Featured set of the day: Elton Elephant
Posted by Huw,
Today's set has been selected by ohrmazd:
My first interest in LEGO happened when my older brothers got the classic space series. I loved the white and red spacemen from 497 Galaxy Explorer and 483 Alpha-1 Rocket Base. My dad used the 3961 radar dish as a cap for a PVC pipe one day!
It totally cracked me up when I saw the first LEGO movie and saw Benny because I remember every one of our spacemen had a broken helmet!
Fast-forward two years and my best friend started getting into LEGO. His parents bought him stuff all the time and spoiled him rotten with toys and gifts. Naturally with his interest, I became interested again too. The only problem was I had to buy all my toys myself with my paper route money. I went to the store to see what I could get...
The only thing that fell into my price range was 3601 Elton Elephant. He was LEGO though, and I was going to be in on the action!
My friend made fun of me when I went to school the next day and told him about what I had purchased. He told me Fabuland was for little kids (we were 8) and his stuff was much cooler.
I didn't care though. I bought him with my own money. I kept my Elton and played with him until he couldn't stand up on his own because his joint were so loose. I liked his yellow umbrella and how his trunk was just the right size for him to hold it. I liked the chair. Eventually Elton found his way into the world of Star Wars and then GI Joe.
The last time I was at my mom's house I noticed LEGO spread all over the floor in her playroom. My daughters were playing with the bucket of assorted pieces. Some of those same 1979 spacemen were there. Some knights from following years also found their way into the mix.
My friend Elton was there too! He is missing an arm. He still can't stand up on his own. Part of his foot has been broken off. But he can still hold bars in his trunk!
Elton still holds a place in my heart for being my first LEGO set.
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23 comments on this article
I remember, after a while, if you shaked the torso, the legs were "dancing" because the joint became loose. Was there a metal joint?
Nice to see the Brickset team involved! @MeganL I believe it’s your turn next!
Huw, I’m sure this article was posted about 5 hours ago, and the first comment says it was posted at 13:37 and the article was only published at 19:00.....
I'm glad the illustration shows that Elton's trunk can drink out of the coffee cup. Hopefully the real one can too!
Your friend was wrong. Fabuland kicks ass
Thanks for sharing this lovely story, ohrmazd! I also have very fond memories of my first Fabuland sets. I only ever had a few small sets, but I still cherish them.
Fabuland was such a wonderfully innocent and fun theme. I wish it was still around today, my 4 y/o would just love it. I've showed him pictures of Fabuland sets and he's like, "daddy I want that!" And all I can say is, "me too son!" Still have the table and chair floating around my brown parts bin, great stuff :)
@Slobrojoe said:
"Nice to see the Brickset team involved! @MeganL I believe it’s your turn next!
Huw, I’m sure this article was posted about 5 hours ago, and the first comment says it was posted at 13:37 and the article was only published at 19:00....."
It wasn't my selection, and it was published briefly in error for a few minutes earlier today.
For those of us who had this set as a kid--its an absolute classic! I even remember talking my Mom into making milkshakes after I read the story lol. I was able to just make the $2 with my saved nickels and dimes
Just this morning I saw a neat MOC by Grantmasters that uses the elephant's head from this character. You can check it out here:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/72062810 @N08/49602738788/
I know it goes without saying, but these featured set articles are really interesting! Go Brickset!
Lovely to see a Fabuland set in this feature!
Animal Crossing 1980s
8 years old and doing a paper round! How times have changed!
I've only come to appreciate Fabuland in my 40s.
Great article.
I think that Fabuland had some really interesting parts. I think my friend had a bunch of Fabuland when he was younger, and I have found numerous pieces in LEGO lots over the years.
Just wondering, how do they choose stuff like set of the day and Meet a Member? It would be cool to do something like that, and it is cool that members have been getting involved!
My collection was full of sad stories, too. But for the last few years I've been trying to correct my past mistakes and make every bit of my Lego people happy.
@LegoStep27 said:
"Just wondering, how do they choose stuff like set of the day and Meet a Member? It would be cool to do something like that, and it is cool that members have been getting involved!"
You just have to contact us https://brickset.com/contact
Now that lego is collaborating with Nintendo, I d like to see them open it up to other IPs. Lego could bring back some of these fabuland sets by doing an Animal Crossing crossover.
A classic simple set. Just perfect. Over here in the UK he is called Edward. Why the different names I do not know.
I love my Edward. He was one of my first Fabuland sets. He is a bit wobbly now but still enjoys a cup of tea in the shade.
I remember wanting Fabuland so much as a child, looking at the mini catalogs that were included in the sets that I did have. I never got any. Recently I started thinking about acquiring some "for my kids," but realized they'd really be for me.
I love this post so much. Thank you for sharing this story!
I never got into Fabuland as a kid, reason being my poor, immigrant mom somehow managed to get me a 6980 Galaxy Explorer, following some earlier, smaller Classic Space sets. Today I can appreciate Fabuland design & the stories children could live out with these characters as their friends. With the popularity of the original Animal Crossing & explosion of interest in the new ACNH, it‘d be lovely for a Fabuland theme comeback. I guess the nostalgia for childhood, an escape from behind the Iron Curtain & not being aware of struggles of life, make me remember this theme with more emotions than would probably be usual. Thanks for the story about Ethan (Edward) Elephant & as someone said, Fabuland is cool! Good on you for working, saving to get your own LEGO set & choosing this one.
@Yooha said:
"I remember, after a while, if you shaked the torso, the legs were "dancing" because the joint became loose. Was there a metal joint?"
It is a plastic pin, at least in mine.
I bought a few fabuland-figures a while back, all of them have totally loose legs. I tried to fix it in one, a lot of work with very little effect :D so now they all just sit :)
Protip: Fabuland heads are interchangeable with Technic figure ones.