WINTER BREAK: Zonko's Joke Shop

[Maegnus]

This was a fun and challenging build. The hardest part was sticking to the 1000 piece limit. If I had to guess, I would say that this is under 1000 pieces, but probably isn't far off. I think that was the intention of the rule, as I don't want to have to count.

I wanted the exterior to embody some classical design elements and look like an old snowy shop that would belong in Hogsmeade. The trans-clear baseplate from the mosaic sets seemed like the perfect piece for a large storefront display window (and also kept the piece count low). But because it's a joke shop, it needed a splash of colour and some sort of zany signage to draw you in (in this case, the laughing mouth). I put things on weird angles to reinforce the unconventional theme of the shop; the main display window is angled, as is one of the support columns. I used a dragon tale and die to make the bending clock post.

When it came to the interior, I didn't hold back, filling it with as much colour and silly elements as I could. My thought process involved taking pieces and finding ways to turn them on their heads and mess with their context (for example, the bicycle with the square front wheel).

Here is Zonko himself, getting shocked by a handshake zapper. Note the Frog Spawn Soap in the background.

This couple is making off with their purchases, including a scary mask being put to immediate use.

I used a light brick and a fiber optic tube to spruce up the column a bit. It can be activated by pressing the ball underneath the cash register. You can see the Sneakoscope that Zonko keeps next to the cash so to protect himself from shady buyers. Up on the roof, you'll notice a boy who is finding better uses for the snow than simply shoveling it away (as he was instructed to do).

Link to the flickr set (with close-ups of all the details)

[buddy]

Excellent entry! It is very accurate and highly detailed. I particularly like the usage of the trans-clear baseplate for the window.

Extremely well done.

~buddy~

[tin7_creations]

This is awesome! I love how you did the tongue and grin on the outside; as well as how you utilized the dice piece! The exterior of the store itself definitely has my vote!

Edited December 24, 2010 by tin7_creations

[Clone OPatra]

This is a very appealing MOC. Some of your parts usages are very creative, and the shape of the building itself is some great work.

The only problem I have with it is that it just doesn't evoke a very "Harry Potter"-esque feel to me, but perhaps I can get past that and vote for it anyhow. It's a wonderful MOC, but it just doesn't fit in with my vision of Hogsmeade. Maybe I've become too biased by the films.

[XimenaPaulina]

Wow, this is such an excellent creation, the very odd-looking exterior design is really visually appealing. I really like unconventional builds, and this is definitely one of them. Great job using those weird angles and design elements in front (curved cube clock, giant tongue-out mouth, skewed glass pane). Of course, the interior details are fantastic as well. Awesome work on this one Maegnus, good luck in the contest!

[prateek]

I agree with KDM. This is very unusual, and the exterior, especially the laughing sign. As we carry into the interior, we see a lot of colourful things! I just love the hand shake buzzer effect you made with the spiked Exo-Force hair. Great job using the fibre optics too.

[Geertos13]

This creation is reallty G-R-E-A-T !

I'm probably going to enter this contest but I highly enjoy watching other entries and this has to be the best so far !

the Outside is Magnificent, The colors fits nicely together, and writing "Zonkos" with these printed tiles is a great idea. I still need to find a way how to make my sign... Well anyway, this is very nice creation and the outside is excelent.

For some reason, the inside is a bit disappointed once we've seen the magnificent red outside. It's too large and high considering the amount of objects containing it.It's very colorful, defenatly a plus, but I don't know... I miss something...

Maybe a bigger crowd would have been better, and even more messy.

anyhow,; even if the inside is a bit less good than the outside, this still is a fantastic creation, a great entry and a nice addition to the Harry Potter MOCs,

Good luck ;)

and Keep Bricking

[Masked Builder]

This is very very cool. Nice work on the clock and the inside looks amazing! Very nice, very detailed great job.

[Matn]

Amazing! Really, I love it. It gives me a totally different vision on the wizarding world of Harry Potter, one less medieval than I had in mind and very wacky. And I think I like this vision.

The exterior is really great, the red contrasts very well with its surroundings. The angled window and column make it look wacky and just perfect for a joke shop. The mouth and lamp post are also great. The exterior really has changed my idea of this shop and makes me rethink my own interpretation of Zonko's Joke Shop.

The interior is lovely with all the different colours. And I also like all the different items, there's a great variation of wacky items! The tube giving light is a nice touch, and so is the Sneakoscope.

I hope you'll make more interpretations of magic buildings from Harry Potter. The totally different feeling you've managed to create is just wonderful. I didn't say 'Harry Potter' to me when I first looked at it, but on a second glance it did. Good luck in the contest!

[badboytje88]

Ladies and gentlemen. We got ourselves a winner!

[Maegnus]

Excellent entry! It is very accurate and highly detailed. I particularly like the usage of the trans-clear baseplate for the window.

Extremely well done.

~buddy~

Thanks buddy! The idea of using the trans-clear baseplate as a big storefront window was definitely the anchor that I built the whole structure around, which provided some interesting challenges and payoffs. Glad you like it

This is awesome! I love how you did the tongue and grin on the outside; as well as how you utilized the dice piece! The exterior of the store itself definitely has my vote!

Thanks tin7! I appreciate your compliments on the exterior, as I put a lot of time and thought into it. It saw at least 5 changes and rebuilds. Initially it was all brown and dark bley, but it ended up looking just like a boring christmas village building. Then I made the window blue, which didn't look right. After I changed it to red and was happy, I added a few other red details like the columns (which were originally power miners rock monster bodies, if you can believe it; complicated techniques don't always mean better looking results). Things like the grinning sign came more naturally and I haven't touched.

This is a very appealing MOC. Some of your parts usages are very creative, and the shape of the building itself is some great work.

The only problem I have with it is that it just doesn't evoke a very "Harry Potter"-esque feel to me, but perhaps I can get past that and vote for it anyhow. It's a wonderful MOC, but it just doesn't fit in with my vision of Hogsmeade. Maybe I've become too biased by the films.

That is some great feedback, Clone O'Patra. Thanks! I'll take 'appealing' any day! I think my vision of the Harry Potter universe is slightly more realistic than the highly whimsical interpretation of many others. I had considered building the whole thing on wonky angles, but opted for a more subtle approach in the end. It actually came out almost exactly as I had pictured it fitting into Hogsmeade in my head. Just goes to show how unique our creative imaginations really are.

Wow, this is such an excellent creation, the very odd-looking exterior design is really visually appealing. I really like unconventional builds, and this is definitely one of them. Great job using those weird angles and design elements in front (curved cube clock, giant tongue-out mouth, skewed glass pane). Of course, the interior details are fantastic as well. Awesome work on this one Maegnus, good luck in the contest!

There's that word again: appealing... definitely a good sign. I hope my other MOCs get the same reaction; I will be posting some more soon! Thank you for the kind words, KDM!

I agree with KDM. This is very unusual, and the exterior, especially the laughing sign. As we carry into the interior, we see a lot of colourful things! I just love the hand shake buzzer effect you made with the spiked Exo-Force hair. Great job using the fibre optics too.

I see you noticed some of the finer details I worked into this creation. After trying all kinds of silly ways to make him look electrocuted, I eventually decided that a carefully chosen head and hairpiece could convey that for me. Good eye, prateek!

This creation is reallty G-R-E-A-T !

I'm probably going to enter this contest but I highly enjoy watching other entries and this has to be the best so far !

the Outside is Magnificent, The colors fits nicely together, and writing "Zonkos" with these printed tiles is a great idea. I still need to find a way how to make my sign... Well anyway, this is very nice creation and the outside is excelent.

For some reason, the inside is a bit disappointed once we've seen the magnificent red outside. It's too large and high considering the amount of objects containing it.It's very colorful, defenatly a plus, but I don't know... I miss something...

Maybe a bigger crowd would have been better, and even more messy.

anyhow,; even if the inside is a bit less good than the outside, this still is a fantastic creation, a great entry and a nice addition to the Harry Potter MOCs,

Good luck ;)

and Keep Bricking

Thanks for the thoughtful input, Geertos! It is rather clean and tidy for a joke shop, isn't it? I think 'organized chaos' was what I had in mind! And although packing the inside with figs would have created a great atmosphere of chaos and bustle, I felt like it would detract from the details of the building itself, which is the heart of this contest. I also usually try to build with the same styles I see used in actual Lego kits (after all, they are the pros); and by their standards, this MOC already has a lot of figs

I totally agree about the high ceiling making the interior feel a little awkward. It was a big challenge, but a necessary evil due to the large baseplate window

I'm sure you'll find a great way to make your sign if you take your time with it. I can't wait to see your entry

This is very very cool. Nice work on the clock and the inside looks amazing! Very nice, very detailed great job.

Wow thanks, Masked Builder! I put quite a few hours into it and had a blast with the details; it's nice to see that they are noticeable.

Amazing! Really, I love it. It gives me a totally different vision on the wizarding world of Harry Potter, one less medieval than I had in mind and very wacky. And I think I like this vision.

The exterior is really great, the red contrasts very well with its surroundings. The angled window and column make it look wacky and just perfect for a joke shop. The mouth and lamp post are also great. The exterior really has changed my idea of this shop and makes me rethink my own interpretation of Zonko's Joke Shop.

The interior is lovely with all the different colours. And I also like all the different items, there's a great variation of wacky items! The tube giving light is a nice touch, and so is the Sneakoscope.

I hope you'll make more interpretations of magic buildings from Harry Potter. The totally different feeling you've managed to create is just wonderful. I didn't say 'Harry Potter' to me when I first looked at it, but on a second glance it did. Good luck in the contest!

Thanks Matn! It feels great to hear that you find my creative process original. I'm glad you appreciate the use of the tube. The column seemed a bit bare, and while I didn't want to use the light brick as a cheap gimmick, I think the effect achieved by the fibre optic tube ended up looking pretty neat! It really carries the light well.

Ladies and gentlemen. We got ourselves a winner!

Hahaha thank you for the compliment, badboytje, but I wouldn't be so certain of that. There are already some fantastic entries, and I'm hoping to see many more in the month to come. Maybe you could give me a run for my money

[JimBee]

Very wacky entry, nice work! I love the fun details, like the bendy clock and the comedic face on the front. I also really like the snow on the windows, very clever.

Nice Zonko minifig, too.

[wand-stone-cloak]

When I first saw this, all I thought was that this should definatley win a prize. If it doesn't, I will be very surprised! Awesome work man!!

wand-stone-cloak

[Yatkuu]

Very cool, I was wondering when I would see a Lego dice incorporated in a MOC, clever use!

[Dadster]

Simply brilliant! Perfect building - just in time for the Weasley twins to take over.

[Gregorovich]

This is some MOC! I love the wackiness and colourfulness of the building, and all the merchandise is great. Good luck with the contest!

[R5-N2]

The exterior is very nice .

Nice work...