2024: What LEGO Harry Potter sets we might get…

Since the revival of the Harry Potter theme in 2018, we’ve had an impressive line-up of LEGO Harry Potter sets every year. We know more is coming in March and the rumours say even more later on. I’m not presenting any such rumours here, but rather the thoughts I formed over the Christmas break, which I never got around to write down till now…

Background

I’ve been posting about the speculations I’ve done for the coming year’s Harry Potter sets for a number of years now (see last year’s post here). And I thought I should continue the tradition, just for the fun of it, even though leaks appear earlier and earlier and me adding speculation at this point have little value.

In early 2019, I speculated that they brought it back for a three-year schedule, which they seem to use for many themes. Themes like Chima, Nexo Knights, Exo Force, Dimensions, Friends Elves, etc. were all planned for three year – though some got canned before the final year.

It seemed to follow the schedule pretty well – 2018 focusing on the first two books/movies and 2019 on the next two books/movies. I expected 2020 would round it up covering the last three books/four movies – they are less child friendly and I didn’t expect many sets for each of those movies. We ended up with sets covering mainly books 5 and 6 – but not a single one representing The Deathly Hallows, while the 4 Privet Drive set took us back to the early movies.

With the 2021 Anniversary sets – LEGO started from a blank, which does explain the new style where Hogwarts is now highly modular which many refer to as a dollhouse style. It seems like they had planned to finish the series after 2020, but the theme must have sold well – and it was indeed listed as one of top five best-selling themes in the latest LEGO Annual Report.

In 2022, LEGO added to the new modular Hogwarts system they had introduced in 2021, and they also covered some of the later movies well with sets. These are otherwise not well represented in LEGO – probably because the later movies are not that kids friendly. But there were also sets related to the third movie, so it was a bit of a mixed bag really. This continued in 2023, with one set from the fourth movie (the Triwizard Tournament – The Black Lake set) but otherwise generally with a focus on the very last movies with the Battle of Hogwarts and the search for the diadem in a burning Room of Requirement.

So, what may be coming in 2024? These were my thoughts I formed over the Christmas break…

2024 predictions

Firstly, I thought the Hogwarts introduced three years ago was now complete, and it was probably time for a new three-year wave, as Harry Potter seems to have become a permanent license – similar to Star Wars – as it has been among the five best selling themes in recent years.

Of course, we already know of several Harry Potter sets to be released here 1 March. Most have been known for a while, but new ones are popping up as I finalise this writeup. Overall, it seems like a solid start of the 2024 year.

Obviously, there is no point in me trying to predict these at this point.

Considering we will get five minifigure sized playsets in March 2024, I think the mid-year wave may be smaller than in previous years.

Guided by previous the years, I’d expect 5-6 sets mid-year with a potential second wave of 1-2 sets in September to coincide with the September 1st “Back to Hogwarts” day. But with so many sets early in the year, I’ll go for 5 “play sets” and a “display set” in June/July and an advent calendar and the usual large direct to consumers (D2C) set in September, probably with a promotional “Gift With Purchase” running around that time too.

As for the theme of the sets – I’m pretty sure 2024 will once again focus on the early movies, and with any Hogwarts themed sets being part of the new modular system that appears to be introduced in the March wave of sets.

Based on those high-level assumptions, here is my list, covering a wide range of price points as you would normally expect. I should add that I’ve been trying to avoid seeing any posts about leaks – but it has been hard – in particular with the extra sets now likely to come in March. I’ve kept my ideas from the Christmas break unchanged, even though some guess may have been confirmed, or now seem unrealistic.

Mid-year wave

For the mid-year wave, I expect four playsets (minifigure scale) and 1-2 display set(s). Here are my “guesses” for playsets:

Small set: Hogwarts Transfiguration Classroom.

This will be part of the new modular system introduced in March 2024 and include Harry and Ron (late for class) and a play feature that allows McGonnagall to transform from cat to human form. It will thus include three minifigures (Professor McGonnagall, Harry Potter and Ron Weasley). For a small set, there are plenty of other options, including Quidditch or Lockhearts classroom, but we’ve seen both recently. Most small sets used to involve the Forbidden Forest, but that is covered in the March wave, so I’ll leave that for now. Otherwise, Aragog could be a good remake to see – as an important character in the first couple of movies.

Medium play set: 4 Privet Drive

As the next step up in terms of part count (and price), I initially thought of a remake of the Knight bus – and with the next larger set again having the Leaky Cauldron and another building from Diagon Alley. This would be continuing the cheaper line of Diagon Alley sets that was kicked off by Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes last year (relative to the expensive exclusive Diagon Alley set that came out in 2020). Then I thought maybe this series of sets might focus on the initial two movies (as we saw with the 2018 and to some extend 2021 series) and that the Knight Bus might be paired with the Leaky Cauldron next year. That would also rule out Hogsmeade (we’ve seen Hogsmeade sets for the last three years, and it would be good to continue with more buildings at some point, but this may not be the year). With two Hogwarts themed sets due in March 2024, I was thinking something not Hogwarts related here. The Whomping Willow is just outside, but we saw one just a couple of years ago, so I’ve settled on (yet) another version of 4 Privet Drive. It has been a while since the last version and it is a good fit with the early movies.

Medium to large set: Diagon Alley shops

My first idea here was for a set with the Leaky Cauldron and Ollivanders. The first one has never been released, but it doesn’t see much screen time. As per above, maybe better go match up with a Knight Bus release next year, assuming that would cover movies three and four, as it does have a more prominent role in The Prisoner of Azkaban. So instead I would am thinking either Ollivanders or the Flourish and Blotts bookstore, with a small section of a secondary store (similar to the owl post we got with the Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes set in 2023). That could for example be the Magical Managerie pet store where Hagrid bought Hedwig (and where Hermione later got Cookshanks).

Large set: Hogwarts – Great Hall with Central Tower

This is really a Hogwarts beginner set – with the key iconic buildings that you need to create an easily recognisable Hogwarts (similar to the 2018 Hogwarts Great Hall set). It should focus on the sorting ceremony for the Great Hall (given we get the arrival to the boat house in March) and the central tower should have room for the new collectable portraits that the 2024 sets appear to come with. Neville could be given a remembral (given we’ll get owlery in March as well).

Next I will discuss what display set(s) I would expect.

Display set: Large-scale Ford Anglia

For display sets, I have previously been suggesting a (motorised/kinetic) model of the snitch in a Quidditch box. That box would however be rather similar to what we’ve seen in 2023, so it will probably something different. I had also previously considered the idea of a an animated sorting hat, but it appears to come in March. So I’ve settled on a larger-sized model of the Ford Anglia, similar to the series of other iconic movie cars released in recent years (like the Ghostbusters Car and the Delorean). It would work well, with the small minifigure one coming out in in March.

I think personally, that would be an awesome idea!

Brickheadz return?

There could be more coming though – as we most year’s have had a Brickheadz style set as well. Given Dobby is a favourite character, which for whatever reason has never been made into a Brickheadz set, I will hope for a Lucius Malfoy/Dobby Brickheadz set as well.

(I have just learned that a Brickheadz set will now come as part of the March wave, so this guess is probably not going to happen)

September wave

In September, I expect an advent calendar as usual, a large exclusive direct-to-consumers (D2C) set and a gift with purchase set.

Advent calendar – Christmas at the Burrow

I am very much hoping for Christmas in the Burrow as theme, but given we have started on a new three-year cycle, maybe it could be centered around the first movie instead, including a game related to the challenges to find the philosophers stone? I’ll stick with my guess of a Burrow related calendar though.

D2C exclusive set: The Burrow

As this year’s large D2C set, I am hoping for a larger sized version of The Burrow (in LEGO Star Wars terminology, it would be a UCS set – Ultimate Collector Series – indicating a very large version of something that typically only has appeared as a smaller scale play set). That would tie in nicely with a Burrow themed advent calendar.

GWP set – Hogwarts challenges

I was thinking that this year’s expected Gift With Purchase set could be Burrow related. An example could be a shed and a piece of garden with gnomes, for Harry and Ron to de-gnome. But all of that may be in the D2C set, so I will instead suggest this set could be Hogwarts related, maybe capturing some of the challenges the trio had to overcome in their search for the sorcerers/philosophers stone in the first movie.

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That was all! I’ll wait a day or two till I look up the various rumours posted on other sites in the last month or so, I’ve tried to avoid looking at them till I had this post done. It will be interesting to see how well my ideas align. But we’ll have to wait until the official reveal of course till we know for sure.

Till then, Build the Magic!