LEGO Ideas announces new Lord of the Rings project: Your chance to build Bilbo's birthday
Never late, nor early
The first part of Lord of the Rings begins at Bilbo Baggin’s 111th birthday, with the old hobbit preparing for one last hurrah before slipping off mysteriously into the night, sending his nephew off on a life-changing adventure. For that brief moment in the series, everything is hunky dory in the land of Shire. Now, LEGO is challenging fans to recreate this iconic scene.
LEGO Ideas is an initiative by the Danish block company that allows any fans (with a half-decent level of artistic and block-building skill) to create new potential LEGO designs. It even commissions some designs submitted to it, if they hit a certain number of votes, which are then manufactured. You may think this is one of those promises that doesn't actually happen, but there have already been a couple of commissions, including a recent Godzilla piece, and the rocket ship from Tintin comics.
Interested in seeing your design dreams become a plastic reality? Here's what LEGO is looking for:
“So, what would it look like if you could have the hobbits throw you a birthday party like they so inspiringly did for our very own Bilbo Baggins? Would it perhaps be a breakfast party with not only one but, of course, a second breakfast as well? Would the theme be adventure? Or for everyone to wear a precious piece of jewellery? No, that might not be such a good idea… Maybe include some fireworks – the big ones! Oh, and don’t forget to invite very old friends.”
Very old friends? We all know what that means... A certain grey wizard and his hobbit pals will need to feature. Although Merry and Pippen dancing on tables wouldn't go amiss too, if you ask us.
Builds will be evaluated on:
- Overall coolness and originality
- Inspired details
- Relevance to theme
- Best use of LEGO elements
This will then be reviewed before the top five go to a fan vote on the 25th August.
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The deadline for submitting a build is the 6th August, 2025, at 6:00 AM EST. It's advised to submit one day in advance to accommodate any necessary modifications. Should your build require edits, you have until the 7th August, 2025, to resubmit.
If you’re the creative type, you have just over 40 days to enter a submission. For us normies, we know we’re getting a great set inspired by The Shire sometime soon, so it's a win-win.
If you want to check out how to enter and the rules and regulations, which include not using other IPs (so the Gremlins can’t come to the party) check out the A Night to Remember in The Shire page. Good luck and happy building.
This latest challenge to recreate Bilbo’s birthday could result in a set that would join a pretty stacked lineup of other Lord of the Rings LEGO kits already on sale.

Morgan got his start in writing by talking about his passion for gaming. He worked for sites like VideoGamer and GGRecon, knocking out guides, writing news, and conducting interviews before a brief stint as RealSport101's Managing Editor. He then went on to freelance for Radio Times before joining Shortlist as a staff writer. Morgan is still passionate about gaming and keeping up with the latest trends, but he also loves exploring his other interests, including grimy bars, soppy films, and wavey garms. All of which will undoubtedly come up at some point over a pint.
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