Toys

One of Lego’s most iconic themes is back as a functional tabletop pinball machine launching on July 4th for $229.99. The Arcade Pinball Machine doesn’t keep score, but it’s got working flippers, a spring-loaded ball launcher, and an asteroid you can hit that will move an astronaut minifigure closer and closer to rescuing a space baby figure.

A YouTuber has been arrested. The CEO of Patreon refused to take down his videos. Lawsuits and restraining orders have been filed. All after a Lego reseller, Bricks & Minifigs, reportedly didn’t pay an 83-year-old man for the $100K-plus Lego collection he offered the store on consignment.

Do you prefer your hobbies to feel more like a part-time job? Lego’s new 12,060-piece Sagrada Família finally dethrones the company’s previous record holder, the 11,695-piece World Map that launched in 2021. This set is now available for preorder for a hefty $799.99, but won’t ship until November 1st.

Proving the toymaker can still keep some of its plans secret Lego released a short video on Instagram teasing another Nintendo collaboration focusing on Donkey Kong. The barrel-throwing gorilla was already featured in a Lego Super Mario expansion set, but could finally be getting his own entire theme.

Available starting on June 1st for Lego Insiders or June 4th for everyone else, Lego’s $650 Minas Tirith is larger and more expensive than its $500 Rivendell and $460 Barad-dûr LOTR sets. Up front it’s a micro-scale recreation of the fortified city but on the back you’ll find scenes scaled up for the set’s 10 included minifigures.

As noticed by Automotive News, the Little Tike Cozy Coupe — yes, the classic red and yellow toy car that has delighted children for over 40 years — is going zero-emission. Little Tikes recently introduced the Cozy E-Charging Station ($33) for the Cozy Coupe’s theoretical EV battery. Now your kid can simulate standing around for 45 minutes to an hour waiting for their EV to recharge. Fortunately I don’t think there’s an app that goes along with it. And no word on the E-Charging Station’s charging speeds. Probably slower than BYD’s.

Lego has released plenty of Nintendo renditions, but Jay’s Brick Blog highlights that on June 1st, a buildable $39.99 Sega Genesis / Mega Drive set will join the party, complete with controllers and a Sonic 2 game cartridge. It can swap between the nameplates depending on which version you prefer.

Ahead of The Mandalorian and Grogu hitting theaters on May 22nd, Hasbro has announced a new animatronic version of Grogu packed with motors, sensors, and the ability to shuffle around on its own two feet. CNET’s Bridget Carey visited Hasbro HQ for an early look at the toy including how it simulates using the Force.

In addition to a 1,154-piece, $110 triceratops fossil set, today Lego debuted a detailed replica of the Jeep Wrangler introduced in the original Jurassic Park. The 1,924-piece set is available for preorder for $200 and includes the Jeep with a removable roof, a Dennis Nedry minifig holding a Barbasol can, and the broken sign to the island’s East Dock.

So far we’ve only heard about the various electronic components squeezed into the Lego Smart Brick, but Zack Nelson finally shows us what’s inside one, and Lego’s new smart minifigures. There are no surprises, but the complex network of copper wires used to detect and power accessories also reveals its clever engineering.

So far, the only brick-built versions of Mario you can get are the electronic interactive ones, the super-sized version driving a kart, and the pixelated 2D ones. But according to a short video teaser Nintendo of America shared on X, Super Mario Lego minifigures are enroute, you’ll just have to wait until next year to get them.

Lego’s supersized Mario Kart set that debuted exactly a year ago is getting some competition. A 2,234-piece Luigi version is now available for preorder for $179.99 before launching on April 1st. It features Luigi in the Mach 8 kart that was immortalized in the viral death stare video, but without Luigi’s angry, rage-filled expression.

YouTuber MandRproductions somehow managed to get one of every Lego Star Wars launch set — as a collector, he doesn’t seem impressed. Hoping I’ll have more fun when I try the Smart Bricks with my kids, or that future sets fulfill their potential. Are the sets popping up near you?

The machines could be some of the priciest merch released for the franchise’s 30th anniversary. There’s fun details like a Master ball plunger handle and a Meowth balloon that swoops down, but to get all the best features you’ll need to skip the $6,999 Pro and $9,699 Premium machines, and splurge on the $12,999 Limited Edition option.

Toymaker Wow! Stuff has announced a new Pikachu puppet featuring blinking eyes, moving ears, and a “first-of-its-kind animated mouth moving feature.” Pikachu also has sensors that respond to touch with light up cheeks and over 100 sound effects. It will be priced at £89.99, or around $122, according to Insider Gaming.

Forty years after Optimus Prime’s death in Transformers: The Movie traumatized a generation of kids, Hasbro is releasing a Matrix of Leadership replica giving anyone the fallen leader’s power. Available for preorder starting on February 16th through Hasbro Pulse and Amazon, the collectible features interactive lights and plays Stan Bush’s The Touch when it’s pulled open.

It seems fitting that the latest film from the directors of 2014’s The Lego Movie is also getting its own set. Available for preorder today for $99.99 and shipping on March 1st, Lego’s Project Hail Mary set features a spaceship with a rotating crew module and minifigure versions of Ryland Grace (Gosling) and the alien Rocky.

That’s Bring Your Own Brick, of course. The five new Star Wars-themed sets launching on March 1st support the company’s new interactive features, with smart minifigures and tags, but only if you already own the crucial Smart Brick from one of the three existing Smart Play sets.

The sets teach STEM concepts like programming, engineering, and now AI. They’re typically only sold to teachers and schools, but Lego’s Education division has created four new sets designed for learning at home. They’re launching today and are themed around space and animals

After launching its first three Pokémon sets this week, Lego has announced a second Legend of Zelda set today, following the debut of the Great Deku Tree in 2024. The 1,003-piece, $129.99 set features Ganon’s ruined castle from Ocarina of Time’s climactic final battle, Zelda, Link, and Ganondorf minifigures, and a larger buildable version of Ganon.

That’s me on The Vergecast, debating the finer points of our CES 2026 Best in Show: the Lego Smart Brick. Why is it smart, and is it an affront to the imagination? Spoiler: my wife isn’t convinced! And did David make the pew-pew sounds when he was a kid? Tune in.

Ace Combat in real life? This folding VTOL foam aircraft gives you a first-person view from inside a tiny toy fighter jet cockpit. A head-tracking DJI drone camera beams video to DJI goggles over DJI’s long-range O4 wireless tech; Fly Wing claims 60-minute battery life and nearly 75mph top speed. $2,000, tentatively in March, for the complete kit.

Today I toyed with the Lego Smart Brick, touted as the “most significant evolution” to the Lego system in 50 years, and I came away impressed. I have a whole hands-on preview story coming Wednesday, but here’s a whirlwind two-minute video tour of what it can actually do. (Also on YouTube.)