Hello friends! Today I’ll be reviewing set 31169, the Typewriter with Flowers LEGO set. I’m really excited to get into this, it was a really great set! The cover art alone caught my attention. The colorful flowers blossoming out of a pink type writer, how can I resist?
As someone who finds flowers to be one of the many joys of spring and as someone who writes creatively, I knew I had to review this set. Additionally, it looked rather beginner friendly, which was a definite plus as a young adult who hadn’t built anything with LEGO in a very, very long time.
So, let’s start from the beginning. The bags were neatly numbered, easing the fears I felt as someone out of practice. As bag one revealed key structural parts and bag two introduced florals, there was a steady rhythm to the build, and each stage felt especially thoughtful and well-paced. You could tell the designers aimed for a calm and fun design, similar to other child-like activities adults do to destress like zentangle coloring books or pickle ball.
The building experience was surprisingly meditative. Initially, I was listening to music but about ten minutes in I found myself craving silence, outside of the sound of the warm wind and the satisfying click of the LEGO pieces fitting together. The click of pieces fitting together, the familiar routine of sorting sections, and watching the typewriter shape emerge really elicited joy and excitement from me. While I have never used a type writer, it felt deeply nostalgic. It made me think of my older peers and writing mentors writing away when they were my age.
The visual of flowers on the typewriter also made me smile. Why flowers out of a typewriter? It’s a whimsical blend of mechanism and nature, like planting ideas in a machine. It also (not in a sense of aesthetics but the themes of nature and machine) reminded me of one of my favorite movies, Princess Mononoke. That creative choice, the co-existence of man (the builder), nature, and machine, makes what could have been a purely retro build into something that feels nothing short of poetic.
There’s no minifigure in this set, yet it accomplishes an eye-catching presence without figures. The finishing piece, a desk décor you can press and slide, is tactile enough to feel alive and versatile. Yet, the absence of minifigs underscores that this isn’t a playset full of narrative potential; it’s a creative object meant to decorate and inspire, especially for anyone who appreciates analog charm in a digital world. I both appreciate it as decor but also would have liked a minifig. I can see that if there’s a normal sized minifig that would imply that this is a massive type writer but wouldn’t it be so fun to hop around a giant type writer writing a soliloquy of self or declaration of love?
On the fun factor, it walks a fine line. It wasn’t hard or challenging but also never tedious. I found myself captivated throughout the entire build process. There was a quiet joy in completing the mechanism, the platen spins, the lever returns, it’s functional in a charmingly abstract way. That said, the keytar alternate model struck me as odd. Compared to similarly whimsical Creator 3-in-1 sets (LEGO’s gardening journals or seasonal builds), it strays into random or nonsensical territory. The keytar’s aesthetic is cute (I would love a Rock n Roll 3-1) but structurally unrelated here; it felt more like a convenient addition for the designer rather than a coherent connection to the themes set up by the type writer. The flowerpot, pen, and notebook, while small, felt sturdier, closer in spirit to the delightful botanicals but more compact and accessible.
The question is: is its audience even familiar with a typewriter? I’m Gen-Z and I know I was. I like to think Gen-Alpha is at least familiar or could recognize them. Maybe not every LEGO fan will recognize it. Maybe those who do while opt against it due to the flashbacks of having a typo written with a type writer. This might not be for everyone but that’s part of its charm. It offers a tactile doorway into nostalgia, especially for younger fans who may only know keyboards. For fans of retro tech or creative desk accessories, it’s a love letter; for newer builders, it’s a gateway to curiosity.
In comparison to the much-loved 21327 Ideas Typewriter, this Creator set refrains from scale or complexity. That results in a lower price point (yay!) and truer to its Creator spirit, sculptural, thoughtful, and multipurpose. You can rebuild it, display it, or repurpose its parts, chances are, builders will kitbash something entirely new from this kit: maybe a typewriter with fairy lights or a steampunk-inspired pen holder. Its parts are built to go beyond the catalog.
By the end, I had built something lovely and joyful. The typewriter now perches on my desk, less toy, more memory of a fun time I had by myself. It made me consider how quiet gestures (flowers growing from machinery, bricks repurposed) can spark play in new ways.
