Random set of the day: Merry-Go-Round with Ticket Booth
Posted by Huwbot,
Today's random set is 3668 Merry-Go-Round with Ticket Booth, released during 1986. It's one of 7 Fabuland sets produced that year. It contains 42 pieces and 3 minifigs, and its retail price was US$17.75.
It's owned by 358 Brickset members. If you want to add it to your collection you might find it for sale at BrickLink or eBay.
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36 comments on this article
That actually looks like it would be quite fun to play with.
Supposedly, that's a racoon, but it's obviously a bandit lion who stole someone's ticket. No crime is too petty in Fabuland.
Fabuland 20xx soon
I’m still surprised they haven’t resurrected Fabuland in some form (apart from that abstract build in the 90 year set).
Seems like Sylvanian Families are still popular, and combining anthropomorphic animals with Lego is such a neat idea.
@chrisaw said:
"I’m still surprised they haven’t resurrected Fabuland in some form (apart from that abstract build in the 90 year set).
Seems like Sylvanian Families are still popular, and combining anthropomorphic animals with Lego is such a neat idea."
Well Chima had Anthropomorphic animals. Albeit with a much more conflict oriented style than the homemaking style of Fabuland and Sylvanian Families.
Where’s the ride operator? Did he get eaten?
A puzzler: Which way is ride spinning? Compared to the Bricklink picture, the seats are swung out due to centrifugal force, so the ride can't be at rest. Yet, the elephant and mouse are seating opposite ways on their circular path.
I think it might be moving clockwise (looking down). The "raccoon" is showing-off the ticket in the direction it thinks riders will see it.
@rahlmaclaren said:
"A puzzler: Which way is ride spinning? Compared to the Bricklink picture, the seats are swung out due to centrifugal force, so the ride can't be at rest. Yet, the elephant and mouse are seating opposite ways on their circular path.
I think it might be moving clockwise (looking down). The "raccoon" is showing-off the ticket in the direction it thinks riders will see it."
In Fabuland you live every day like it’s your last, because it probably is, so riding swings backwards relying on centrifugal force to secure you is just par for the course.
@MCLegoboy:
Clearly it’s an elaborate rig that spins people up to speed before flipping them upside-down so all their valuables shoot out of their pockets. And then the lions come in to collect the riders an hour later after the raccoon has taken off.
That Merry-go-round has to be reeeeeally well built. Why? Consider how much weight a human sized elephant would be, in proportion...we'd be talking someone who rivals a sumo wrestler (I'd pull out my "TMNT & Other Strangeness" to help 'crunch the numbers', but trust me: the numbers are fun:))
@rahlmaclaren said:
"A puzzler: Which way is ride spinning? "
Just a matrix glitch, nothing to see...
@chrisaw said:
"Seems like Sylvanian Families are still popular, and combining anthropomorphic animals with Lego is such a neat idea."
I love Fabuland but I'm guessing Sylvanian Families may be one of the reasons why we do not have Fabuland sets today. Another reason may be that today conflict pays more, not peace.
One of those animals has chosen to ride the merry-go-round backwards and I do not approve of that choice...
A friend of mine had this when we were kids. We loved to put all kinds of stuff into those Merry-go-round seats, spin the thing as wildly as possible and see which item would fly out first, how far, etc.
Endless fun. :-)
@AustinPowers ha ha. I didn't have this set but that sounds like something I totally would have done.
Essential addition to your Expert fun fair collection.
@Lego_lord said:
" @chrisaw said:
"Seems like Sylvanian Families are still popular, and combining anthropomorphic animals with Lego is such a neat idea."
I love Fabuland but I'm guessing Sylvanian Families may be one of the reasons why we do not have Fabuland sets today. Another reason may be that today conflict pays more, not peace."
That is sadly true, and sad in general. Probably why we won't get a return to classic space sets without a bad guy to be zapped. I loved the Galaxy Squad range but was disappointed by the stereotypical bug aliens
Awww! Who doesn't love Fabuland?
Always wanted to motorize this spinning top to see how many G's Fabuland figures could take, but no obvious method at the time. As a kid I had the impression that they were literally flying towards each other and the racoon was waiting for the big crash (nowadays he would be up streaming live with his mobile) ! Still figuring out how they did the photography of them flying out of their seats before photo shopping was around.
@Brickalili:
Maybe it’s a variable-reality zone, and they’re both riding the swings in a forward direction.
@PurpleDave said:
" @Brickalili:
Maybe it’s a variable-reality zone, and they’re both riding the swings in a forward direction."
Alright, back to the Mirror Dimension with you Dr Strange :D
I love how the ticket booth is bigger than most City buildings. And bigger than the carousel itself.
Oh, and I just love how the comment section made this about mugging someone with centrifugal force. Never change, Fabuland comments...
My notification had the name "Merry-Go-Round" and I was mildly disappointed, since I don't have any real interest in fairground/amusement park sets (or in real life)--but when I opened the page and saw Fabuland, it was a delight. I will never not enjoy seeing Fabuland.
I do want to find a Huwbottigan connection to the date: Remembrance Day (Armistice Day... Veterans Day... Martinmas...). Given the dark undertones in Fabuland society that the commenters here have found with such consistent dedication, it shouldn't be hard to find some sombre remembrance of horrific war in this, erm, fairground.
That must be one horrendously unbalanced merry-go-round, if it has an elephant riding on one side and a mouse on the other. I feel like it must be about to tip over any second now.
Then again, if we invoke animal stereotypes, Edward / Elton / whoever is about to realise that his fellow rider is a mouse and panic and flee, so maybe it'll all balance out...
@lost_scotsman:
You mean like back at the very start when there were just two colors with white representing American astronauts and red representing Russian cosmonauts, as was mentioned in an interview with the Exo Suit set designer?
@Brickalili:
Who said I was strange? That’s a vicious lie. I’m _weird_.
@PurpleDave said:
" @lost_scotsman:
You mean like back at the very start when there were just two colors with white representing American astronauts and red representing Russian cosmonauts, as was mentioned in an interview with the Exo Suit set designer?
@Brickalili:
Who said I was strange? That’s a vicious lie. I’m _weird_."
:o
I never read that. Well, when I was playing with them I didn't break down the colours into factions like that, I just liked building spaceships :)
I have a few Fabuland sets from when I was a kid. All of them are still in pretty good condition, except for the scooter which broke in half from set 3782. I think all of mine are just the character and item/small build though not any of the major sets from the line.
Fabuland is one of LEGO's greatest forgotten themes. Just the name alone is so magical.
@Lego_lord said:
" @chrisaw said:
"Seems like Sylvanian Families are still popular, and combining anthropomorphic animals with Lego is such a neat idea."
I love Fabuland but I'm guessing Sylvanian Families may be one of the reasons why we do not have Fabuland sets today. Another reason may be that today conflict pays more, not peace."
City sets definitely have gone that way. Friends is the new (peaceful) City/Town.
This set does look like a lot of fun. The modern equivalent has to be 10778 - anthropomorphic animals in a fairground for the slightly beyond Duplo age group. I prefer Fabuland, mostly because I am a bit jaded by licenced stuff!
How about a Fabuland CMF?
@PurpleDave said:
" @Brickalili:
Who said I was strange? That’s a vicious lie. I’m _weird_."
Oh we’re using our made up names?
@lost_scotsman:
https://www.reddit.com/r/lego/comments/29w5q7/comment/cip86pq/
Here's the source. Mark Stafford (Lego_Nabii) posted a lot of stuff leading up to the release of the Exo Suit. He mentioned having met Jens Nygaard Knudsen, creator of the minifig and Space designer from Classic to Spyrius, and the white/astronaut, red/cosmonaut angle was what he said they _originally_ went with. Then they added yellow, blue, and black, and different roles were assigned to the five colors instead of representing factions.
BTW, I disagree with the logic of green being mech pilots, as they did have a few really rough mecha in the Classic Space run (but never any green Spacemen). Based on the tone of the video, I'd say that green is for salvage, which is a role that has never been represented before that. Then the question is what orange, pink, and now purple represent. I'd figured orange could be food service, and pink for HR, so maybe entertainment for purple?
@rahlmaclaren said:
"A puzzler: Which way is ride spinning? Compared to the Bricklink picture, the seats are swung out due to centrifugal force, so the ride can't be at rest. Yet, the elephant and mouse are seating opposite ways on their circular path.
I think it might be moving clockwise (looking down). The "raccoon" is showing-off the ticket in the direction it thinks riders will see it."
It is the Schrödinger’s cat of carnival rides. It is simultaneously going in both directions.
The end of the Fabuland line was disappointing. There were too many carousels, fun fairs and merry go round : 3681 3683 3663 3676 3659 . I only saw these, instead of admiring 3646 : Catherine Cat in her Kitchen, or the unique 3680 : Caravan and Rowboat, or the nice 3675 : General Store . I also miss the pre-facelift Fabuland figures with dark eyes and no printed torsos.
Years ago I thought that the same thing was happening for the Friends line, but finally they evolved into different directions : space, forest...
@subaru_69 said:
"The end of the Fabuland line was disappointing. There were too many carousels, fun fairs and merry go round : 3681 3683 3663 3676 3659 . I only saw these, instead of admiring 3646 : Catherine Cat in her Kitchen, or the unique 3680 : Caravan and Rowboat, or the nice 3675 : General Store . I also miss the pre-facelift Fabuland figures with dark eyes and no printed torsos.
Years ago I thought that the same thing was happening for the Friends line, but finally they evolved into different directions : space, forest..."
surptized they haven't remade 3659 36813676 that (Carousel?)m 4 person ride looks cool.
This set is a bright spot in the dark story of Fabuland, as it must be from right before they went into a long-running war with each other and turned into Legends of Chima. ...Unless the reason they went to war in the first place was somebody cut in line at the Merry-Go-Round!