human characters have had noses in Brickheadz. It is probably just like the minifigure versions. If it looks too weird without a nose, they give it a nose.