Before we even get to the LEGO house, let’s start at the very beginning with the construction of a nice little display piece that can be situated in front of the house. First, you’re putting together a combination gate and graveyard display that is perfect for displaying the minifigures. There’s a creepy tree, some twisty vines, a couple headstones, including one with a stone skeleton head, and a little sign on the gate that certainly won’t keep any trespassers away, especially nosy children. Plus, there’s a little black cat figurine included, officially making Thackery Binx part of the line-up. You’ll notice (in the pictures below), that the display piece has hinges that allow you to shape it around the house for a more dynamic display.
Since this piece is made for showing off all the minifigures, let’s just dig right into those too. It should be noted that you do not build all of these minifigures in the beginning of the build with this gate display. Instead, you build them one at a time at various points throughout the build, so don’t be confused if you purchase this set and you have zero minifigures to begin with.
It wouldn’t be a “Hocus Pocus” LEGO set without the trio of Sanderson Sisters, played perfectly by Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy. Each of them comes with their own accessory. Winifred (Midler) has green magic bolts for her hands, Sarah (Parker) has a little bottle with green potion in it, and Mary can hold what appears to be a frying pan. But the better accessories are what make them fly. Within the house, there’s a broom, a mop, and yes, a vaccum. And situating Mary on the vacuum so she can take flight is one of the best touches.
That brings us to the movie’s main characters, Max Dennison (Omri Katz), his sister Dani (Thora Birch), and his love interest Allison (Vinessa Shaw). Max doesn’t get his own accessory, but it would have been nice if he got a bicycle, since that’s how we’re introduced to him in his new home of Salem, Massachusetts. As for Dani, she’s dressed in her trick-or-treat outfit, so of course she comes with a little jack-o’-lantern candy pail. And finally, Allison gets a container of salt, so she can try to keep the witches from harming them.
It should be noted that there were supposed to be five other minifigures included in this set. The original LEGO Ideas submission also included the zombie Billy Butcherson, the bullies Ernie (or “Ice”) and Jay, and the ghosts of Thackery Binx and Emily Binx. However, they didn’t make the final cut. It’s kind of a bummer, because as you can see below, within house, there are two cages that Ice and Jay would have fit in perfectly, but instead they’re occupied by skeletons.
Perhaps the most disappointing removal is Billy, who would have been a great minifigure. Brick Fanastics asked LEGO Ideas Design Manager Jordan Scott why this happened, and he explained:
“It was a collaboration with Disney, because ultimately it’s their IP, so they have final say on who goes in the product. We worked with them to make the designs for these characters.”
So if you’re mad about Billy Butcherson not making it into the set, you can blame Disney.