Lego just released a new Red Maple Bonsai Tree set, and I couldn't wait to build it

CNN

2 days ago

The Lego Botanical line includes some of the company's most popular building kits. They're exciting for long-time Lego fans like myself thanks to intricate designs, as well as newer builders who are just looking to assemble a cute plant model. To start off June, there are two new sets entering the collection, including a majestic Japanese Red Maple Bonsai Tree and a pack of affordable little Happy Plants figures. I spent the weekend building both kits for myself, and let me tell you, they're some of the best Lego kits of the year.
Lego Japanese Red Maple Bonsai Tree
The newest life-like plant from Lego is here. This Japanese Red Maple is a more colorful spin on the classic bonsai tree and is comprised of nearly 500 pieces. There's no need to water this plant, either, nor do you need to meticulously prune its branches like with the real thing.
Lego Happy Plants
On the smaller side, Lego has extended its Botanicals collection to include something a little sillier. This Happy Plants set assembles two characters with swappable plants that rest in their heads. As much as I love Lego Star Wars sets and other creations based on the latest in pop culture, there's no denying the draw of these home decor-style models. The Lego Botanicals line has converted so many of my friends, coworkers and readers into Lego fans, and the two new kits that launched this month certainly look like they'll be continuing that trend.
The Lego Japanese Red Maple Bonsai Tree is easily the highlight of this month's new releases. But, I also instantly fell in love with the Happy Plants set. So, I'll talk about both of them down below.
Lego first launched its Botanicals line all the way back in 2020. The very first kit in the collection was a bonsai tree, so this month's release of the Red Maple is offering a fresh take on the buildable plant that started it all. The first version was so popular that it sold out right at launch and kept that hard-to-find status for months on end. History may repeat itself with the newest kit, as the Japanese Red Maple Bonsai Tree looks to be every bit as enticing as the original bonsai tree.
I've been scouting this set out for months and have been waiting for it to hit store shelves since it was revealed earlier in the year. Over the weekend, I went and picked it up for myself and immediately got to work assembling the 474-piece creation. I love the vibrant colors on this plant, as well as the layered leaf design that gives the model's branches a dense and life-like appearance.
The Japanese Red Maple Bonsai Tree is so detailed that you'll have to squint to even see the studs that would identify as a Lego kit. Its building process employs quite a few interesting techniques to achieve its regal final design, taking advantage of the same foliage piece that comes in three warm hues. I also love that the base resembles a dark green pot to really make it feel like the real thing — of course, without any actual soil.
This model's $60 price tag is a bit steeper than previous entries in the Botanical collection, but the finished build is also a bit larger. A lot of recent Lego kits have been doing the opposite, scaling down the final product to help keep its price in check. So in this case, I'm thrilled to see Lego branching out to deliver a more impressive plant instead of having shrunk the Red Maple to match the size of the original bonsai tree.
Alongside the newest Lego bonsai tree, another kit just launched in the Botanicals collection. The Happy Plants set is a departure from the other models that have been trickling into the lineup over the past few years, but one that I'm quite happy to see. Lego first showed me this kit back at New York Toy Fair, and I've been excited to write about it ever since.
While other brick built botanicals aim to recreate like-like versions of the real thing, these Happy Plants figures are a bit more playful. The kit includes two of the adorable characters with interchangeable plants to swap between them. The blue figure sits on your desk or shelf with a baby pilea plant, while their yellow counterpart stands up to show off a baby dracaena plant. Each of the builds aren't quite as detailed as the usual kits in this Lego theme, but that just makes them more accessible. The $23 price tag fits that, as well. After building the kit myself, this launch stands out for younger Lego builders and anyone else just getting into the hobby.
Lego only releases a couple of kits like this every year. While hundreds of sets will debut across themes like Star Wars, Marvel and Ninjago, builders are only treated to a handful of builds in the Botanicals collection. And with as popular as these kits have been for CNN Underscored readers, I knew I had to share the latest releases in the realm of Lego kits for adults. The launch of the Japanese Red Maple Bonsai Tree and Happy Plants sets are so good, in fact, that I went out and bought them myself. So, if a new product launch is good enough for a massive Lego fan like myself to spend her own money on, it's worth writing about. Whether you're shopping for yourself or for a Lego gift, these kits are easily worth recommending after building them for myself.
Here at CNN Underscored, we make it our job to stay up to date on all the latest products, but we don't just find them; we also rigorously test products from hundreds of brands to make sure every gift you give is a hit. In the case of this shopping guide for the new 2025 Lego sets, you're getting recommendations from a lifelong Lego fan.
Senior deals editor Rikka Altland has been building Lego since before she could form full sentences. She has also been writing about Lego professionally for nearly a decade and has been building kits for over twice as long. Altland is constantly buying new models, so when she says she loves a kit and thinks it's worth buying, she's putting her money where her mouth is.