If you grew up with both Lego and Pokémon, this one is for you.
Announced at SXSW London on Tuesday, the new Pokémon range will be the latest addition to the Lego Smart Play ecosystem. The interactive technology was unveiled by the toy company at CES in January, with a range of Star Wars sets.
Available for pre-order starting today and set for release in August, the Lego Pokémon Smart Play collection aims to create a new generation of Pokémon Trainers, including 12 new sets with interactive Pokémon, including Pikachu, Squirtle, Bulbasaur, Charmander, and more. And all the Pokémon in the collection can fight each other. Or just sleep and eat sandwiches, wherever you are most.
Lego Pokémon range.
Credit: Shannon Connelan / Mashable
I tried to buy Pokémon cards for my son at retail price. It was almost impossible.
Each Pokémon, which must be built from Lego blocks and equipped with a Smart Block, can be trained to fight others by physically connecting them with Smart Tags within each set. The more a Pokémon is trained, the better chance it has of winning a battle.
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How do you start a battle? Hold the Pokémon up on the training dummy, then bring the two Pokémon closer together (you can hear the music change). Then, you actually move the air high-five the Pokémon to attack and move it back to defend, shake the Pokémon with charged strikes, and the lights and sounds will show which Pokémon won. I’m worried that the kids will accidentally smash their Pokémon, but Lego things are so hard.
Lego Pokémon range.
Credit: Shannon Connelan / Mashable
Squirtle from the Lego Pokémon range.
Credit: Shannon Connelan / Mashable
Lego Pokémon range.
Credit: Shannon Connelan / Mashable
You can also feed the Pokémon Lego sandwiches embedded with Lego Smart Tags, or you can put them to sleep – and with each action, little sounds come out of the Pokémon. Pikachu giggles when you tickle it, Squirtle enjoys a good sandwich, and Charizard roars when you bring them close to the air. It’s really exciting.
The new Lego Pokémon Smart Play sets come as 12 “all-in-one” sets (including one Lego Smart Brick, charger, and Smart Tags) or as “combined” sets (they come without the Smart Brick and charger, but you can put Smart Bricks and any Pokémon in these sets).
Mewtwo from the Lego Pokémon range.
Credit: Shannon Connelan / Mashable
Lapras from the Lego Pokémon range.
Credit: Shannon Connelan / Mashable
Bulbasaur from the Lego Pokémon range.
Credit: Shannon Connelan / Mashable
There’s a Pikachu-inspired treehouse set, with a small Lego Poké Ball that you need to catch Pikachu with by hitting a smart target. There’s the awesome Mewtwo lab, the Charizard vs. Jolteon, a Jigglypuff concert venue, a Bulbasaur and Bidoof berry-themed set, a Squirtle sea cart, a cave set with Charmander and Geodude, a Cubone and Gengar spooky house, and more including a treephisure chest and more including their treephisure and troa.
Lego Pokémon will launch in the US, UK, Australia, Poland, Germany and France in August. Prices range from $69.99 to $119.99 for large sets of all items, and $14.99 to $89.99 for matching sets, with pre-orders now open.
