**LEGO has taken its biggest leap in brick technology in half a century — and it involves one of the most beloved franchises on the planet.**
Announced at SXSW London on June 2, 2026, the LEGO Pokémon Smart Play collection brings 12 interactive sets to the company's new Smart Play ecosystem — a breakthrough first revealed at CES in January with Star Wars sets.
"This is the biggest evolution to the brick in 50 years," LEGO said at CES. Now, with Pokémon, that evolution hits the mainstream.
How it works: Each Pokémon is built from standard LEGO bricks but equipped with a special Smart Brick — a electronic module that brings the creature to life. Pokémon respond to touch, motion, and proximity to other Smart Bricks with lights, sounds, and interactive battle sequences.
To start a battle, you hold your Pokémon up to a training dummy, then bring two Pokémon close together — the music changes to signal readiness. Players air high-five to attack, draw back to defend, and shake for charged strikes. Lights and sounds indicate the winner.
Beyond battling, the Pokémon can be fed (with LEGO sandwiches embedded with Smart Tags), put to bed for a nap, or even tickled. Pikachu giggles, Squirtle relishes a good sandwich with happy sounds, and Charizard roars when zoomed through the air.
The lineup: The collection spans 12 "all-in-one" sets (including one Smart Brick, charger, and Smart Tags) priced from $69.99 to $119.99, plus "compatible" sets ($14.99 to $89.99) that work with Smart Bricks purchased separately.
Sets include a Pikachu treehouse where you catch Pikachu with a tiny Poké Ball by hitting a smart target, a Mewtwo lab, a Charizard vs. Jolteon battle arena, a Jigglypuff concert stage, a Bulbasaur and Bidoof berry-themed set, a beach buggy for Squirtle, a cavern with Charmander and Geodude, a spooky house for Cubone and Gengar, and more.
Availability: Pre-orders opened June 2, 2026. The sets launch in August 2026 in the U.S., UK, Australia, Poland, Germany, and France.
For a generation raised on pocket monsters and plastic bricks, the line between play and technology has never been thinner — or more fun.
