Meet the cutest rodent to ever nibble a brick-built pinecone. Designer Dockan built Squirrel, a bushy-tailed woodland charmer perched on a branch, snacking on a fresh cone. The project has reached the full 10,000 supporters on LEGO® Ideas, and honestly, one look at that fluffy tail and you understand why.

The inspiration came from real life. Dockan lives in a wooden house surrounded by a nature reserve in Sweden, where curious squirrels treat the tall trees and firs like a personal playground. Sitting and watching them leap between treetops sparked the idea to build one out of bricks. The result captures a single squirrel mid-snack, tail arched, cone in paws, frozen in that perfect moment of woodland joy.

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What makes this design sing is its versatility. Display it as a lively creature on its branch, or (here's a clever twist) present it as a museum-style taxidermy piece with a little info sign out front. Dockan prefers the living version, and who could blame them? That poseable tail and the delicate cone are the sort of small details that turn a fun model into a proper conversation starter on your shelf.

There's a lovely bit of hidden meaning too. Dockan describes how young squirrels learn through play, honing their skills by scampering, climbing, and investigating everything in sight. Then comes the twist: reread those lines, swap "squirrels" for "children," and suddenly the whole project celebrates free play and imagination. Rather fitting for a LEGO® set, don't you think?

With 10,000 supporters and 357 comments already logged, Squirrel now heads into the LEGO® review phase, where the team decides whether it earns a spot on shop shelves. Would you clear a branch on your bookcase for this brilliant little climber? Keep your paws crossed, because this nutty nature build deserves to leap all the way to a real box.