Review: LEGO Easter Bunny's Carrot House 40449

LEGO is back with another Easter Bunny home for the spring holiday, and this year’s design really piles on the whimsy. The limited-edition, 2021 LEGO Creator Easter Bunny’s Carrot House set (40449) is available now through April 5 for free at the LEGO Shop with $60 purchase (while supplies last). It’s a fun and colorful design that would look perfect in any kid’s Easter basket.

Thanks to the LEGO Group, I got an early look at this set, which comprises 232 pieces, including three Easter eggs and sticker sheet, but no minifigure. Instead, a brick-built bunny takes up residence in this bold Carrot House. This quick, cute build looks great on the mantle or dining table during the Easter season, and it will definitely be a hit with youngsters, but does it have enough juice to excite an AFOL toy photographer?

Yes and no.

Photo: Oliver Peterson, @oliversees

It’s clear I (a 44-year-old man) am not the target demographic for this set—especially since I generally enjoy LEGO minifigures more than actual builds and play sets. I was immediately disappointed by the lack of an adorable Easter-themed minifig, but I still found myself captivated by the bunny. His economical design and quickly recognizable form demonstrate the magic of LEGO and what can be created with a limited number of easy-to-attain bricks.

The East Bunny makes a new friend, Photo: Oliver Peterson, @oliversees

Despite not being a minifigure—or perhaps because it’s not a minifig—the bunny offers a range of expressive looks, which really add life to your toy photos. One can make the bunny appear happy, sad, surprised or even a bit loony with minor adjustments to his (or her?) googly eyes, hinged ears and pink nose.

Easter Bunny feeling sad, Photo: Oliver Peterson, @oliversees

Just look at my pictures to see how the bunny’s interactions can tell different stories, depending on how it’s posed.

Kooky Easter Bunny, Photo: Oliver Peterson, @oliversees

The house, which looks like the top of a large carrot sticking out of the ground, is reasonably sized, but it literally allows just enough space for the Easter Bunny to fit inside, jammed tightly between the wall and his dresser.

The Easter Bunny barely fits, Photo: Oliver Peterson, @oliversees

Nothing is pre-printed, so be prepared to use stickers for the mirror, wall decor and rug inside, along with the shutters, door and carrot details on the outside.

Photo: Oliver Peterson, @oliversees

All the elements are pretty much packed together in a small area. The Easter Bunny has a lovely little red mailbox (with sticker details) and various flowers, including small ones on the window sills and two growing from the ground with purple Easter eggs on top.

Photo: Oliver Peterson, @oliversees

The set’s absolute coolest detail is also the one nobody can see. Hidden in the rafters above the bunny’s room, a single, tan egg is invisible without removing a special panel above the open back of the house. There’s something really fun about this secret only the builder knows.

Only set builders know about the hidden Easter egg! Photo: Oliver Peterson, @oliversees

While Easter Bunny’s Carrot House is far from my favorite set, it will definitely bring some cool new elements to your LEGO collection. The bunny is a great character who’s surprisingly emotive, and his house makes for a fun addition to any LEGO neighborhood.

The carrot house fits well with standard LEGO minifigures, Photo: Oliver Peterson, @oliversees

Between this and the concurrent free-with-purchase LEGO Amelia Earhart Tribute Set (40450), now is the perfect time to pony up for whatever sets you’ve been putting off buying on lego.com. Scroll down for some behind-the-scenes pics.