LEGO Ideas and CUUSOO

Friendly Snails

A tiny autumn garden that punches way above its size.

Brick Rated Score

4.2/5

Set 40788 · 2025

Pieces264

Minifigsn/a

Year2025

Set number40788

Check price on Amazon

Affiliate link. We may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.

The verdict

I built this one in an evening and kept finding excuses to slow down, there is a real charm in a set this small managing to fit two snails, a scatter of mushrooms, a bee, and a ladybird into one cohesive little scene.

It started life as a fan design, The Autumn Snails by a builder named Jagamax, and you can feel that origin, it has the kind of specific, personal detail that comes from someone building a thing they genuinely wanted to exist. My honest caveat is that this was a gift with purchase set, so you could not just buy it outright, and that changes how I recommend it. If you already have one, or you spot it secondhand at a fair price, it is a lovely little display piece for anyone who likes nature builds or LEGO Ideas fan designs, but I would not chase it at scalper prices.

Best for: LEGO Ideas fans and nature-build collectors who already own one or can find it at a fair secondhand price

The full review

What it is

I built this one in an evening and kept finding excuses to slow down. There is a real charm in a set this small managing to fit two snails, a scatter of mushrooms, a bee, and a ladybird into one cohesive little scene sitting on a 13 by 13 by 7 centimeter display stand. It started life as a fan design, The Autumn Snails by a builder named Jagamax, submitted to LEGO's own build-the-gift competition, and you can feel that origin. It has the kind of specific, personal detail that comes from someone building a thing they genuinely wanted to exist, not a set drawn up to hit a price point.

The catch

My honest caveat is that this was a gift with purchase set, so you could not just buy it outright. It went out during qualifying purchase windows in July and October 2025, which means the only way to own one now is if you already grabbed it or you find one secondhand, and secondhand GWP sets can get marked up well past what the piece count would normally justify. At 264 pieces it is also a short build, closer to a relaxed half hour than an evening project, so if you are after something meaty this is not it.

Who it's for

If you love LEGO Ideas fan designs, or you collect the little nature vignettes LEGO has been putting out, this is a genuinely sweet one to have on a shelf. If you are new to the hobby and shopping with a fixed budget for a first purchase, skip it and put your money into a set you can actually buy new.

The parts story

What the build is actually like, and the pieces worth knowing about.

The build itself is quick and gentle, snail shells built up in layers to get that spiral look, a leafy garden base, and a cluster of mushroom caps that all use slightly different techniques so it never feels repetitive despite the low piece count. It is the kind of build I would hand to someone who wants to see what LEGO Ideas designs feel like without committing to a multi-hour project.

The standout pieces are the little touches, the bee and ladybird add small printed or molded detail that make the scene feel alive rather than static, and the snail shells do a nice job suggesting a spiral with standard LEGO curves. For a 264 piece set built around a display stand, the part variety per piece is well above average, nothing here feels like filler.

Fun facts

01Friendly Snails began as a winning entry called The Autumn Snails, submitted by fan builder Jagamax to LEGO's build-the-gift-you-want style competition, and was developed into a retail set by LEGO designer Mina Yoo.
02It was never sold as a standalone set, it was only offered as a gift with qualifying purchases at LEGO.com during windows in July and October 2025.
03The finished model measures roughly 13 x 13 x 7 centimeters and sits on its own display stand, built as an autumn garden vignette rather than a play set.
04Despite having no minifigs, the scene still packs in two snails, mushrooms, a bee, and a ladybird, and carries a 4.0 star average from LEGO's own site ratings.