Focus Features launched a Piece By Piece LEGO Minifigure Generator to celebrate the upcoming Pharrell William animated biopic Piece by Piece. The film is about the renowned producer’s life, as shown through LEGO bricks. Academy Award-winning director Morgan Neville is set to direct the movie. The Minifigure Generator is available on both mobile and desktop platforms.

The Minifigure Generator allows fans to be able to create their own Minifigure character with seven skincare options and over 60 hairstyles to choose from. Additionally, 90 clothing options are available to choose from, including exclusive pieces from Pharrell’s fashion brand, Billionaire Boys Club. Facial expressions from scenes of the film inspired the expressions available in the Minifigure Generator. After designing your Minifigure, users can download a picture of their creation with Pharrell’s Minifigure or its own.

The Minifigure Generator comes after LEGO released Over the Moon, a collaborative set with Pharrell. Over the Moon was co-designed by the LEGO Group and Pharrell. The set features a space shuttle with a rainbow jet stream inspired by Pharrell’s love of space. The set featured the widest range of Minifigure skin tones ever included in a LEGO product at seven.

Matching the name of the upcoming film, Pharrell released a new original song titled “Piece By Piece.” Pharrell is a producer, songwriter, recording artist, and the Creative Director of Louis Vuitton. He is also a two-time Academy Award nominee for his song “Happy” from Despicable Me 2 and for producing the film Hidden Figures. The film, produced by 13-time Grammy winner’s company i am OTHER in partnership with LEGO, centers on his life and upbringing. Piece by Piece releases in theatres Oct. 11.

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The entirety of Pelican Town in LEGO bricks?! This wild idea is a reality thanks to Steve Jenson, a fan of the 2D farming simulation game, Stardew Valley. The 75,000-piece LEGO recreation debut at BrickCon 2024 in Bellevue, Washington. The sole developer and creator of Stardew Valley, Eric Barone, known professionally as “ConcernedApe,” also took notice of the large model. Barone praised Jenson in person, as seen in an Instagram photo posted by Jenson.

Jenson’s LEGO build of Stardew Valley included iconic locations from the game, including JojaMart and the Wizard’s Tower. Jenson built a sign that mimicked the game’s title card to tie the entire map together. The build took over two years, and Jenson had to take some creative liberties with it to accomplish the model to the scale he did. To make the game into LEGO, Jenson imagined what the sides and backs of buildings only shown from the front looked like. Additionally, Jenson converged separate pieces of Pelican Town’s map to create a cohesive build. The video below offers a closer look at all the impressive details in the model.

When asked about his favorite part Jenson told PC Gamer, “the Hat Shop, because I was able to make [it] almost entirely hollow, so you can look through the cracks and broken parts, and see through to more such openings on the other side. Just as a rundown, abandoned structure would be.”

The Nintendo Switch version of Stardew Valley largely influences the color and style of the LEGO Model’s design. Jenson combined different game progress levels and seasons to show elements within their respective stages. All of Jenson’s efforts paid off at BrickCon, where his LEGO build won the People’s Choice award.

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Fans of LEGO Star Wars have been waiting a long time for this one. LEGO has announced that a Jabba the Hutt Sail Barge display set is on its way, complete with all the details from Return of the Jedi fans could hope for. With 3,942 pieces in total, this deluxe set has an authentically detailed interior, including the barge’s cockpit, prison cell, armory, kitchen, and entertainment room equipped with Jabba’s bed. The Sail Barge also has features that allow you to fold down the sides and lift off the sails and top deck. You can check out images of the LEGO Star Wars Jabba’s Sail Barge right here:

Click To View Gallery

This LEGO Star Wars Jabba’s Sail Barge Display Set also includes 11 collectible Star Wars characters as minifigures. There’s Jabba the Hutt himself (naturally), as well as Princess Leia in her infamous prisoner outfit. Also included is Jabba’s right-hand man Bib Fortuna, his (temporary) protocol droid C-3PO, and musician Max Rebo. Kithaba, Vizam, Wooof, a Gamorrean Guard, and Jabba’s obnoxious pet Kowakian monkey-lizard Salacious Crumb round out the figures. Oh, and R2-D2 with a bar table accessory, so he can serve drinks like an astromech cocktail waiter. A Sarlacc Pit is not included.

You can show off this set with a display stand, which has space for the Jabba the Hutt LEGO minifigure, an information plaque, and a LEGO Star Wars 25th anniversary brick. Jabba’s Sail Barge measures 25cm wide, 77cm in length, and 25cm in height. This deluxe set has a price of $499.99, becoming available for LEGO Insiders from October 3 at www.LEGO.com/StarWars. It arrives at LEGO Stores on October 6. As an added bonus, between October 3-6, all purchases will receive a LEGO Star Wars Luke Skywalker’s Lightsaber Set as a free gift. This is one deluxe display set Return of the Jedi fans won’t want to miss out on.

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Wednesday season two is currently in production and we cannot wait to see what wild monsters and scathing one-liners are coming our way. In the meantime, there’s plenty of love for the Netflix series in the ether, from Wednesday Addams dolls to a Wednesday Clue board game. But these Wednesday LEGO sets featuring her bubbly bestie Enid are undoubtedly the cutest of them all. All three of them are family-friendly builds that will spark joy as you rewatch the series. 

The Wednesday & Enid’s Dorm Room LEGO Set

The largest set is Wednesday & Enid’s Dorm Room, which is 750 pieces and includes the details we all love, especially their split stained glass window. There are two sets of Wednesday and Enid minifigures that come with this set. It is available for pre-order and will start to ship on October 1, just in time for a Halloween project. 

 Here’s more details about this one: 

This detailed set includes a buildable dorm room with the iconic spiderweb window, a balcony with gargoyles, and a base with buttons to open hidden drawers. It features 4 mini-doll figures (two versions each of Wednesday and Enid), Thing, a cello, typewriter, mystery board, and more. The hidden drawers can store mini-doll figures and accessories like a cat-ear headpiece and Enid’s phone. 

The Wednesday Addams Figure LEGO Set

The next Wednesday LEGO set focuses on Jenna Ortega’s beloved character. The way this 702 piece captures her hair and those dark Nevermore Academy vibes is perfection. This one is currently available for pre-order and will being shipping on October 1. 

Check out this description for it: 

It features two faces and outfits, allowing fans to recreate Wednesday with her deadpan gaze in her Nevermore Academy uniform or her kooky side-eye look and black dress from the Rave’N Dance scene. The set includes hidden compartments, the eerie Nevermore Academy gate, her typewriter, pet scorpion Nero’s grave, black dahlia flowers and crystal ball. Also included in the set is a brand new, adapted LEGO element for a hand, printed with all the iconic scars, to impersonate Thing.  

Wednesday & Enid LEGO BrickHeadz™ Set

Finally, there’s a chance to create brick versions of Wednesday and Enid, our forever favorite BFFs, with a 239 piece LEGO set. It is not currently available for pre-order but it will release on October 1. 

Here’s a little more about this one: 

This set includes instantly recognizable figures of Wednesday Addams in her iconic black dress and Enid Sinclair with her blonde hair and colourful sweater. The figures come with a baseplate for display, allowing fans to recreate their favourite scenes from the MGM Television produced Netflix series Wednesday and keep the magic alive long after the TV is switched off. 

Is there truly a better way to kick off the best time of the year than with Wednesday LEGO sets? No, there isn’t a better way so grab yours today.

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My summer does not officially begin until I watch Chief Brody and Hooper start paddling back to shore. It’s my one and only summer tradition. And this year it never happened. I never saw Jaws. Not a single scene! Don’t feel too badly for me, because I found an amazing way to appreciate one of my favorite films ever. LEGO sent us its new set based on Steven Spielberg’s seminal 1975 blockbuster, and piecing together the Orca and big ole Bruce more than made up for not seeing them on screen. But just like Alex Kintner never should have been allowed in the water that fateful day, this advanced LEGO Jaws collectible is definitely not for kids.

The new Jaws LEGO set is the latest fantastic design to come out of the company’s LEGO Ideas. Jonny Campbell of Belfast submitted this concept back in March of 2022. His original layout is still very much present in this spectacular set, which adds lots of detail and kinetic energy to his submission.

The official set consists of two main pieces, the Orca and the enormous shark that took it down. You can display each on their own, with “Bruce” getting his own little stand and movie nameplate. Or you can attach them both to an intricate base that recreates movement of waves and whitewash. (Along with some yellow barrels that giant shark is somehow dragging along.) But getting to those finished products takes some work. This is very much an 18+ set.

Click To View Gallery

The Orca features a ton of great details and touches. There are fishing rods, spears, a shark cage, and more. It also includes a very full interior cabin that feels cramped as you are building it, but it looks fantastic when it’s done. While some portions of the boat are straight forward to and not especially difficult to make, I found the front especially hard to piece together. It’s very delicate. It was hard to know if I was doing something wrong or it was just made that way to give the boat a sense of vulnerability. I lean towards the former because I had some issues later that I obviously created and needed to very carefully correct. That’s on me, but just be aware that bag 4 (of 13) poses some trouble if you aren’t extra cautious.

Some of the details that make this ship feel like it might really sail away are also extra tricky. You have to tie the rope segments onto the tiniest possible pieces. That was not exactly a day at the beach for my sausage fingers. Also the ropes ultimately run through the very tall, very flexible mast. The mast’s lack of sturdiness adds authenticity, which this set has in abundance. But determining the exact amount of slack to use on the ropes is frustrating and time consuming. Ultimately it’s worth it, but only when you’re done.

The shark speaks for itself. It’s moderately difficult to snap together, as some portions are easy while others are not. It looks great on its own, but also easily separates so you can put most of its body on the base where it chases down the Orca. The best thing about the set’s shark is its size relative to the Orca. They’re almost equal in length, which wonderfully recaptures the moment in the movie when it swims right by and Quint assesses its size at 25-feet and “three tons of him.”

On that iconic ship, you’ll also find three of the best LEGO minifigs ever. Those legendary characters also contain an amazing little joke. Brody and Hooper’s heads give you two options, a happy side and a serious side. Quint, fittingly, only has a serious side. It’s perfection.

But describing what’s in this set and how challenging it is to build is like describing Jaws as a movie about the ocean. It doesn’t capture what’s really important. I’m not kidding about watching Jaws every summer. It’s a perfect movie and I never get sick of it. Actually constructing the Orca and seeing it come to life in my hands was genuinely thrilling. I was geeking out the more it came together. And ever time I added a new portion of detail, I was thinking about specific scenes from the film. I could hear the dialogue. It was a tactile experience that conjured up vivid memories of a thing I love.

At around 8-9 hours of build time, this 1,497-piece collectible isn’t a huge undertaking. The set’s time commitment doesn’t reflect its $149.99 price tag, though. If you also love Jaws, when you’re done you’ll have something that is definitely worth the price. Especially if you plan on making sure you have it right by your side when you watch Jaws every summer. And I promise I will not be missing out on rewatching it when the weather turns warm next year. That is, unless LEGO makes a second Jaws set.

I hope there is another one… just so long as LEGO doesn’t base it on Jaws 2. Not watching the sequels is another summer tradition of mine.

Mikey Walsh is a staff writer at Nerdist. You can follow him on  Twitter and  Bluesky at @burgermike. And also anywhere someone is ranking the Targaryen kings.

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You never know what you’re going to get when LEGO and Star Wars click together. Actually, no. You do know you’ll get an entertaining story. The trailer for the upcoming special LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy certainly hints at one. In this story, the galaxy we know has fallen apart. The pieces are jumbled. Anything could happen—anything like Darth Jar Jar, for example. Only Sig Greebling can reassemble the galaxy, and in the below exclusive clip from LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy, you can see him dodging the dark side with Yesi Scala and Jedi Bob.

Note to self: don’t call him Jedi Bob.

This LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy clip certainly has us at the edge of our seats. But, though the scene keeps us in fun suspense, we can still take the time to appreciate all the epic LEGO Star Wars building that takes place. As Jedi Bob (sorry, Bob!) would say, “There’s always another way to build.” And we see that on full display here, even in this short moment from the series. Our heroes use the Force to upgrade their LEGO starship mid-flight and then Force-build a land vehicle instead when the need arises. We have to say it, it’s just a really cool meeting of worlds.

Of course, we also must mention that the LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy animation is incredible. Watching it makes us feel like galactic LEGO bricks are really flying around us. Honestly, we wish we could use the Force to help us with our own LEGO builds in a galaxy a little closer to home. But we’ll settle for delightedly watching Jedi Bob do it instead.

The synopsis for LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy is as follows:

In LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy, the entire Star Wars Galaxy gets completely mixed up when an ordinary nerf-herder, Sig Greebling (Gaten Matarazzo), unearths a powerful artifact from a hidden Jedi temple. He finds himself thrust into adventure in a new, wondrously wild and twisted version of the galaxy where good guys are bad, bad guys are good, and the fate of all depends on Sig becoming the hero who can put all the pieces back together.

We cannot wait for all the hijinks that will ensue as this epic story gets pieced together.

LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy releases on Disney+ on September 13.

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It may still seem like summer outside, but a chill in the air is imminent. Fall will be here soon, and with the start of the spooky season, it means it’s time for a return to Halloween Town. And this year, you get to build the Pumpkin King Jack Skellington’s home territory for yourself. All thanks to the new LEGO Ideas The Nightmare Before Christmas set. It features connectible models for three separate locations from the classic stop motion film. There’s Spiral Hill, Jack Skellington’s house, and the Halloween Town Hall. You can check out images of the new LEGO The Nightmare Before Christmas set right here in our gallery:

Click To View Gallery

This The Nightmare Before Christmas LEGO set has several details that diehard fans of Tim Burton’s iconic characters will appreciate. There’s the walking bathtub, and the chalkboard in Jack’s house with his formula for Christmastime. There’s also the lectern at the Town Hall, where Jack gave his speech to convince the Halloween Town citizens that taking over Christmas was a good idea. (Turns out, not so much). The LEGO set includes eight characters from The Nightmare Before Christmas as minifigures — Jack Skellington, Sally, Santa (Sandy?) Clause, Lock, Shock, and Barrel minifigures. Not to mention Zero, Jack’s loyal ghost dog, and a brick-built Mayor figure with both of his faces.

Intended for the age 18+ adult collector, the LEGO model of Jack Skellington’s house in this 2,193-piece model kit measures over 10.5 in. (32 cm) high, 20 in. (51 cm) wide, and 10.5 in. (27 cm) deep. This is the perfect holiday decoration to display in your home for both the Halloween and Christmas seasons. The new LEGO The Nightmare Before Christmas set will set you back $199.99, and will be available for the general public to purchase starting September 6.

However, if you already have (or sign up for) a free LEGO Insiders account, you can go ahead and grab your set on September 3!

For more information, be sure to head on over to the official LEGO site.

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The LEGO Group made quite a splash at San Diego Comic-Con 2024. Bringing to life an entire space station at their booth, the toymaker introduced a spirit of discovery and creation to the convention. But, of course, we wouldn’t be able to enjoy experiencing new worlds and going on incredible adventures with The LEGO group if it weren’t for the people behind the bricks. At SDCC, we were excited to catch up with Jamie Berard, a Senior Design Manager and Creative Lead at the LEGO Group, who is also a judge on the hit series LEGO Masters. Berard shared some of his favorite aspects of being a judge on LEGO Masters and also took us deep into the heart of what it means to be a LEGO designer. From his favorite challenges to the sets he’s most proud of to why everyone why everyone should give building with LEGO® bricks a shot—check out our full interview below.

Nerdist: We love LEGO Masters and your participation in it. Can you talk a little bit about what you felt the most exciting part of it has been for you?

Jamie Berard: For me, it is such a treat to be able to leave Denmark, which is a lovely place, leave my day job, and then get to hang out with these amazingly creative people who are willing to take a chance and go on national television and take that risk to be able to show their creativity and love of LEGO building. And so just to be surrounded by those people is inspiring, and then to be able to work with them and actually give guidance and pointers—and then for them to feed off of other people in the room; it’s just really special. And I think to be able to be a part of that is really the answer your question.

I actually recently built my first LEGO set about a year ago, and I really found it to be a beautiful experience. I felt like it was a wonderful act of creation, and it was just a very calming, chill experience. Do you think people see that show as Bake Off kind of experience where they can just watch people create and zen out?

Berard: Exactly. I think it’s just so aspirational to see that with such a small amount of time, without knowing at all what’s going to happen and without any planning, what people can come up with. I think it’s almost magical. But I think it also gives you hope that at home, if you want to try some of these things, sometimes it doesn’t have to be the biggest, most impressive, beautiful sculpture. It can be something as silly as making something that’s really tall or something that you can shape and not have it fall apart. We actually see a lot of families that are trying some of these challenges as well and kind of making them their own. So I think it’s the level of different things that you get to see that hopefully you find something where you’re like, oh, I never thought of that. Maybe I could try that.

So, what is the most exciting LEGO Masters challenge, in your opinion, or your favorite?

Berard: There have been some that I’ve been completely blown away by. So I would say something like any of the fashion challenges—wearing anything made out of paper bricks is extremely difficult. So that that’s incredible. That’s from a few seasons back. It was just a gorgeous challenge. And it wasn’t just nicely built LEGO models. They were actually very stylish, very artistic. I mean, the handbags from the last season, also. You’re like, these are genuinely runway-worthy handbags. So, I think those have been nice to see. And it’s nice to see how people can actually have an artistic side that has that design style. But I also love things like the rollercoaster challenge. We had Brent here (Brent Benedetti), who was our challenge coordinator and challenge producer. He would tell you that I was trying to talk about it because I’m like, this is one you could end up with a lot of people pulling their hair out if they are too ambitious and they run out of time.

But you get to see like, Christopher and Robert come up with something that I was like, I’m not sure you’re going to be able to finish this. That lift elevator, that kind of spirals around, for example. It was just so fun to see the imagination and just the audacity to be brave and go all in. And then, in the end, to see it all work out and see everybody celebrate their engineering side and their creative side, for me, that is just like high fives awesome. And I’ve learned to be a little more optimistic and not so unsure of what people are capable of. Sometimes, they just need that little bit of motivation.

I feel that really comes into LEGO Group’s San Diego Comic-Con theme of exploration and discovery. When you’re given the opportunity to take a step beyond, then you rise to meet it.

Berard: Exactly. When else would you have a chance to do what they’re doing on LEGO Masters? They get 10 million LEGO bricks, they get all of these creative people around them, and then they get eight hours, 10 hours, 12 hours to just do something awesome. And it’s like one take. They don’t get to do a practice run and try again. They’re so present. I think if you ever want to feel like you’re alive, you feel these people all in the room have lived 10 lives at that moment because it’s just so much adrenaline.

I can’t imagine. I love a creative challenge. Listening to you, I really think you all need to collaborate with Project Runway and have a crossover LEGO Fashion Challenge.

Project Runway, get our number!

Is there any LEGO Masters challenge that you wish you could have participated in?

Berard: Amy (Corbett) and I were talking about that. Of course, I love the rollercoaster challenges because I’m a big theme parks fan. That’s what got me into the LEGO Group. I got hired because I make amusement park rides, so that’s kind of an easy one. But then, for me, it would feel a little bit too fun. I might enjoy a little too much. But I love the crazy one where the kids came in a few seasons back, the Taker-Waker with the Book Chicken, when it’s just making up ridiculous things that no one’s ever seen. I love that because it’s not like an expectation or a script; it’s your chance to really do something fun, silly, and imaginative. And how can you go wrong with that?

You’ve had four amazing seasons of LEGO Masters, and season five is happening. Is there anything you can tease about the upcoming advent of season five?

Berard: Good question. I don’t know how much we can tease because we have the Lego Masters: Celebrity Holiday Bricktacular coming up, and it’s just one of my favorite times of year. It’s the gift that keeps on giving as a show. We have four more wonderful celebrities coming on.

And what I like about it is just how you get to see a whole different side of the builders you already know and love, but then you get to see Will (Arnett) with his best friends just having a blast. It’s pure holiday games.

So now, let’s get more into you and your LEGO journey. Do you have a favorite LEGO set that you’ve designed that fans could look out for?

Berard: That’s a tough one, but I think the rollercoaster, obviously. I keep going back to it. But the rollercoaster LEGO set is one that I’m so thrilled about because it brought together the whole team. And that’s why I was nervous about the LEGO Masters version of the challenge. It took my aerospace engineer, and my architect, and brilliant people all coming together to bring it to life. And then I also got to actually physically build on that. So that’s one that I’m really proud of.

Is there a LEGO set that you wish you could have helped create?

Berard: Yes, very specifically, the Disney Castle. I started it, the project started in my area, and then over time, it evolved in conversations, and they ended up moving into the Disney team. So I have a first sketch of that. I was so jealous of Marcos (Bessa) but so happy with the way it turned out. Of course, he did an amazing job. But it’s just one of those sets that was just out of reach. So I am actually considering finishing my version, just to see how it would’ve turned out; not to take anything away the final one, but it’s such an icon that I was just so excited to work on it.

There can never be enough amazing LEGO sets out there for us to enjoy! Do you have a dream LEGO set that you’d like to create?

Berard: I actually stopped answering that question a long time ago because when we dream stuff that we think we can’t do, sometimes things change, and we can do it. So I would say crazy things like a Titanic, like four-and-a-half-foot-tall Eiffel Tower. I used to talk about ridiculously large, complex sets like roller coasters. I said rollercoasters from day one. We didn’t have the tracks, we didn’t have anything, and then we made rollercoasters. So I’m an optimist, and I would just say if you can dream it, tell us because we can probably make it.

Exactly, that’s exactly what I mean. Not a set you think you can’t do, but one you dream of getting to do!

Berard: Yes, I do have some. But I’m going to save them because I’m actually planting seeds on some of our models. They can actually take two or three years of prepping and planning. For example, the rollercoaster track, for which we had to build a whole new system and get everybody on board. So, I do have some great ideas. But I think you’ve already heard some of my areas of interest…

What do you think is one thing fans might not realize about what goes into the creation of a LEGO set?

Berard: I think fans might not see the team effort. More often than not, I’m very privileged to get to represent the company. They see me, and they think, oh, Jamie did everything. Or they’ll see some of the designers in videos or photos. But it really is incredible. We have so many talented people with such diverse skill sets. We have some people that just know four-year-olds perfectly or five-year-olds and six-year-olds. And they become masters of them. So that way, when we make a model, they can actually talk with the designer to make sure it will work. They say, oh, actually, that’s going to be hard for a child to put together or even just take apart or to play with. And these people think about it from the perspective of these children.

We also have people that intentionally build very badly because they want to try to figure out, for instance, if somebody’s at home in poor lighting or they have that arthritis in their hand or something, what will happen? They will intentionally build like a kid or build like somebody that’s distracted. And then we can say, oh, oops, I made a mistake, maybe we could actually change this and make it better. That way, we don’t have those pauses or those moments when people feel self-conscious, like, oh no, I did something wrong. We really try to think ahead of that, and when we do it well, we get ahead of that, and hopefully, everybody just gets to the end and whatever model it is, at their level, they love it.

Do you have a LEGO fun fact that you love?

Berard: A little fun fact that people might not realize is we have this robotics set called LEGO Mindstorms, and just on a whim, before LEGO Masters and everything, they just asked me, because I did YouTube videos, “Would you mind being the voice of the LEGO Mindstorms robot?” And then I came in to record it, and then they recorded, and they said, oh, actually, that works pretty well. Let’s do it one more time. And then I had to cancel the next two times because I had a cold, and they said, well, we don’t have any more time, just come in. I recorded it with a cold, and they said that was the voice they wanted. And then that became the voice of Mindstorms robot.

What would be one thing you’d say to somebody who’s never built a LEGO set to encourage them to join the LEGO world?

Berard: I think we have enough things that people should be able to find something interesting, even if it’s just a little Minifigure. There’s something very satisfying about just putting some legs together with the torso and a hat, and then that character is somebody they care about. It might inspire an accessory. They can build a little car; they can make a little scene for it. And I think that’s something that’s so simple, there’s no expectation of that. I think if you just start small, then you might be surprised that, oh, actually, I have a little bit of confidence that this isn’t so scary. And then you can find another set that maybe you build off of.

Just to finish off, how do you feel the LEGO brand has evolved since you started working with it, and what do you think is next on the horizon?

Berard: I am just so impressed that things that we never thought possible 18 years ago have slowly become the norm. That’s where I was genuinely saying that I am such an optimist right now. I’m just like, we are literally talking about the human constraints of “can they carry it out?” or we can actually dream of crazy, wonderful stuff. And we keep seeing things we never imagined would sell, they just go crazy. So we have such a broader base of fans or people that are interested in the zen moment, and disconnecting, and having that “everything works in the world” moment, it’s a nice little escape. And I think there are just so many things that I’m just inspired, that it’s like I said, anything’s possible, and that just makes me get excited every day to go into work.

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Gamescom is a wonderful time of year for fans of video gaming. Trailers galore! But even more than that, video game-related stuff, from TV shows like Secret Level, to toys! We love toys. Nintendo, never one to let us down in the merch department, has unveiled new LEGO sets based on their popular games. Six new sets will highlight Mario Kart titles and three sets for Animal Crossing. Gallery below!

Click To View Gallery

The new sets include Baby Mario and Luigi, Baby Peach & Grand Prix, Toad’s Garage, and a Standard Kart set. The one I’m most excited about? Jumbo Donkey Kong. The weirdest one? Blue Yoshi riding a Green Yoshi bike. Why would you ride a bike that looks like you? That is perverse.

In addition to these Mario Kart sets, we’ll also get three sets in the Animal Crossing universe. Those are: LEGO® Animal Crossing™ Stargazing with Celeste (77053), LEGO® Animal Crossing™ Leif’s Caravan & Garden Shop (77054) and LEGO® Animal Crossing™ Able Sisters Clothing Shop (77055).

All of these LEGO Nintendo sets will hit retailers January 1, 2025. So get your New Year’s affairs in order and get to building, then get to racing.

Kyle Anderson is the Senior Editor for Nerdist. He hosts the weekly pop culture deep-dive podcast Laser Focus. You can find his film and TV reviews here. Follow him on Instagram and Letterboxd.

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The Olympics captivated the world in July with incredible feats from talented athletes. Team USA had an impressive showing, including the US Women’s Rugby Team winning a bronze medal in rugby sevens—the first-ever medal for the US in rugby sevens. After the victory, the Instagram algorithm brought me several joyful videos from the new Olympic medalists. Those videos included one of Sammy Sullivan passionately talking about LEGO in an interview. I don’t know if I have ever related to an Olympian on this level. Or at all. I talked to Sammy about what got her hooked on building LEGO sets, how LEGO helps her unwind, and more.

Nerdist: Congratulations on the medal! I feel weird being like, you won an Olympic medal, let’s talk about LEGO!

Sammy Sullivan: Thank you! And no, this is great.

Tell me about what first got you into LEGO and what your first LEGO set was.

Sullivan: My very first set, OG was elementary, middle school time. It was the big SpongeBob where you open it, and it’s Plankton or whoever controlling him. That was my first set that I can remember. But my twin brother, Jackson and my dad were always super into Star Wars LEGO, and being boy and girl twins, I feel like he would always get the LEGO sets for birthdays and Christmas and I would get whatever else. So growing up, unless I bought it for myself with spending money, I didn’t get LEGO.

But my first adult experience with LEGO was early 2023, my second year with the rugby team. I was not in the best place mentally, just struggling with sophomore year blues. A lot of the times when people have really successful rookie seasons, their second season can feel like a lot. And my second season being the Olympic year, I was really struggling with coming home, worrying about practices, worrying about rosters, and everything.

My happy place growing up was walking around Barnes and Noble. So, I went to Barnes and Noble one day after practice to smell the books, read the backs of books, the whole vibe, and there’s a whole section of adult LEGO sets. And so I’m looking at these sets, and I was like, you know what? Maybe instead of spiraling when I get home, maybe it would be good to do something with my hands. Something tangible with a gorgeous end product. So, my first adult set was the Hocus Pocus house.

Really, from there, it was an instant obsession with the building process and collecting.

Building sets can be such a mindful activity. Has it continued to be a go-to for unwinding and calming your mind?

Sullivan: Yeah. It is so soothing. It almost takes you back to a childlike mind because ultimately LEGOs are toys in a sense—obviously some are meant for adults—but it takes you back to a simpler time where you come home from school and have something fun to do outside of homework. I put on a good podcast or a good YouTube video game playthrough in the background and have that disconnection from adult life. It’s definitely a bit of escapism from the every day. I mean, at certain times it definitely becomes maybe a little unhealthy when I’m not looking at the clock and I look up and it’s two in the morning and I’m on bag 13 of whatever…

That is very relatable. Do you collect certain types of LEGO sets or is just vibes?

Sullivan: It’s mostly vibes, but I typically go for structure sets: the treehouses, houses, huts. I’ve really been liking the medieval sets recently. I just got done with the Lion Knight’s Castle. I built the blacksmith set with the beautiful blue roof and the Viking village. I’m looking to get my next one, the medieval village that complements the Lion Knight’s set. Oh, and the big treehouse that’s safari-like with the two tree houses connected with the drawbridge—that one is absolutely gorgeous and one of my favorites.

But I think my next venture into LEGO will definitely be the Technic sets. It looks really complicated, but in a fun, challenging way. So yeah, definitely looking to get my hands on some Technic sets moving forward, but structures for sure are my favorite.

What LEGO set will you be building next?

Sullivan: The Dayton Brick Shop in Ohio was kind enough to send me the Eiffel Tower set after they saw my plea to LEGO after the Olympics. It’s currently sitting with my neighbors, but as soon as I get home—, I already told Josh, my husband, don’t talk to me for at least four days because that’s all I’m going to be doing. This is my plan. I’m going to decompress.

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LEGO’s SDCC 2024 booth (#2829) takes the shape of Space Station 8R1CK5 this year. Space Station 8R1CK5 has many unique facets, including immersive space windows, over fifty LEGO sets displayed, some of which have never been seen in person, life-size brick-built figures, and one truly unique “Build Your Own LEGO Rocket” SDCC experience.

In LEGO’s SDCC “Build Your Own LEGO Rocket” experience, guests can design a spacecraft and then build their own creation using LEGO bricks. If making your own LEGO rocket come to life wasn’t cool enough, though, those who stop by for this LEGO booth experience will also be able to actually set their craft in orbit. LEGO’s SDCC booth has a special LED backdrop that will take your rocket out of this world. Honestly, words don’t do justice to just how extraordinary it is to see your LEGO rocket blast off into deep space.

LED backdrops are some of the coolest ways to create truly immersive experiences. And right there, in the heart of SDCC 2024, you and your rocket will travel light-years away. Your heart will skip a beat when an unexpected comet flashes through the cosmos. And you’ll delight in seeing an errant spaceship float by. No other SDCC booth will sweep you off on a more beautiful journey.

In addition to its LED offering, LEGO is going old-school and also providing a version of its beautiful space vision made out of LEGO bricks. Honestly, it’s hard to know which version of the backdrop is better, so we’ll just have to settle for saying both of them are supernova-level spectacular. Seeing how LEGO’s gloriously colored bricks come together to create the night sky before us is truly amazing, though.

As a special surprise, those who complete this LEGO space mission will also receive an exclusive SDCC 2024 embroidered patch from LEGO. Mission success! As they say. If you’re at San Diego Comic-Con 2024, make sure to stop by LEGO’s booth to take part in this experience. You won’t want to miss going on a space adventure of your own. We at Nerdist personally got to witness astronauts, big and small, embarking on a true mission of imagination. Everyone was so incredibly enthused about making their spacecraft and then equally excited about seeing it set off to space. It was honestly a heartwarming experience. If the intent was to encourage imagination and creative thinking, LEGO knocked it right out of the park (and into the outer atmosphere) with this one.

If you’re not at SDCC 2024, though, fear not; you can have your own cosmic LEGO experience by checking out all of LEGO’s latest space sets.

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The coolest part of any official LEGO display is often its giant brick-built models. And while LEGO’s SDCC 2024 booth has many extraordinary facets, we definitely still love seeing its life-size LEGO builds up close and personally. At this year’s San Diego Comic-Con, LEGO has a space-themed booth, Space Station 8R1CK5. Additionally, 2024 also marks the 25th anniversary of the LEGO Star Wars collaboration between the LEGO Group and Lucasfilm. And so it’s only fitting that two of SDCC 2024’s major LEGO life-size models celebrate Star Wars. At LEGO’s 2024 SDCC booth, we got to meet a life-size, brick-built models of Star Wars‘ lovable droid, R2-D2, and of LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy’s Jedi Vader.

LEGO Brings Life-Size R2-D2 to SDCC 2024

To celebrate 25 years of LEGO Star Wars, LEGO created an incredible life-size R2-D2 recreation. This 1:1 ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​LEGO brick build ​inspired by ​R2-D2 is ​made from ​27,797 LEGO elements. Even C-3PO would have to be impressed by that. The R2​-D2 life-size​ build began its life in Germany and has traveled across Europe and the United States. We’re honored he made his way to SDCC 2024 to wow and delight us. But with LEGO’s space-themed booth, how could he resist?

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​LEGO life-size R2-D2 is a beat-for-beat replica of the original. In fact, when another R2-D2 rolled up to say hello, we couldn’t even tell the difference. And yes, LEGO R2-D2 lights up and chirps. He’s honestly precious, and we want him to roll his LEGO-self home with us.

Click To View Gallery

Life-Size LEGO Jedi Vader Arrives to San Diego Comic-Con

LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy is an exciting LEGO Star Wars special coming to Disney+ in September. It features the Star Wars world gone a little topsy turvy. At SDCC 2024, LEGO’s booth showcases one of the especially cool characters from the show, Jedi Vader. Now just what would Vader be like if he was armored in pristine white metal and carried the shining blue lightsaber of the light side? Well, LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy invites us to find out.

But first, we can check out this life-size LEGO brick-built model of good old Jedi Vader. And yup, confirmed. It’s pretty awesome. We suggest you watch out for that lightsaber though. Vader might claim to be a Jedi now, but, phew, his saber is huge. We can’t even begin to imagine just how many LEGO pieces went into making this incredible Star Wars creation. But we’re grateful we got to personally meet him. You can take a closer look at the giant LEGO Jedi Vader, below.

Click To View Gallery

In addition to the life-size Jedi Vader model, LEGO also has three of its LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy sets on display at SDCC 2024. It’s a good time to be a LEGO Star Wars fan.

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LEGO doesn’t have any set exclusives at San Diego Comic-Con 2024, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t anything special con-goers can pick up from the brand. LEGO’s exclusive SDCC offerings really hit on the unique spirit it’s bringing to SDCC this year—that of discovery, adventure, and exploration. At LEGO’s booth, you can pick up an exclusive embroidered patch and also an exclusive premium swag pack, but only if you complete your space missions first.

Here are all the galactic exclusives guests can pick up from LEGO at SDCC 2024.

LEGO’s Exclusive Embroidered SDCC 2024 Space Mission Patches

LEGO’s SDCC booth (#2829) will transform into a space station, Space Station 8R1CK5, to be exact. At Space Station 8R1CK5, guests, or should we say, interstellar travelers, will get a chance to design and build their own rocket ship creations using LEGO bricks. Guests will then be able to set their LEGO rockets into orbit with a special LED screen backdrop as well as a brick-built version of space. Nerdist got to see this activation in action, and we have to say it was absolutely heart-warming. Space adventurers, young and old, delightedly crafted their creations and gleefully sent them into the LEGOsphere. If LEGO was aiming to encourage pushing the boundaries of imagination and creating an environment rife with exploration, they absolutely succeeded.

But visitors to the LEGO booth aren’t simply creating rocket ships; they’re completing a space mission. And a LEGO space mission successfully completed deserves an exclusive prize. LEGO will be offering exclusive SDCC 2024 embroidered patches to commemorate these wonderful space-inspired creations. Every astronaut who builds a spacecraft at Space Station 8R1CK5 will receive this exclusive LEGO San Diego Comic-Con mission patch. And we must say, they look pretty cool. We know we’ll be sewing them onto our favorite space suits immediately after the con.

Participate in a Mobile Scavenger Hunt and Win an Exclusive LEGO SDCC 2024 Swag Pack (And Maybe Something More)

A mission patch isn’t the only SDCC 2024 exclusive LEGO has on offer, though. In addition, LEGO lovers can go on a different kind of mission at San Diego Comic-Con, a mobile scavenger hunt, to win an exclusive SDCC LEGO swag pack.

LEGO is calling this fun SDCC 2024 scavenger hunt the LEGO Space Explorer’s Challenge. Those visiting SDCC will be challenged with completing some secret missions across the convention. These will be photo-based and accessible via a mobile website. Those who complete the Mission may very well get special LEGO prizes to take home.

In fact, the first 20 guests who complete their scavenger hunt mission each day will win an “exclusive premium swag pack” from LEGO. The exact contents of this exclusive swag pack remain mysterious, but doesn’t that just add to the excitement around this LEGO SDCC offering? Sounds spacetacular to us!

But how do you access the LEGO Space Explorer’s Challenge, you might ask? Well, you just have to visit LEGO’s booth and they’ll have QR code to start you on this journey of great discovery! Please also note that you need to complete your Mission on the day you start it. Every day of the con will bring a different set of Mission Tasks. You can complete the Mission once each day and earn multiple entries over the course of the event. (But there’s a max of one entry per email per day!)

Additionally, everyone who completes the Mission overall will be entered for the chance to win an exclusive grand prize. Incredibly, this adventure extends to fans not at San Diego Comic-Con, too. Fans not attending the show can join in the fun and possibly snag something exclusive by entering to win at LEGO.com/San-Diego-Comic-Con.

We hope you get your hands on all the LEGO exclusives your hearts desire!

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We can honestly say there’s no one that does it like LEGO. Just when we think we’ve seen the best LEGO has to offer in terms of innovation, nostalgia, and sheer delight, the company outdoes itself yet again. LEGO’s latest marvel? A brand new entry into its LEGO Super Mario range for adults, its fifth addition to the collection, to be exact. This time, LEGO brings fan-favorite Yoshi into the fold with an homage to his earliest appearance in Nintendo’s classic video game Super Mario World. And yes, we’ll see LEGO Yoshi carry Mario into glorious adventures. The LEGO Super Mario World: Mario & Yoshi set brings together nostalgic visuals, truly innovative animation effects, and a gorgeous aesthetic we can’t get enough of.

Join us as we exclusively reveal this build, and let’s take a deep dive into the new Super Mario World: Mario & Yoshi LEGO set.

Exclusive First-Look Images of LEGO’s New Super Mario World: Mario & Yoshi Set

Speechless? So are we. Honestly, this first-look image of LEGO’s new Super Mario World-inspired Mario & Yoshi set has us swooning. But a picture is not worth a thousand words in this case. To understand just how cool this LEGO build requires a deeper understanding of all its excellent design elements. We’ll get into that in our next section. First, though, we have a few more first-look images of this fifth set from LEGO’s Super Mario range for adults.

Click To View Gallery

We even got to be among the first to see Super Mario World: Mario & Yoshi in person at SDCC 2024. But more on that below.

LEGO’s Super Mario Mario & Yoshi Set Homages Super Mario World with Pixelated Art and Actual Animation Effects

The universal truth of LEGO sets is that no matter how beautiful they are, there’s always more excitement hidden between their bricks. LEGO’s Super Mario World: Mario & Yoshi 2D build is absolutely no different. Although its first-look images alone have us craving the set, the coolest parts of it lie in its clever design.

First, Super Mario fans will recognize how this Mario & Yoshi LEGO set’s pixelated aesthetic nostalgically mirrors visuals from Super Mario‘s earliest games. Super Mario World first released in 1990. Gaming graphics looked a little different back then. We’re obsessed with the way LEGO has manipulated its bricks in order to harken back to the game’s original style. Of course, Super Mario World was also a 2D game. And so LEGO has taken it upon itself to make this 3D build look 2D for the occasion. Mamma mia! We love it.

Second, this Super Mario World: Mario & Yoshi LEGO set comes with a set of practical animations. Yes, once you build Mario and Yoshi out of LEGO bricks, you’ll be able to see Yoshi run with Caped Mario riding on his back. Additionally, Yoshi’s tongue can pop in and out, just like it does in Super Mario World. LEGO shares that this Mario & Yoshi set is built in multiple layers, allowing for its practical animations to function.

Carl Merriam, a Senior Designer on LEGO Super Mario, explains: “In this model, we wanted to capture the original sprite animation from Super Mario World. This meant re-creating the pixel art in LEGO bricks and then adding a mechanism to make Yoshi run with Caped Mario riding on his back. AND if that wasn’t enough fun, we also added a dial to make Yoshi’s tongue pop in and out – just like in the game!”

When Will the Mario & Yoshi LEGO Set Release? How Much Will the New Super Mario World LEGO Set Cost?

But when will this new LEGO® Super Mario™ Super Mario World™: Mario & Yoshi set release? This Super Mario World LEGO set will be available from October 1st, 2024. It will be sold via LEGO stores, LEGO.com and from select leading retailers around the world. If you simply must add it to your collection, you can pre-order the set today on LEGO.com.

The LEGO Super Mario World: Mario & Yoshi set will cost $129.99. For more information, you can check out www.LEGO.com/supermario as well as www.LEGO.com/mario_yoshi.

Pieces Count, Dimensions, and Other Product Information

The more technically-minded among us may enjoy these more specific details about the LEGO Super Mario World: Mario & Yoshi set:

• This build contains 1,215 pieces.
• It is product number 71438.
• The dimensions of LEGO® Super Mario™ Super Mario World™: Mario & Yoshi are: Over 15.5 in. (40 cm) high, 10 in. (26 cm) wide and 4 in. (11 cm) deep

Of additional note, this is the first time fans will see Mario’s trusted companion, Yoshi, in 2D LEGO brick form. Furthermore, this Super Mario World-inspired LEGO set is a part of LEGO’s ‘Adults Welcome’ series. This range is designed to bring fond memories to all LEGO fans who remember Super Mario as an essential part of their childhood. The Mighty Bowser and Piranha Plant from the LEGO Super Mario line are also part of this series.

See the New Super Mario LEGO Set at SDCC

LEGO’s announcement of this new Mario & Yoshi LEGO set coincides with the first day of San Diego Comic-Con 2024. Fans attending the convention will become some of the first to see this new Super Mario build if they visit LEGO’s booth (#2829). LEGO will display Super Mario World: Mario & Yoshi starting on Thursday, July 25.

LEGO will have a truly inspired space-themed presence at the convention. But the message of LEGO’s SDCC booth extends beyond literal space travel. Instead, LEGO brings with it an overall spirit of discovery and exploration. Anyone who visits LEGO’s booth (#2829) will be able to journey into orbit, but can also visit many other faraway worlds, including that of Super Mario. And if pictures of this new Mario & Yoshi set are anything to judge by, seeing this build in person will be a true treat.

Let’s-a go! (to see Mario & Yoshi.)

The post New SUPER MARIO WORLD: Mario & Yoshi LEGO Set Is a Nostalgic 2D Build—Nerdist Exclusive Reveal appeared first on Nerdist.

At San Diego Comic-Con 2024, LEGO is showcasing a brilliant display of over 50 LEGO sets, including some that have never been seen before in person. LEGO’s 2024 booth transforms from ordinary Comic-Con installation into Space Station 8R1CK5, highlighting the company’s overall SDCC theme of marrying the wonder of space with the joy of building with LEGO bricks. So it’s no surprise that an assortment of space-themed sets from LEGO City, LEGO Technic, and LEGO Icons themes can be found at the convention booth. But swirling in the idea of space are broader notions of exploration, the discovery of new worlds, and unlocking novel experiences. And so LEGO’s 2024 SDCC booth also highlights products from LEGO Star Wars, LEGO Minecraft, LEGO Super Mario, and LEGO Sonic the Hedgehog. Step inside LEGO’s SDCC booth with us and check out all the cool builds, first-look sets, and out-of-this-world creations.

A Galaxy Far, Far Away Is Calling… These LEGO Star Wars Sets Feature at SDCC

LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy is a four-part animated special coming to Disney+ on September 16. If you haven’t yet (and really, what are you waiting for?), you can check out its trailer here. But this fun LEGO Star Wars series basically functions a little bit like a What If…? adventure for the Star Wars universe. Suddenly, all the good guys have gone bad, and all the bad guys have gone good. Among other fabulous figures, the series brings to life the fan-manifested Darth Jar Jar, Jedi Bob, and Jedi Vader. At SDCC 2024, LEGO will display three sets tied to LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy.

LEGO Star Wars Jedi Bob’s Starfighter Set Debuts at SDCC

First up, it’s LEGO Star Wars Jedi Bob’s Starfighter. A mystery Jedi Knight Minifigure appeared in a 2022 LEGO Star Wars set, and fans came together to give him a name, Jedi Bob. Jedi Bob will become a fully realized Star Wars character in the upcoming Disney+ special, but he’ll also finally get official LEGO set acknowledgment. Good for you, Jedi Bob! If you’re at the con, you can play a LEGO scavenger hunt to try to win a LEGO Jedi Bob set signed by Jedi Bob’s voice actor Bobby Moynihan.

LEGO Star Wars The Dark Falcon and TIE Fighter & X-Wing Mash-up Sets

Additionally, the LEGO booth at SDCC 2024 will feature the LEGO Star Wars The Dark Falcon and TIE Fighter & X-Wing Mash-up sets. The Dark Falcon puts the spotlight on Darth Jar Jar as he receives his own Star Wars Minifigure. It also gives us a pretty cool vision of what the Millennium Falcon might be like if it went to the dark side. Jedi Vader, Beach Luke, and Darth Rey also rank high among our favorite Minifigures ever. Jedi Vader even makes a stunning appearance as a life-size brick-built model at LEGO’s SDCC 2024 booth.

Finally, the LEGO Star Wars and TIE Fighter & X-Wing Mash-up marries two of the most iconic Star Wars spacecrafts ever to create the ‘TIE-wing’ and ‘X-fighter.’ We are honestly obsessed with this mashup of dark and light side symbols. (But you can also create the original versions of each using the set.) That’s the magic of LEGO for you.

LEGO Sonic the Hedgehog Debuts a Shadow Set at SDCC 2024

Admit it, Shadow the Hedgehog is your favorite part of the Sonic the Hedgehog world—antiheroes often are the best. He’s so cool that Keanu Reeves is voicing him in the upcoming Sonic the Hedgehog 3 movie. And now, he’s graduating to the coolest honor of all, having a Shadow the Hedgehog LEGO set created in his honor.

This Shadow the Hedgehog LEGO set debuts at San Diego Comic-Con 2024. The LEGO Group and SEGA will showcase their new LEGO Sonic the Hedgehog creation at the LEGO booth. This new set promises many recognizable details and hidden Easter eggs that will celebrate Shadow’s undeniable style and fan-favorite status.

New Dungeons & Dragons LEGO Minifigures Arrive at SDCC

At Nerdist, it was our great pleasure to build and review the Dungeons & Dragons: Red Dragon’s Tale set. And let us tell you, beyond looking extremely cool (and having a full articulated LEGO dragon you can build out of bricks), the set truly captured the spirit of Dungeons & Dragons. But the key to a truly good D&D narrative is to make sure the story and world can keep growing. (And also, sometimes, you need to embrace new party, no matter how in love you are with your latest character.)

To keep the journey going, LEGO has revealed 12 new LEGO fantasy minifigures: Tiefling Sorcerer, Elf Bard, Halfling Druid, Dwarf Barbarian, Dragonborn Paladin, Aarakocra Ranger, Gith Warlock, Mind Flayer, The Lady of Pain, Strahd von Zarovich, Tasha the Witch Queen and Szass Tam. We could definitely use a Gith to expand on our current party, and who doesn’t love a Mind Flayer after watching Stranger Things? Each Minifigure will also carry an authentic accessory and come with a collector’s information leaflet.  

LEGO Reveals Minecraft Baby Pig’s Birthday Celebration Set at SDCC

SDCC is a huge celebration, so it’s the perfect time to reveal a LEGO set with a party of its own. LEGO Minecraft Baby Pig’s Birthday Celebration invites you to build a Minecraft cake. This special set lets you build your own Minecraft mobs complete with moveable parts. The new LEGO Minecraft build includes a baby zombie, baby fox, baby cat, baby llama and baby pig. How is that for something worth celebrating?

A LEGO Masters-inspired Travel Moments Set Heads to San Diego

Watching people create LEGO masterpieces is so satisfying. And that’s why the LEGO Master TV show has been so popular. And now, LEGO is giving the people what they want: the chance to build their own LEGO Masters creation straight from the show. LEGO Travel Moments comes right from off our screens and into our living rooms. It allows builders to recreate their most iconic travel moments with the World Wonderliner jet and the world map. The LEGO Travel Moments set even leaves space for you to show off travel souveniers and pictures using photo holders. And you can add micro-build vehicles and decorative tiles to customize your map. Every time you go somewhere new, you can update you build! Pretty nifty!

The LEGO Travel Moments set will be on display at LEGO’s SDCC 2024 booth.

Bring LEGO SDCC 2024 Home!

From Marvel to classic Star Wars to The Legend of Zelda and everything in between, there are a ton of other sets at LEGO’s SDCC 2024 booth. Of course, none of these featured SDCC 2024 sets aren’t con exclusives! You can bring them home and see for yourself just what they look like.

All the sets on display at SDCC can be found at LEGO.com/San-Diego-Comic-Con. So you have to look no further if you’re looking for a group of LEGO sets perfectly curated to inspire imagination, curiosity, and exploration.

The post Which Sets Is LEGO Showcasing at SDCC 2024? Take a Closer Look with Us appeared first on Nerdist.

Space. For those of us on Earth, it’s a place of wonder. Scientists estimate we’ve only explored 4% of the universe so far. And only 646 people out of the billions on Earth have seen space in person—a staggering number. But that doesn’t mean humans aren’t eager to discover new wonders in the cosmos. To unlock the 96% of the universe we haven’t discovered yet, LEGO has committed to highlighting space’s splendor in its new 2024 releases and sets. From letting creators build the Milky Way to bringing children’s spacecraft visions to life (which you can see at the LEGO booth), LEGO has paired the ingenuity and exploratory nature inherent in its offerings with a mission to encourage a love of space in children and beyond. Blasting this partnership to new heights is LEGO’s space-themed booth at SDCC 2024. Please join us for an exclusive walkthrough (or is that “floatthrough”) of LEGO’s cosmically cool creation, Space Station 8R1CK5.

We Invite You Into Orbit: Tour LEGO’s SDCC 2024 Booth, Space Station 8R1CK5, with Our Exclusive Walkthrough

The final frontier. The galaxy far, far away… To infinity and beyond! Space has been the backdrop of many nerdy adventures, and now, thanks to LEGO, it’s on its way to San Diego Comic-Con, the ultimate fannish destination. At LEGO’s San Diego Comic-Con 2024 booth (booth #2829), fans will be welcomed to Space Station 8R1CK5. LEGO has had many incredible booths at SDCC before, filled with awe-inspiring LEGO-built figures, creative activations, and more. But LEGO’s 2024 SDCC booth is one of the most immersive and the most meaningful to date. Stepping into LEGO’s Space Station 8R1CK5 booth will allow visitors to imagine they’re blasting off into space, all with the very special cosmic touch of LEGO magic.

At Nerdist, it’s our particular delight to help reveal LEGO’s San Diego Comic-Con 2024 booth with a very special booth tour and walkthrough of the space installation. And we invite all the LEGO fans out there in the universe to join us. We say “LEGO fans in the universe” because LEGO fans are on Earth, in space via our terrestrial astronauts, but also (we bet) in parts of the cosmos still unknown. That’s right, we’re saying aliens love LEGOs.

So, whether you’re soon heading to SDCC yourself, watching from the Milky Way, or just want to live the adventure from your home-ship, C0UCH, we want you to come along on this journey into space. You can check out our booth tour walkthrough video above or shift your telescope down for even more details about LEGO’s SDCC 2024 installation, Space Station 8R1CK5.

LEGO Is Bringing Space to Its 2024 SDCC Booth (#2829)

At San Diego Comic-Con 2024, the LEGO Group’s Space Station 8R1CK5 will create an interstellar booth experience, which will also feature first-look product reveals from beloved properties and a plethora of interactive elements. In LEGO’s SDCC booth, booth #2829, the wonder of space exploration will meet the pure joy of building with LEGO bricks. (Another wonderful kind of exploration.) As fans float through the booth, they can expect cosmic experiences, out-of-this-world photo opportunities, exclusive surprises, and more. Space Station 8R1CK5 will land at SDCC from Thursday, July 25, through Sunday, July 29. 

Beth McKenna, Head of U.S. Marketing at the LEGO Group, shares, “After over 20 years of showcasing at San Diego Comic-Con, we wanted to wowfans yet again and worked hard to create a brand-new experience that offers something for everyone. Space is an endless playground for imagination and storytelling; we are hoping to capture that playground spirit right here at Space Station 8R1CK5.”

Don’t Miss Out on LEGO’s SDCC 2024 Booth Experiences, Immersions, and Panel Signings

LEGO’s San Diego Comic-Con 2024 booth, Space Station 8R1CK5, will truly allow you to explore an expansive universe. With its clean, geometric aesthetic, deep blue and white coloring, and gloriously cosmic “windows” into space, Space Station 8R1CK5 makes its visitors feel like they’ve actually stepped into orbit. Additionally, full of brick-built details and delightfully giant LEGO figures, this booth offers all kinds of galactic activities and immersive adventures.

Some of the activities you’ll find in the solar system of LEGO’s 2024 SDCC booth include: 

• An immersive space station experience that features beloved properties, interactive fun, and virtual elements.
• Among other adventures, you can travel to a galaxy far, far away at the LEGO Star Wars™ display, have a close encounter with specimens from different universes with LEGO IP products, or even just watch the time float by from one of the space windows and content screens!
• Space Station 8R1CK5 will feature a build-your-own LEGO rocket experience. In this experience, guests can design and build their own space creation using LEGO bricks. Once complete, guests can set their craft in orbit by placing it in front of a special LED screen backdrop. Your rockets will literally take flight before your eyes.

Of course, space exploration is its own reward. But to add a little bit of extra incentive to head to space, LEGO will be offering exclusive embroidered patches to commemorate the builds of every astronaut-in-training. LEGO shares that “Every astronaut who travels to Space Station 8R1CK5 and completes the rocket build experience will receive a San Diego Comic-Con mission patch.” And who among us does not want an exclusive patch for our collection?

LEGO Panels and Signings

In addition to the tremendous adventures of LEGO’s booth itself, LEGO will have a pair of exciting panels and signings that will surely please die-hard fans. LEGO’s San Diego Comic-Con panels include a LEGO NINJAGO: Dragons Rising Continues panel and a LEGO Masters: Back Behind the Brick Panel. These panels will both take place in room 6BCF on Thursday, July 25, from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. PDT and  Friday, July 26, from 4:30 pm – 5:30 pm PDT, respectively.

Signings for these panels will take place in LEGO’s SDCC booth. The LEGO NINJAGO Dragons Rising Continues! signing will take place after its panel, at 3 PM on July 25. Meanwhile, the LEGO Masters: Back Behind the Brick signing will take place prior to the panel in the booth from 2 PM-3 PM.

Where Is LEGO’s Booth (#2829) Located?

So, where can you find LEGO’s SDCC 2024 booth, #2829? LEGO’s booth is just across from the Star Wars and Marvel booths at SDCC, right around the very middle of the Exhibitor area.

A Journey of Discovery: The Beautiful Connection Between LEGO and Space

A study by the LEGO Group finds that 86% of children are interested in finding new planets, stars, and galaxies, and 77% want to visit space. Additionally, a majority of children believe there are aliens in space, and 64% want to meet one. It’s this excitement and energy that will allow us to continue exploring space and its wonderful mysteries, and it’s this eagerness that LEGO wants to help bolster with its commitment to making space accessible. Today, children will step into LEGO’s immersive SDCC space-themed booth, and hopefully, tomorrow, they will blast off to explore our next new frontier.

While not everyone will be able to go to space, every single one of us can open a box of LEGOs and feel a sense of adventure and discovery beneath our fingers. LEGO is all about creating and discovering, taking the smallest of component parts and turning them into something much greater. Snapping those bricks together is one small step for our LEGO build and one giant step for our imaginations. Through its space sets, LEGO lets us take off on new galactic adventures every day.

So far in 2024, LEGO has helped children, adults, and more connect with their love of space. This has happened in small ways, like the release of new space-themed sets, and big ways, like helping to inspire the way astronauts are building shelters on the moon. We can’t wait to see what (inter)stellar surprises LEGO will dream of next!

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The full details of what fans can expect from their favorite nerdy brands at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con are still trickling out. But if you’re on the edge of your seat waiting to see what surprises LEGO has in store, as we are at Nerdist, some tantalizing hints are already available to start building your excitement. From two exciting panels to a LEGO Marvel experience, here are the first tastes of LEGO’s presence at SDCC. Make sure to snap them into your schedule if you’re heading to the con or prepare to tune in on social media at home!

LEGO NINJAGO: Dragons Rising Continues Panel on Thursday at SDCC

LEGO plus dragons plus ninjas is a surefire recipe for success, in our opinion. Who could resist loving this LEGO animated series, which breathes new life (and fire) into a long-running franchise? The LEGO Ninjago: Dragons Rising Continues SDCC panel will take place on Thursday, July 25, from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. PDT in room 6BCF.

The official panel description reads:

The Ninjago: Dragons Rising team will discuss the current run of Dragon’s Rising, the upcoming 15th anniversary of Ninjago, and the future of Ninjago. They’ll take a deep dive into the evolution of the show from a writing and production perspective as well as offer insights about the characters from the voice actors themselves. Featuring Pamela Keller (LEGO/exec producer), Chris “Doc” Wyatt and Kevin Burke (head writers), Ryan Burns (LEGO/exec producer), Deven Mack (voice of Arin), and Sabrina Pitre (voice of Sora).

Don’t miss out on all the LEGO fun!

LEGO Masters: Back Behind the Brick Panel on Friday at SDCC

Admit it, you’re obsessed with watching master builders transform LEGOs into works of art on LEGO Masters! Cooking shows are good, but there’s nothing quite as riveting and delightfully inspiring as watching majorly talented people turn LEGOs into awe-inspiring creations. It makes us want to break out our own LEGOs and see what we might be able to manifest. To help us along on our LEGO journeys, LEGO is having a LEGO Masters panel at SDCC. This panel will take place on Friday, July 26, from 4:30 pm – 5:30 pm PDT in room 6BCF. And yes, it will share tips, tricks, and secrets to becoming a LEGO genius.

You can check out the official description below.

Go behind the scenes and get a sneak peek at the exciting developments from around the world in TV’s greatest building competition, LEGO Masters! Brickmaster Jamie and former LEGO Masters winners are here to share all the tips, tricks, and secrets to becoming a LEGO master. You’ll get an update on LEGO Masters season 5, the upcoming LEGO Masters Celebrity Holiday Bricktacular! Featuring Jamie Berard (LEGO design lead/brickmaster), Brent Benedetti (LEGO/exec producer), Robert May (LEGO/exec producer), Michael Heyerman (SVP Unscripted Endemol Shine), and others. Get ready to get your brick on!

LEGO’s SDCC Booth Is #2829 

LEGO hasn’t officially revealed information about its booth yet, but we know it will be worth checking out. Mark booth #2829 on your con maps and stop by for a visit when the convention is in full swing.

LEGO Marvel SDCC Experience at Booth #2519

Because it is just that awesome, you can also find LEGO in other places at SDCC. One exciting LEGO experience will occur at Booth #2519 as LEGO teams up with Marvel for the LEGO Marvel experience. A release from Marvel notes that fans can enjoy “special X-Men ’97 and Spider-Man photo ops” as “Marvel and LEGO team up to bring scenes straight out of the Marvel Universe built by LEGO artists along with a look at Marvel x LEGO kits.”

Consider us already in line for this LEGO SDCC adventure!

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“You’re gonna need a bigger boat…”

Well, not really. Thankfully you aren’t one of the unfortunate people in the pathway of a human-devouring shark in the Jaws universe. That classic line from the 1975 thriller film sparked an entire franchise with several movies and even a theme park ride. Now, you can recreate the terror of a lurking shark with the LEGO Jaws set, available on August 9. 

Here’s a product description for this LEGO Ideas Jaws build come to life: 

Relive dramatic moments from a beloved movie with the LEGO® Ideas Jaws diorama kit for adults (21350). A fun shark gift for Jaws fans, classic film lovers or movie memorabilia collectors, the set features the Orca LEGO boat model, which has a detailed cabin with a removable roof, an adjustable boom and rigging, plus lots of iconic accessories. It can be placed on a brick-built seawater base with the Jaws LEGO shark model attacking the boat. Attach a printed tile with Chief Brody’s famous line (“You’re gonna need a bigger boat”) to the base to complete a nostalgic and playful centerpiece.

This collectible Jaws LEGO diorama set also includes 3 iconic characters – Chief Martin Brody, Matt Hooper and Sam Quint – plus an alternative display stand where the fully built Jaws shark figure can be displayed with the minifigures.

Check out a few more of the set’s images here:

Click To View Gallery

The 1,497-piece set is over 14 in. tall, 23 in. long and 7.5 in. wide, so you probably won’t need a bigger table to make this happen.

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The LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy Disney+ special brought Darth Jar Jar to life. Fans could not have expected to see this most cherished theory about Jar Jar being a secret dark side agent evolve in such a way. But now Darth Jar Jar is taking on a whole new part of the galaxy, LEGO. Yes, Darth Jar Jar will arrive in LEGO Minifigure form, alongside some of his very favorite friends, Beach Luke, Jedi Vader, and more, in the latest Star Wars LEGO set, The Dark Falcon.

Here’s what we know about the LEGO Star Wars‘ Dark Falcon set.

LEGO Star Wars The Dark Falcon Set Brings an Evil Millennium Falcon to Life

Fans love to ask, what if? And courtesy of LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy, we get to see what if the Millenium Falcon went dark side. A release from LEGO shares more about the Star Wars set, revealing:

Turn the LEGO® Star Wars™ universe upside down with The Dark Falcon buildable toy vehicle set for kids (75389), which features a dark version of the Millennium Falcon, as seen in the LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy Disney+ special. A thrilling birthday gift for boys, girls and any fans aged 10 and up, this LEGO Star Wars brick-built starship toy has flip-up panels for easy access to the detailed interior, including Darth Jar Jar’s throne, the command center, hyperdrive, entertainment area and jail cell. Spring-loaded shooters, rotating cannons and a removable gunner post add to the action-play possibilities.

Darth Jar Jar’s LEGO throne, you say? Sold. Not to mention—spring-loaded shooters for maximum action. Good thing we’re aged 10 and up. This Star Wars LEGO The Dark Falcon set seems like one of those sets that is the perfect blend of complex, but cool, and not too difficult to put together. Sold!

How Many Pieces Does the LEGO Star Wars The Dark Falcon? And What Are Its Measurements

Just how big is LEGO’s The Dark Falcon set? Well, this Star Wars set contains 1,579 pieces. It measures over 5 in. (12 cm) high, 17 in. (43 cm) long and 12.5 in. (32 cm) wide. That means you won’t have too move too many things around to find a good place for it.

LEGO Star Wars The Dark Falcon Features 6 Minifigures

The Star Wars Minifigures for this LEGO set are pretty exciting ones. They feature fun reimaginings of your favorite characters. The Dark Falcon LEGO set comes with six Minifigures. These are Darth Jar Jar, Bounty Hunter C-3PO, Darth Dev, Darth Rey, Beach Luke, and Jedi Vader. These Minifigures will let you have fun, but confusing, space adventures not only with The Dark Falcon LEGO set, but with many other Star Wars LEGO sets as well.

When Does LEGO Star Wars The Dark Falcon Set Release and How Much Does it Cost?

The LEGO Star Wars The Dark Falcon set is now available for pre-order. It will ship on August 1, 2024. The LEGO Star Wars The Dark Falcon set costs $179.99.

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For decades now, LEGO has brought its singular brand of brick-building fun to licensed properties. Almost as long as that, it has also produced video games based on those licensed properties. After dozens of Star Wars, Marvel, Batman, and more titles hit consoles, we finally have an ouroboros. The latest LEGO video game, announced at the Nintendo Direct, is based on a non-LEGO video game for PlayStation. Feast your eyes on LEGO Horizon Adventures.

The open-world action game puts players in control of Aloy, a girl from a future agrarian society after an unspecified apocalypse made animal-like machines the dominant creatures on the planet. She must learn about her past and save her people while also battling robot velociraptors and shit. This LEGO edition will bring together the events and characters from 2017’s Horizon Zero Dawn and 2022’s Horizon Forbidden West, but in the inimitable cute building style.

Why this game exists, I don’t really know, but for fans of both the LEGO games and the Horizon games, this is probably a no-brainer. LEGO Horizon Adventures hits Nintendo Switch this holiday season.

Kyle Anderson is the Senior Editor for Nerdist. He hosts the weekly pop culture deep-dive podcast Laser Focus. You can find his film and TV reviews here. Follow him on Instagram and Letterboxd.

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It’s no secret that we at Nerdist love all things LEGO. From building cool sets to trailer remakes in brick form to full on movies, we just can’t get enough. In terms of the latter, there’s a new feature length movie, delightfully titled Piece by Piece, about superproducer Pharrell Williams’ life, career, and legacy. It includes some of our favorite entertainers like Gwen Stefani, Kendrick Lamar, Timbaland, Justin Timberlake, Busta Rhymes, Jay-Z, and Snoop Dogg. The trailer for Piece by Piece digs into Pharrell Williams’ story in a vibrant and musical way in a full on LEGO movie format. We hear a voiceover from Williams as he talks about his inspirations and highlights a few artists that he’s worked with. 

The Piece by Piece trailer really delights me by using Daft Punk’s “Get Lucky” and Wreckx-n-Effect’s “Rump Shaker” in less than two minutes. It truly shows Pharell’s range as a producer/songwriter and how long he’s been in the game. I also never thought I would see a LEGO movie about Pharrell Williams but the world continues to be an unpredictable place. 

What Is the Release Date for Pharrell Williams’ LEGO Movie Piece by Piece?

Piece by Piece will hit theaters on October 11.

The post Pharrell Williams’ Life Story Comes to LEGO Form in PIECE BY PIECE Trailer appeared first on Nerdist.

Minecraft is one the best-selling video game ever, but the franchise isn’t content with resting on its sanbox laurels. It’s getting both a live-action movie and an animated Netflix series. Now it’s also moving from the screen into the real world. LEGO’s newest set is a recreation of Minecraft‘s Crafting Table.

The LEGO Minecraft The Crafting Table celebrates ($89.99) the series’ 15th anniversary. This 1,195-piece collectible features detachable biomes, popular mobs, and Easter eggs for fans to find. Designed for adults, it’s many features include “Taiga with a dripstone cave, Plains with a village, Ice Spikes with an igloo, Cherry Grove with an abandoned mineshaft, and the Deep Dark with a lush cave.” It also comes with eight microfigures: Steve, Alex, a skeleton, witch, Creeper, villager, cow, and pig. It also has stickers of iconic in-game phrases. The only thing you can’t craft with it is a faster timeline to get your copy. The LEGO Minecraft set starts shipping August 1, 2024.

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Cat owners know the last place you want to see your feline friend is on a shelf. That’s the best place for them to mindlessly knock stuff over! But soon you won’t have to worry about one special kitty being up there, because that’s where they’ll belong. LEGO’s new Tuxedo Cat is a stationary pet who won’t do any damage to your other collectibles.

The newest LEGO Ideas set is the 1,710-piece Tuxedo Cat ($99.99). Designed for ages 18 and up, this poseable black and white kitten comes with two sets of eyes, yellow and blue. You can also change its expression. But what this set doesn’t include might be the most attractive. As the toy company points out, unlike a real cat this LEGO one means “no shedding, no knocking things down, no litter box.”

To celebrate its new build, LEGO even turned its Twitter account over to the cat itself, much to the delight of the internet.

You will have to wait roughly 60 days before yours ships, though, which is only fitting. Cats love to take their time getting anywhere you actually want them to be.

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LEGO Ideas has some of the coolest projects around. Sometimes they become a real LEGO set that brick fans can buy and build. We certainly hope that’s the case for this Apple Store LEGO project by builder legotruman (in collaboration with 2A2A). 

Honestly, Apple stores are gorgeous and often pristine with people milling about, which is exactly what we see in these LEGO concept photos. I especially love the trees and the little squirrel chilling outside.

Click To View Gallery

Here’s some points about its design: 

• This model is not based on any one specific Apple store location. Instead, it is uniquely designed after observing the features and style shared by many iconic store locations.
• The building features tall glass walls around the front and two sides.
• The huge apple logo shines in white, placed front and center. These are features seen in most apple stores, contributing to the consistent aesthetics of these locations.
• Black border “door frames” indicates the entrances.
• Inside, clean space with friendly staff members in blue t-shirts.
• The long wooden tables showcasing the latest iPhone, iMac and MacBook.
• On the shelves, white product packages and headphones (arranged in a floral pattern, seen in many store locations).
• On the right, indoor Ficus trees in white pot with nougat brim (seen in many real-life store locations).
• On the left, stairs crossing the boundary of indoor/ outdoor spaces.
• Upstairs, a display table for colorful Apple Watch, more staff helpers, and a beautiful color gradient screen as backdrop. Many store locations feature similar large display on white wall backgrounds.

This model will have a detachable roof and a front wall glass that can be removed with ease. The dimensions would be 41 cm x 25.6 cm x 15.8 cm with 1539 parts.

You can support this project and play a part in making it a reality.

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LEGO has taken us on some truly fantastical adventures in recent years. We’ve traveled from Middle-earth to the realms of Dungeons & Dragons and beyond. And now, LEGO is bringing us on a highly-anticipated outing. Yes, LEGO’s first The Legend of Zelda set has arrived, and it features a 2-in-1 build of the Great Deku Tree. No matter whether your favorite Zelda game is Ocarina of Time or Breath of the Wild, LEGO has you covered with this set. Let’s take a look at the impeccable LEGO homage to The Legend of Zelda and its iconic Great Deku Tree.

LEGO’s The Legend of Zelda The Great Deku Tree Set is a 2-in-1 Build

Although LEGO is only releasing one The Legend of Zelda piece at this time, fans actually get two different builds in the deal. When building the LEGO set, creators can decide whether they want to bring The Great Deku Tree to life as it was shown during The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time or manifest it in its Breath of the Wild form. Both, of course, are equally beautiful and come with their own unique facets and details.

A release from LEGO about The Legend of Zelda: The Great Deku Tree set notes:

This 2,500-piece set encapsulates the essence of adventure and nostalgia whilst featuring meticulous details. Fans can build a selection of their fondest moments from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time or from The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild through building and exploring the depths of the Great Deku Tree.

Here’s what LEGO had to share about the different ways The Great Deku Tree can be built using its pieces.

The LEGO Features of The Great Deku Tree Ocarina of Time Build

If fans decide to build The Great Deku Tree from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, they can expect a slew of delightful references tying their LEGO adventure to the nostalgic game. LEGO reveals that “the Ocarina of Time Great Deku Tree version boasts a captivating mechanism: when activated, its mouth opens, revealing a cleverly designed Skulltula (a spider-like enemy from the games) that descends into its depths.” A chilling twist, to be sure! Who among us has not fallen prey to the Skulltula more than once?

LEGO also notes of this Zelda set, “In the Ocarina of Time version, builders will encounter a lush green foliage-adorned Great Deku Tree. This version includes Link’s House, a pivotal element tied to the Ocarina of Time narrative, adding an extra layer of nostalgia and authenticity to the set.” Link’s house is, of course, strongly tied to many fan’s first memories of The Legend of Zelda.

The LEGO Features of The Great Deku Tree Breath of the Wild Build

Meanwhile, in the Breath of the Wild Great Deku Tree LEGO build, slightly different Zelda adventures await. A release shares, “In the Breath of the Wild version, enthusiasts will marvel at the Great Deku Tree adorned in vibrant pink blossoms, accompanied by the iconic Master Sword pedestal. Notably, this rendition boasts an engaging feature: the ability to animate the tree’s expressive eyebrows and mouth, adding depth to the build.” This interactive feature can be brought to life with a simple press of a lever.

But don’t worry, regardless of whether your LEGO Great Deku tree is in its Ocarina of Time or Breath of the Wild form, you’ll get to enjoy all the set’s many facets. LEGO makes a point of assuring its fans of this. It notes, “It’s worth mentioning that regardless of which version you choose to build, you will have the ability to construct both the Master Sword pedestal and Link’s House as smaller models.”

The Legend of Zelda LEGO Minifigures and Other Buildable Characters

Of course, The Great Deku Tree’s LEGO builds will come with new The Legend of Zelda Minifigures and buildable characters. First up, the set will naturally include LEGO Link and Zelda. These are obvious choices, but we’re glad to see them anyway. But in true LEGO form, The Great Deku Tree will also bring us an assortment of fan-favorite creatures and characters that fans can actually build out of bricks. We love our Minifigures, but there’s something especially satisfying about forming characters by snapping together LEGO pieces in cool ways.

Here are all the Minifigures and buildable characters that The Legend of Zelda: The Great Deku Tree set will include:

The set includes four LEGO minifigures that showcase iconic characters from the series. In the Breath of the Wild version, Princess Zelda and Link are dressed in their recognisable blue attire. As for the Ocarina of Time rendition, you’ll find both Young Link and Link. Additionally, the set includes buildable characters and creatures such as Hestu the Korok (complete with his maracas), several smaller Koroks, Deku Babas, Navi the Fairy, the Deku Sprout, and a Skulltula.

When Will LEGO’s The Legend of Zelda Great Deku Tree Build Release?

LEGO’s first The Legend of Zelda set will release on September 1, 2024. The Great Deku Tree is now available for pre-order. This Zelda LEGO set will cost $299.99.

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It’s no secret that we at Nerdist are huge fans of LEGO. Not only does LEGO allow builders of all ages to bring to life fantastical scenes, but the ingenuity that goes into every set design is not only inspiring, but spectacular. Some might say, spacetacular. LEGO’s latest frontier involves a slew of space sets designed to take astronauts of all kinds on new adventures. To celebrate their space-inspired collection, LEGO brought to life spaceship designs from children around the world in both LEGO and drone form. And the results were out of this world.

A release shares more about LEGO’s space-inclined adventures:

The LEGO Group asked kids across the world to share their visions of how they would like to explore the cosmos. With the help of Associate Master Builder at LEGO House, Didac Perez Soriano, a selection of these spacecrafts were reimagined in LEGO bricks. The LEGO Group then showcased the future of space travel according to a group of young budding space explorers – Lotty (10, UK), Sebastian (10, Denmark), Jace (13, Hong Kong SAR, China), Jillian (7, USA), Jordan (12, USA) and Orla (6, UK) – by blasting their unique designs, playfully coined Unidentified Playing Objects (UPOs), over the New York City skyline.

Taking over the most photographed skyline of all time, the show included a space bed UPO powered by butterfly wings complete with a snack drawer for long journeys, a turtle spaceship that walks on the moon, a dog spaceship with 360° windows to see all that space has to offer, and a dinosaur ship with a jetpack, among others.

You can check out some of the drones and their counterparts in action below. We especially love this first one from a child in Denmark, which looks like it celebrates One Piece and Hannibal at once.

As a first-hand witness to this incredible LEGO space drone show, I can attest that it was absolutely flooring. LEGO even ordered the full moon, to boot!

While LEGO’s space sets don’t include a drone show every time, they do bring that unique LEGO magic! You can peruse all the available sets below and snag them at LEGO’s official website. One of our very favorites is the Mars Space Base and Rocket (a cat on the moon? It cannot get better than that). But we also love The Milky Way Galaxy LEGO space build and the incredibly cool Space Astronaut Creator set.

Click To View Gallery

We may not all be able to take off into orbit, but we can all bring the galaxy to our fingertips with these incredible LEGO space builds.

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Ah, the ’80s. The decade that will seemingly never die. Why is it so indestructible? Chiefly for the metric ton of memorable pop culture that ten-year span dumped on the world. As a way of further celebrating this decade of media excess, we’ve learned (via Boing Boing) that the folks at LEGO are having another If We Could Turn Back Time Challenge, (hey, shout out to Cher!) asking fans to vote on specific ’80s-inspired potential builds, which may become future LEGO Ideas sets.

Among the ’80s-inspired LEGO sets submitted this year are ones for E.T., Gremlins, Beetlejuice, Big, and our personal fave, Golden Girls. Others have submitted the latter for a LEGO Ideas set once or twice before. Maybe this time Dorothy, Rose, Blache, and Sophia will finally make it into production? The vote is open from May 20 to May 27, at 2 pm CEST. Each member will have one vote for their favorite entry. Down below you can see images of each submission:

Gizmo from Gremlins by Terauma

E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial by Jimmi-DK

Golden Girls by Martin_Studio

Beetlejuice: Sandworm House by Jupe71345

Big by JulientheClownoftheBrick

In the past few years, several LEGO fans have suggested sets based on pop culture properties, and actually got them made. A fan suggested a Seinfeld set, and they produced that one a few years back. Fans have submitted all kinds of ideas over the years, from The Muppet Show to The Flintstones to Dungeons & Dragons. While we’re really rooting for the Golden Girls (it’s their time), it would not be a shock if Beetlejuice won the contest. If only because he’s got a sequel hitting theaters this year. To cast your vote, be sure to head on over to the LEGO Ideas official blog, and let your voice be heard.

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In the Land of Mordor, where the Shadows lie, the One Ring was made in the fires of Mount Doom. But the fiery Mount Doom isn’t the only interesting feature to be found in Mordor. No, The Lord of the Rings fans will know that Sauron built (and then re-built) one of the mightiest fortresses in all of Middle-earth in Mordor, a place called Barad-Dûr. Of course, Sauron probably didn’t originally envision Barad-Dûr becoming his permanent home after he turned into a roving eye, but we can’t always get what we want. To celebrate Sauron and this darkly powerful place, LEGO is bringing a brand new The Lord of the Rings set to life, The Lord of the Rings: Barad-Dûr.

Sauron, as we know, is able to shift into many forms. But could his LEGO form be the ultimate version of him? You decide as we dive deep into everything we know about LEGO Icons The Lord of the Rings: Barad-Dûr, including its release date, Minifigures, special features, and more.

Jump to: The Lord of the Rings Barad-Dûr Set Details // Dimensions // Rotating Eye of Sauron // Minifigures // Release Date // The Lord of the Rings Barad-Dûr Cost // Other The Lord of the Rings LEGO Sets

The Lord of the Rings Barad-Dûr Set Takes You to LEGO Mordor

The Lord of the Rings: Barad-Dûr LEGO set comes to us from LEGO and Warner Bros. Discovery Global Consumer Products, and is thus based on the epic The Lord of the Rings trilogy of movies. A release shares more about LEGO Barad-Dûr, it notes:

Prepare to journey deep into the heart of Middle-earth with the unveiling of the spectacular LEGO Icons Lord of the Rings: Barad-Dûr set! With its imposing 5,471 pieces, this awe-inspiring masterpiece brings to life the dark tower of Mordor in stunning detail, packed with thrilling features and beloved characters from Tolkien’s timeless saga.  The journey through the dark tower continues with the throne room – which includes a compartment that opens to reveal a map, and a ladder on the top floor of the tower that can be moved left and right

LEGO also teases that the dark tower and Eye of Sauron build has a ton of “hidden treasures,” Easter eggs, and story references to The Lord of the Rings.

Click To View Gallery

While the set does not come with an active volcano, the build is split into four main sections for ease of building and moving the set. LEGO notes that the tower section is fully modular. Incredibly, if fans purchase more than one The Lord of the Rings: Barad-Dûr LEGO set, they can stack the tower portions together to create an even taller dark tower. We love LEGO’s ever-present cleverness.

LEGO Barad-Dûr’s Dimensions

Just in case you’re not sure if Mordor will fit on your shelf, here are LEGO Barad-Dûr’s Dimensions:

• Width: 30 CM   
• Length: 45 CM,
• Height/Depth: 83 CM  

LEGO’s New Barad-Dûr Set Features a Rotating Eye of Sauron (That Glows)

Of course, one question The Lord of the Rings fans will no doubt have about this Barad-Dûr LEGO set is: Will the Eye of Sauron actually be able to rotate and rove? After all, if the Eye of Sauron can’t always be watching you, it’s not really doing its job right. What if the most unlikely of creatures was able to sneak all the way into the heart of Mount Doom… and… well, you get it.

But happily, or unhappily, depending on what side you’re one, this LEGO Eye of Sauron can catch you in its gaze no matter where you go. LEGO reveals that at Barad-Dûr’s summit “lies the Eye of Sauron that rotates in various directions and features a light brick to make the eye glow.” We can’t wait to see this eye in action.

Which The Lord of the Rings Minifigures Are Included In the Barad-Dûr Set?

The LEGO Icons Lord of the Rings: Barad-Dûr set comes with 10 LEGO Minifigures. These include: Sauron, Mouth of Sauron, Orc, Frodo, Sam, Gollum, and Gothmog. I don’t know about you, but I was really crossing my fingers for a LEGO Gothmog Minifigure. And the more Orcs, the merrier.

Fans who purchase the set between June 1 and 7 will also receive a free LEGO Icons The Lord of the Rings™: Fell Beast set, “which features posable wings and joints and a Nazgul minifigure.” Okay, that I want with no snark.

When Does This LEGO Barad-Dûr Set Release?

This new The Lord of the Rings Barad-Dûr LEGO set releases on June 1 for LEGO Insiders and on June 4 for everyone else.

How Much Does the LEGO The Lord of the Rings: Barad-Dûr Set Cost?

Okay, well, we know Sauron likes shiny things, so it’s no surprise this LEGO set costs a precious penny. The Lord of the Rings Barad-Dûr LEGO set will cost interested parties $459.99.

Barad-Dûr Is the Second Major The Lord of the Rings LEGO Set in Recent History

LEGO Icons’ Lord of the Rings: Barad-Dûr set marks the second epic LEGO LOTR set in recent history. Last year, of course, we saw an incredible LEGO rendition of Rivendell released into the world. It was a truly awe-inspiring build that has us expecting a lot from LEGO Barad-Dûr. We’re excited to see the beautiful bright world of The Lord of the Rings juxtaposed with its darkest.

You can keep track of all the LEGO The Lord of the Rings sets, builds, and new releases, here.

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There are few things in the galaxy far, far away as rewarding for a Rebel as seeing an Imperial Star Destroyer ruined. Now LEGO wants to let Star Wars fans experience the complete opposite with all the same joy. The company’s new buildable toy starship playset will let fans young and old recreate one of the franchise’s most iconic and intimidating vessels. And this new LEGO Imperial Star Destroyer set will come complete with a Minifigure of Star Wars Jedi: Survivor‘s Cal Kestis.

LEGO’s upcoming 1,555-piece brick-built set will let both the Emperor’s loyal subjects and Rebel scum alike craft their own Imperial Star Destroyer. Designed for ages 10 and up, this toy features fun bonuses for recreating your own galactic battles. It includes a hidden foldout carry handle so you can help it fly. It also boasts two spring-loaded shooters. And this LEGO Imperial Star Destroyer has a lift-off top panel and foldout side panels so you can easily get to the interior. That’s where you’ll find the ship’s bridge, command room, break room, armory, control panels, and a cargo box. That box holds both thermal detonator parts and a Kyber crystal.

The LEGO Imperial Star Destroyer also comes with seven minifigures. You can hit lightspeed with Darth Vader, Commander Praji, an Imperial Gunner, an Imperial Navy Trooper, a Stormtrooper, and a special LEGO Star Wars 25th anniversary, Cal Kestis. We know Star Wars fans will be very excited to see Cal Kestis in LEGO form.

When finished the collectible toy measures over 6-inches high, 18-inches long, and 11-inches deep. And with the LEGO Builder app you and your youngsters can “zoom, rotate and visualize a digital version of this construction toy” as you build it, all while tracking your progress.

The Imperial Star Destroyer LEGO set is available for pre-order at LEGO’s official website now. You can transport one home for $159.99. It will start shipping this summer on August 1, 2024. There is one downside to this set, though. After you finish building yours, there will be an Imperial Star Destroyer you’ll never want to see ruined.

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LEGO and Star Wars frequently team up on the screen, but a new LEGO special is really mixing things up. LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy shows a galaxy where space and time have fallen apart. The pieces crumble and put unlikely characters in equally unlikely situations. That means, among other things, we finally get to see Darth Jar Jar.

Hearing “Mesa going to hurts yousa” in Ahmed Best’s familiar Jar Jar voice was not on our Bingo card.

The synopsis for the special says:

In “LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy,” the entire Star Wars Galaxy gets completely mixed up when an ordinary nerf-herder, Sig Greebling (Gaten Matarazzo), unearths a powerful artifact from a hidden Jedi temple. He finds himself thrust into adventure in a new, wondrously wild and twisted version of the galaxy where good guys are bad, bad guys are good, and the fate of all depends on Sig becoming the hero who can put all the pieces back together.

The special has one heck of a voice cast. Gaten Matarazzo (Sig Greebling), Tony Revolori (Dev Greebling), Bobby Moynihan (Jedi Bob), Marsai Martin (Yesi Scala), Michael Cusack (Servo), Ahmed Best (Darth Jar Jar), and Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker) all appear.

LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy has four parts. All of them debut on Disney+ on September 13.

The post STAR WARS LEGO Special’s Trailer Introduces Darth Jar Jar appeared first on Nerdist.

For almost 15 years, the Despicable Me series has been one of the most successful animated franchises of all time, with three main blockbuster films, two Minions spinoffs, and a new sequel on the way this summer, Despicable Me 4. To celebrate the release of the new film, the LEGO group partnered with Illumination and Universal Products & Experiences to release a series of sets based on the upcoming film. Below are images and details of the four Despicable Me 4 LEGO sets.

LEGO Despicable Me 4 Minions and Gru’s Family Mansion

This Despicable Me 4 set comes with the mansion’s iconic architecture and beloved movie items, such as the red couch, fireplace, and rocket-style bedroom—not to mention a brightly colored tree house.

Age: 8+/Price: €99.99 / $99.99 / £89.99/Pieces: 868/Dimensions: 10.5 in. (27 cm) high, 8.5 in. (21 cm) wide and 4.5 in. (11 cm) deep/Available: May 1, 2024

LEGO Despicable Me 4 Brick-Built Gru and Minions

The second Despicable Me 4 LEGO set is a Brick-Built Gru with dancing Minions. It comes with a ukulele-playing Mel and Kevin, armed with his fart gun. (You have to have a good fart gun).

Age: 9+/Price: €54,99 / $54.99 / £49.99/Pieces: 839/Dimensions: 11 in. (28 cm) high, 9 in. (23 cm) wide and 6 in. (16 cm) deep. Available: May 1, 2024

Minions’ Music Party Bus

The minions are ready to party, so it’s a good thing you can build them a party bus. This bus has a dance floor, DJ station, hot tub and more. It comes complete with lots of party accessories too, including party hats, of course. This Despicable Me LEGO set also comes with four different minion figures: Phil, Mel, Dave, and Mega Minion Gus. We just hope things don’t get too crazy.

This Despicable Me LEGO set costs $39.99.

Minions and Banana Car

Finally, if your Minions don’t like their party bus, get them a banana car. This adorable set lets you get a small taste of life as a Minion. It features a removable engine and driver’s seat, and accessories that will help your Minons go about their life. They can partake in weight lifting, painting, diaper changing, and, of course, spying. This Despicable Me LEGO set includes four minons: Mel, AVL Tim, Mega Minion Dave and Pit Crew Ron.

It costs $24.99.

When Will the LEGO Despicable Me 4 Sets Release?

Sadly, the giant LEGO Minion LEGO revealed on April 1 was just an April Fool’s Day joke. It’s too bad, because we kind of want that one. We’ve included an image of it because it’s way too perfect not to show.

These new LEGO Despicable Me 4 products released on May 1, 2024. For more information, be sure to check out the LEGO official site.

Originally published on April 4, 2024.

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There are lots of ways to tell when a show has made its way to the forefront of pop culture. Sometimes it’s as simple as bonkers ratings and robust social media attention. You can also get a good idea how much people care by how many theories and explainers sites like ours write. Even an influx of popular memes and jokes can indicate a project has thoroughly made its way into the cultural consciousness. But there’s one specific sign something is truly connecting with audiences that is especially fun. It comes in little plastic brick form. We know viewers can’t get enough of a series when it gets a LEGO recreation. And that’s exactly what Disney+’s X-Men ’97 just got for its opening credits.

YouTuber LegoBricks Studio has turned Marvel’s mutants into a delightful LEGO short. Over three weeks the channel used Mecabricks to re-create the opening credits for the MCU’s X-Men: The Animated Series reboot. It recently launched to widespread acclaim. That’s true of both the show and its fantastic opening sequence. Accompanied by the original series’ iconic theme song, this intro shows Charles Xavier’s most important X-Men character by character before they run into battle against Magneto and his forces.

You can really appreciate how good this LEGO version is by seeing how it stacks up to the actual intro.

Not every LEGO re-creation is (re)created equally, though. Some are truly just full on shot-for-shot LEGO versions. But this X-Men ’97 takes it a step further by full embracing its LEGO-ness. You can see that when Beast goes from docile doctor to fierce warrior by spinning his LEGO head. He goes from smiling to growling just like an actual LEGO mini-figure. And rather than just a regular light emanating from Professor X’s head, it’s an illuminated LEGO piece.

Perfection.

And also the latest sign just how much people love this show.

The post X-MEN ’97’s Open Credits Get the LEGO Treatment appeared first on Nerdist.

Star Wars and LEGO continue to celebrate 25 years of collaboration together with a new Sith-tastic building set, the return of the Imperial TIE Interceptor. This iconic symbol of the Empire’s war fleet was part of the first launch of the Ultimate Collector Series way back in 2000. Now it’s back in a new and updated modern version. LEGO fans can showcase one of the coolest ships from Return of the Jedi, recreating the distinctive wings, detailed cockpit, and laser cannons that blasted Rebel Alliance ships in the battle of Endor. You can check out images of the new LEGO TIE Interceptor in our gallery below:

Star Wars LEGO 25th Anniversary TIE Interceptor Building Set

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This incredible 1,931-piece set measures 40 centimeters/16 inches long, and comes complete with an exclusive TIE Pilot minifigure and mouse droid minifigure. The Imperial mouse droid minifigure only comes limited to this set. The TIE Interceptor is mounted on a stand with a printed plaque, and includes a printed brick. The brick is 3.2 centimeters/1.3 inches wide, 0.8 centimeters/0.3 inches long, and 3.2 centimeters/1.3 inches high. It also comes with the LEGO Star Wars anniversary logo. The set will set you back $229.00. You can pre-order it from the official LEGO site on May the Fourth, a.k.a. Star Wars Day.

As part of the 25th anniversary celebration, new LEGO Star Wars content is also coming to LEGO Fortnite from May 3. In addition, there’s a new LEGO Star Wars coffee-table book on the way, The Force of Creativity. It features interviews with more than 50 contributors from the LEGO Group and Lucasfilm. Other new additions include a Tatooine Mos Espa Podrace diorama building set. The 718-piece display set includes Anakin Skywalker, the Arch Canyon, and a plaque with one of Qui-Gon Jinn’s inspirational lines from the film. Also from The Phantom Menace is a droideka set and six collectible LEGO Brickheadz. We’re sure none of these are the end of the Star Wars LEGO 25th anniversary celebration.

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In celebration of Dungeons & Dragons‘ 50th anniversary, LEGO has brought to life a set honoring the beloved franchise. Dungeons & Dragons is many things—it’s a tabletop game, it’s lore, it’s books, it’s movies, and for many, it’s simply a way to live out their dreams of epic adventures and fantastical worlds. So, of course, it comes as no surprise that this LEGO Dungeons & Dragons set is actually a LEGO Ideas set, which means it started life as a fan creation. And when you put it together, that love comes through loud and clear.

Armed with a set provided by LEGO, my stalwart party companions, and some supplies of choice (a cupcake tin and lots of snacks), I set out to build this gorgeously fantastical piece. My full review of this LEGO Dungeons & Dragons set is below, but in summation, much like the game itself, this D&D set feels alive and rife with possibilities.

Jump to: The Spirit of D&D in LEGOs // The Build // The Minifigures // The Creatures // The Dragon // Life Lessons // How Much Does the LEGO Dungeons & Dragons Set Cost?

How Does the Dungeons & Dragons LEGO Bring D&D to Life?

So, how exactly does LEGO bring Dungeons & Dragons to life in this new set? We suspect fans might have this question, and it’s a fair one. After all, Dungeons & Dragons is a choice-based game, and it feels like it might be difficult to capture its spirit in one LEGO set. But, as always, LEGO rises to the occasion. The answer is two-fold. First, LEGO calls upon a few D&D stalwarts from the D&D Monster Manual and brings to life some races commonly associated with the game, such as elves, dwarves, and wizards. But secondly, the set really goes beyond that to capture the spirit of storytelling throughout the build.

Here are some examples of how the Dungeons & Dragons set brings an element of discovery and creation into its build to ensure the journey of putting the set together (and its outcome) depends heavily on the choices you make in your LEGO campaign.

Right from the start, this set feels different than others. Bag one, step one has you put together a “Dwarf Cleric.” While the LEGO manual gives a little insight into what a cleric is, it leaves the rest up to you. What is the name of your cleric? The set invites you to ask. Your cleric channels divine magic from a god, the LEGO manual then notes, but which god? One might intuit that the dwarf cleric serves the sun god Lathandar based on the design of their shirt. But we suppose it could also be the god of spring… Wait a minute, are we making a character sheet? And we’ve barely snapped two LEGOs together. Much like the game itself, that’s how this Dungeons & Dragons LEGO set sucks you in right from the start.

The Minifigures in the Dungeons & Dragons set are also especially cool because they come with several customizable options. While LEGO Minifigures often have more than one face, in this case many different choices can be made—including gender, weaponry, good vs evil affiliations, etc. A couple Minifigures actually come with no explanation at all. Are they a non-playable character, a party member you haven’t adopted yet, or a villain? You decide! While we’re not sure if this was fully intended, Minifigures that swap gender with ease do seem like a queer-positive development, and we approve.

In addition, I would describe the LEGO Dungeons & Dragons set as full of secrets. You, the DM, might know there are four cherries and two peppers hidden in the boxes at the Tavern, but a passerby sure won’t. And you’ll have to roll for perception to find some of the doors that you build and then hide. Just make sure you don’t fall into the trap you laid 10 pages ago and then forgot. (Or you’ll end up in the secret dungeon that only has a bucket and a set of handcuffs inside of it.)

The D&D LEGO Build and Its Minifigures

The Build

The LEGO Dungeons & Dragons set creates a full fantastical scene. It includes a cozy tavern for bards to write their songs, a bewitching tower full of enchantments, a verdant garden, and a loot-filled dungeon where danger and treasure await. I would say that it’s the perfect fantasy build for anyone who doesn’t have the space or time for LEGO’s more elaborate The Lord of the Rings: Rivendell set. While in situ the build only feels slightly less complex than Rivendell’s, it draws to a close much quicker. The LEGO Dungeons & Dragons set contains 3,745 pieces (32 bags) and four instruction books.

Although there’s less of it, and it’s a little less challenging than Rivendell, this Dungeons & Dragons LEGO set is still complicated in all the best ways. Not to mention, it contains plenty of those satisfying moments where tricky parts snap together exactly how you’d hoped. The set additionally offers a welcome variety of build types, from elaborate stonework designs to sweeping plant life to rocky terrains.

The Details

The devil is in the details in this set. Angled blocks create cool jagged windows, brown and green blobs form a symphony of evergreen trees, and flame-filled lanterns light up the way. The colors are gorgeously vivid. A curl of smoke equates to a fireplace below.

The Dungeons & Dragons set also contains a plethora of miniatures in its depths. Little dragon eggs, coins, jewels, mushrooms, inkwells, spell books, staffs, weapons, and bags of loot emerge to decorate the halls of this building. The beer steins even have a foam float. And there’s a tiny lute!!!

The Dungeons & Dragons LEGO Minifigures

Your LEGO Dungeons & Dragons party includes six minifigures in total. As mentioned, each Minifigure from this set comes with many choices. Here’s a rundown of them all.

The LEGO D&D set’s Minifigures include:

• Dwarf Cleric – This D&D LEGO Minifigure comes with two hair choices, braided or basic, two heads, bearded or smiling, and a beard you add on top. We hear Dwarven ladies also love a beard. (We named ours Marigold.)
• Gnome Fighter – The Gnome Fighter comes with four different expressions and a variety of weapons.
• Orc Rogue – Sneaky, sneaky. The Orc Rogue comes with a couple of heads, a crossbow, and some knives. But is he friend or foe? You decide. He definitely seems chaotic either way. (We named ours Hawthorne.)
• Elf Wizard – The Elf Wizard is one powerful lady. She comes with a changeable head. (We named ours Belladona.)
• The Mysterious Dragon Sorcerer? – This mysterious Minifigure isn’t given any description at all in the pages of the LEGO Dungeons & Dragons book. And isn’t that the fun of it? He seems like some kind of dragon-loving sorcerer to us, though.
• A Dragonborn Minifigure – He seems like a friendly fellow, but who he is in your LEGO Dungeons & Dragons set is entirely up to you.

Building Dungeons & Dragons Creatures Out of LEGOs

A truly unique facet of this set is that in addition to Minifigures and miniatures, builders get to use actual LEGO blocks to create familiar monsters from Dungeons & Dragons. While many sets center on their architectural facets or their figure builds, it’s neat to see both blended here. In total, you’ll get to build six types of small creatures out of LEGOs and one VERY big one. The creatures are skeletons, a Gelatinous Cube, an owlbear, a Beholder, a Displacer Beast, a mimic, and, of course, a dragon.

Using the blocks in this way allows fans to see LEGOs in a new light. And delightfully, the types of LEGOs snapped together vary for each creature, making for seven nuanced experiences.

Cinderhowl the Red LEGO Dragon

The pièce de résistance of the LEGO Dungeons & Dragons set is the Cinderhowl the Red Dragon build. Cinderhowl takes up eight out of 32 bags of this set. That’s 1/4 for those of you whose stats tend away from intelligence. Building this LEGO dragon is some of the most complex work in the set. But, boy is Cinderhowl worth it. (He can even sit on your shoulder)

You might not typically play a god in your D&D campaign, but you sure feel like one as you raise this dragon to life, starting with his skeleton and ending with his wings. Cinderhowl has articulated feet, a mouth that can open and close, and wings that actually flap. He is well worth your while. He could honestly be a Dungeons & Dragons LEGO set all on his own.

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Life Lessons From the LEGO Dungeons & Dragons Set

It wouldn’t be an adventure without some life-changing realizations. Here are just some my party experienced on this LEGO Dungeons & Dragons campaign.

• It’s all a matter of perspective.
• Don’t start building your last four bags of LEGOs at 11 pm.
• Sometimes, you just have to turn it over one more time.
• The only time you’ll be happy to step on a LEGO is when one you need has fallen onto the floor.
• It’s about the build, not the destination.
• Jeremiah, Todd, and Howard are excellent skeleton names.
• Get yourself a party member who can cook.
• Sometimes, we all need a little stability, even if we’re a Dungeons & Dragons LEGO set.

How Much Does the Dungeons & Dragons LEGO Set Cost, and Where Can You Buy It?

The LEGO Ideas Dungeon & Dragons LEGO set is now available for purchase on LEGO’s website. This D&D set costs $359.99.

The post LEGO’s DUNGEONS & DRAGONS Set Captures the Spirit of the Game appeared first on Nerdist.

Over the 20+ hours I spent piecing together the massive new LEGO Batman: The Animated Series Gotham City skyline set the company sent me I thought a lot about how I might start this post. I considered opening with a screed about how this beautiful and incredibly creative collectible fully captures the series’ iconic and influential Art Deco aesthetic. At various points I also debated comparing the challenge of putting together such an intricate and highly-detailed set with Bruce Wayne’s attempts to clean up his hometown. And during a few especially frustrating moments I considered explaining why the Joker isn’t always wrong. But by the time I snapped in the final piece, the Bat Symbol, I finally knew exactly what I wanted to say. It’s simple, but true: if you love Batman: The Animated Series you’ll absolutely love this set.

Despite its tableau design, you do not build LEGO’s Gotham City set atop a big sheet as I expected. It’s made up of smaller boards you connect throughout the process. It’s akin to making small individual mosaics of the city’s various regions that together form a single, cohesive work of art. And that’s exactly what this set is, a work of art. It’s not an exact re-creation of the show’s Gotham. Instead it’s an original amalgamation that brings together different locales from the series. The effect is something that is wholly of Batman: The Animated Series while also being totally new. It’s a homage in the best way, because it made me want to rewatch the series. What could be a better tribute and celebration of the show than that?

That’s easy to see even in pictures. But while you can certainly appreciate the beauty of this set from images, it’s impossible to fully grasp just how gorgeous it really is unless you see it in person. For one it’s much deeper than it looks. (It’s also heavier. You’ll need a shelf to display it. Hanging it on your wall is not an option.) There are layers and layers of depth, as buildings sit on buildings sitting in buildings. The design invites deep investigation into every nook and cranny. Every time you look you’ll find something new to appreciate.

Even the night sky with its dark red clouds have layers that give this otherwise static piece a kinetic energy—as do my favorite pieces, the billowing smoke stacks. They look like they’re actually operating. The easily removable row of bottom buildings are also hiding unseen depth and fun Easter eggs. From character stickers to the Batmobile, there are lots of extras to discover within. Only you might never find all of them unless you build the set yourself and know where to look.

Unless you put Gotham together you can never fully appreciate how much detail went into the many individual designs, either. Some of my favorite parts of this build involved making smaller structures that have triple the amount of LEGO bricks than you’d think by looking at them. Piecing this together is a different reward from admiring the finished product.

It’s a good thing working on this set provides its own kind of fulfillment, because the amount of detail involved is a double-edged sword. The 4,210-piece set designed for ages 18 and up features roughly 80,000 tiny parts. It can be aggravating adding molding and decor in a normal building. Adding small single piece details on a relatively thin LEGO set is really freaking hard. (Especially if you have sausage fingers like I do. Those are also why I hated putting the set’s many small stickers on pieces, too.)

It was really hard at the start. Initially the set felt much more delicate than I imagined. That made me especially cautious about how I connected the different components. I was terrified of breaking multiple parts. But as I kept going I realized the set is more sturdy and stronger than my first impression. That allowed me to pick up the pace. Out of the 44 individual bags that make up LEGO’s Gotham, I finished the first 10 at a much slower rate than the rest.

While I ultimately love this set and think it’s actually undervalued at $300 (even with only four minifigs), I did have some issue with its two massive instruction booklets. The set’s color scheme—which includes lots of black and brown pieces, various hues of grays, and dark blues—sometimes made it hard to see which exactly piece was needed. I often had to rely on my smartphone’s flashlight or a bright headlamp to distinguish between colors.

The booklets, which are genuinely excellent visual guides overall, also show everything at an angle. That was a helpful most of the time, but not when it came time to put something on top of something else or when connecting two large mosaics. It wasn’t always obvious exactly where or how they went together. An overhead picture would have cleared that up and saved me from my most consistent (and potentially disastrous) mistakes.

Once I became aware of that problem, I course corrected. I slowed down and took extra time when placing anything directly on the growing tableau. And by the time I finished that problem, like the others, didn’t seem like a big deal. What I was looking at was too incredible to focus on difficulties I experienced during the build. And that was before I realized you can backlight the whole thing to create a nighttime effect that truly evokes the aesthetic of the show it celebrates.

That’s why it took finishing this set to know how I wanted to start talking about it. As a fan of Batman: The Animated Series I love everything about LEGO’s Gotham City, especially the fact I have one in my own home.

Batman: The Animated Series Gotham City LEGO set is available now.

Mikey Walsh is a staff writer at Nerdist who knows exactly where Condiment Man is hiding in the Batman Gotham City LEGO set. You can follow him on Twitter and Bluesky at @burgermike. And also anywhere someone is ranking the Targaryen kings.

The post LEGO’s Challenging Gotham City Set Is a Gorgeous Tribute to BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES appeared first on Nerdist.

It’s hard to think of a time when LEGO and Star Wars didn’t go together like peanut butter and jelly. But LEGO and Lucasfilm have only been collaborating since 1999 when The Phantom Menace hit theaters. This means that 2024 is the 25th anniversary of the LEGO and Star Wars partnership. As a way of celebrating, LEGO released new 25th anniversary products. Some of these are now available to purchase. While others are coming soon. Additionally, the LEGO Group announced the LEGO Star Wars 25-Second Film Festival, which will kick off in March as part of the celebrations.

Among the 25th Anniversary LEGO sets are brand-new builds inspired by the Millennium Falcon and the Invisible Hand, General Grievous’ flagship from Revenge of the Sith. There are also two building sets inspired by the Tantive IV from A New Hope; and a special 25th anniversary edition set honoring the iconic astromech droid, R2-D2. Some sets will include collectible minifigures never seen before in LEGO form or anniversary tiles to mark the special occasion.

Jump to: Sets Coming Soon // Already Available 25th Anniversary Sets

LEGO Star Wars Darth Maul’s Sith Infiltrator Set

Joining the LEGO Star Wars 25th anniversary celebrations is the Darth Maul’s Sith Infiltrator set. This set allows you to “recreate Darth Maul’s Sith Infiltrator and Bloodfin speeder, and play out Star Wars: The Phantom Menace scenes with this building toy for kids.” (Or whoever happens to be playing with it.) Additionally, the set comes with four Star Wars LEGO Minifigures, “Darth Maul, Anakin Skywalker and Qui-Gon Jinn, plus an exclusive LEGO Star Wars™ 25th anniversary Saw Gerrera minifigure with a display stand.”

The Darth Maul’s Sith Infiltrator Set costs $69.99 and releases on May 1.

LEGO Star Wars BARC Speeder Escape

The LEGO Star Wars BARC Speeder Escape set will give fans “everything they need to recreate the memorable Star Wars: The Mandalorian Jedi Temple flashback scene.” The set comes with Minifigures of Kelleran Beq, Grogu, and two 501st Clone Troopers. Needless to say, Grogu is adorable.

The BARC Speeder Escape Set costs $29.99 and releases on May 1.

LEGO Star Wars Millennium Falcon building set

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This official description for this Star Wars LEGO set shares, ” classic Star Wars™ saga continues in your living room with this collectible LEGO® Star Wars Millennium Falcon build-and-display starship model (75375). Channel Jedi-like focus and mindfulness to recreate authentic details of this iconic starship, as seen in Star Wars: A New Hope.”

More Details:

Age: 18+ /Price: $84,99/74,99 £ /Pieces: 921/Product No.: 75375/Dimensions: Measures over 5 in. (13 cm) high, 9.5 in. (24 cm) long and 7.5 in. (19 cm) wide.

LEGO Star Wars Tantive IV building set

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“Build the excitement you felt when you watched the opening scene of Star Wars: A New Hope all over again with this buildable LEGO® brick model of the Tantive IV starship,” share this Tantive IV Star Wars LEGO set. You can snag it here.

More Details:

Age: 18+/Price: $79,99/69,99 £/Pieces: 654/Product No.: 75376/Dimensions: Measures over 6 in. (15 cm) high, 12.5 in. (32 cm) long and 4 in. (11 cm) wide.

LEGO Star Wars Boarding the Tantive IV building set

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The Tantive IV fun continues with a scene recreation from Star Wars: A New Hope. This set “features a detailed recreation of the corridor inside Tantive IV where Darth Vader’s Stormtroopers battled Captain Antilles’ Rebel Fleet Troopers, with levers to ‘blast’ open the entrance door and topple characters during battle play.” Take a closer look, here.

More Details:

Age: 8+/Price:/$54,99/49,99 £/Pieces: 502/Product No.: 75387/Dimensions: Measures over 3 in. (8 cm) high, 5 in. (13 cm) wide and 8.5 in. (22 cm) deep.

 LEGO Star Wars R2-D2 building set

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Who doesn’t want a LEGO R2-D2 to keep them company? This LEGO brick-built R2-D2 toy figure is full of authentic details and little surprises like a “360-degree rotating head, an attachable third leg, attachable periscope and attachable tools.”

More Details:

Age: 10+/Price: $99,99/89,99/Pieces: 1,050/Product No.: 75379/Dimensions: Measures over 9.5 in. (24 cm) high, 6 in. (16 cm) wide and 4 in. (11 cm) deep

LEGO Star Wars Invisible Hand building set

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“Imagine leading the Separatist fleet into battle like General Grievous in Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith with this LEGO Star Wars Starship Collection buildable model of the Invisible Hand,” shares the description for this celebratory LEGO set. You can check it out in full detail, here.

More Details:

Age: 8+/Price: /$54,99/49,99 £/Pieces: 502/Product No.: 75387/Dimensions: Measures over 3 in. (8 cm) high, 5 in. (13 cm) wide and 8.5 in. (22 cm) deep

Originally published on January 30, 2024.

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The collaboration between The LEGO Group and Epic Games’ Fortnite continues to heat up. We recently shared the incredible new LEGO Fortnite game and LEGO Fortnite Islands. But now Fortnite players will be able to use LEGO in a whole new way—to build their very own LEGO Islands.

New LEGO tools are coming to the Unreal Editor for Fortnite and Fortnite Creative. These will allow creators to design and publish LEGO Islands of their own in the world of Fortnite. For those who love building on Fortnite and love building with LEGO (we know we do), it’s a match made in heaven. A release shares “Fortnite creators across the world will now be able to design and build their own LEGO Islands within Fortnite, using LEGO elements.  This will bring the iconic LEGO System in Play and its endless creative possibilities to life in a digital setting like never before.” LEGO elements, LEGO Styles, and LEGO Brand Assets are now available for use. There are four different templates available to help any new creators get started.

We can’t wait to see all the new LEGO builds that emerge. In addition to whatever creator-made fun lies in store, three more official LEGO Islands will also join Fortnite. They are:

LEGO Prop Hunt – builds on popular ‘Prop Hunt’ mechanics to create zany LEGO fun for you and other players within the expanse of a wacky shopping mall!

LEGO Battle Arena – allows gamers to become the next Spinjitzu master! You can enroll in special training at the LEGO NINJAGO Dojo with Lloyd and the Masters of Spinjitzu, where you can compete against other trainees, hone your skills, and prove yourself.  

LEGO Cat Island Adventure – a playful game all about meeting and nurturing your relationship with a friendly cat on an island and spending time together. Players need to complete tasks to keep their cat happy, and they’ll let you know if they are not! 

Click To View Gallery

Okay, we’re sold on LEGO Cat Island Adventure! I can’t imagine a better Fortnite LEGO Island.

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Dungeons & Dragons has been celebrating its 50th anniversary this year in a number of ways. We’ve heard about a book about the history of D&D, a life sim-style video game, and more. Now, we can add a LEGO set to the list. LEGO has announced the LEGO Ideas Dungeons & Dragons: Red Dragon’s Tale set, designed by a fan and chosen from over 600 submissions. Twenty-three-year-old Lucas Bold, a.k.a. BoltBuilds, designed this set that brings a typical adventuring moment from the tabletop roleplaying game to life in glorious brick style.

The Design of the Dungeons & Dragons LEGO Set

Bold worked with the LEGO Design team to come up with the unique Forgotten Realm setting in the final set. The LEGO Dungeons & Dragons set is 3,745 pieces. It features a tavern (complete with removable roof), a dungeon, and a tower. You can populate the set with six LEGO minifigs, including an Orc Rogue, Gnome Fighter, Elf Wizard, and Dwarf Cleric. Brick-built monsters are along for the battle too, including a beholder, an owlbear, and a displacer beast. Cinderhowl, the red dragon, can wrap around the tower. Flip through the gallery below to check them all out!

Click To View Gallery

To add an immersive element, the Wizards of the Coast team developed a bespoke adventure for this Dungeons & Dragons LEGO set. It’s available for LEGO Insiders as a free digital download or as a paperback book for Insider points. It will be available through D&D Beyond as well. You can watch a group of bold players go through this adventure on April 6 at 9:00pm PT on the Dungeons & Dragons YouTube channel.

What Is the Release Date for the Dungeons & Dragons LEGO Set?

The LEGO Ideas Dungeons & Dragons: Red Dragon’s Tale set will be available for LEGO Insiders to buy on April 1 from LEGO’s site and retail stores. Everyone will be able to buy it on April 4. The price is $359.99. In between April 1-7, all purchases of the set will come with a LEGO Dungeons & Dragons Mimic Dice Box as a free gift. Finally, the LEGO Dungeons & Dragons minifigs series will launch in September.

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Now that the 96th annual Academy Awards have come and gone, what will people remember about years later? Will it be the Oppenheimer sweep of most of the major categories? Will it be Emma Stone receiving her second Oscar for Poor Things? Maybe. We’re going to bet the thing folks will remember most about the 2024 Oscars, however, is Ryan Gosling’s perfect and hilarious rendition of his nominated song from Barbie, “I’m Just Ken.” That showstopper is what everyone was talking about that night, and the following day. Now, YouTuber LegoME_theOG has recreated the iconic moment, entirely in LEGO. You can watch it in full right here:

So just what made this moment so perfect? Was it Gosling’s commitment to maintaining the “Kenergy?” Was it the involvement of the other major Kens from Barbie? Was it the perfect homage to Marilyn Monroe’s “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend” from Gentlemen Prefer Blondes? Well, we think it was a little bit of all of those things combined. Although Ryan Gosling was nominated for his role as Ken, he lost to Robert Downey Jr.’s in Oppenheimer, and somehow still managed to become the most talked about aspect of said event. Ryan Gosling might not have won in his category, but he won the whole night. Isn’t that better?

While we’re sure the now-iconic Oscar moment has got the suits clamoring for more cinematic Ken, we kind of hope this is the victory lap for Gosling as the character. You never want to overdo a good thing. If you enjoyed that LEGO-ized “I’m Just Ken” Oscars moment, the LegoME_theOG YouTube channel has other similarly hilarious recreations. Among them are the recent Deadpool & Wolverine trailer, Stranger Things 4, and even the cliffhanger finale of Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. As cool as all of those are though, nothing will ever replace Ken in our hearts.

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This year’s MAR10 Day (or as we like to call it, Mario Day) was a big one. Especially with a new Super Mario Bros. movie announced for April, 2026. But LEGO also used MAR10 Day to show off several teases for future LEGO Super Mario sets, all arriving this summer. However, the big reveal was the confirmation that Mario Kart sets are arriving in 2025. The teaser featured a silhouette of a Mario Kart, which already has Super Mario LEGO fans excited for next year.

These new Mario Kart sets will soon be the latest in the growing collection of Nintendo LEGO sets. A collection that began four years ago with the LEGO Super Mario Adventures with Mario Starter Course. Among the new sets are The Bowser Express Train set, King Boo’s Haunted Mansion set, and the Battle with Roy at Peach’s Castle set. You can watch the full 8-minute video right here. You can also check out several images and specs of each set down below.

LEGO Super Mario: Bowser Express Train Set

Ages: 9+/Price: $119.99, €119,99, £104,99/Pieces: 1392/Dimensions: 480 x 378 x 94 mm/Available: August 1st, 2024

LEGO Super Mario: King Boo’s Haunted Mansion Set

Ages: 8+/Price: $74.99, €74.99, £64.99/Pieces: 932/Dimensions: 456 x 282 x 72 mm/Available: August 1st, 2024

LEGO Super Mario: Battle with Roy at Peach’s Castle Set

Ages: 7+/Price: $64.99, €64.99, £59.99/Pieces: 738/Dimensions: 382 x 262 x 70.5 mm/Available: August 1st, 2024

What has fans most excited from the Mar10 Day reveal video however was the silhouette of a Mario Kart, as well as the Mario Figure. These suggest that we’re going to see more LEGO Mario figure functionality going into 2025. For more information from MAR10 Day, as well as pre-orders for these LEGO sets, be sure to head over to this link.

The post LEGO Teases Super Mario Kart for 2025 and Other Nintendo Sets appeared first on Nerdist.

Is Batman: The Animated Series the greatest cartoon ever? Some people say “yes,” while others say “probably.” But no matter whether you’re already on the right side of history or almost there, you can still make the most influential animated show ever a part of your. LEGO’s new set recreates Gotham’s infamous Art Deco skyline from Batman: The Animated Series.

The LEGO Group, Warner Bros. Discovery Global Consumer Products, and DC have come together to celebrate a legendary superhero locale. The new 4,210-piece Batman: The Animated Series Gotham City LEGO set is a 3D homage to the cartoon’s iconic city. The tableau-style design features detailed recreations of the show’s most important spots. That includes the Gotham City Court, Arkham Asylum, Joker’s Amusement Park, and more.

The collection also boasts the many LEGO police blimps that dotted Gotham’s sky. They’re joined up there by the classic Batwing and the one thing evildoers everywhere fear, the Bat Signal. 

The Batman: The Animated Series Gotham City LEGO collection, designed for ages 18 and up, measures 16.4-inches in length, 11.8 inches tall, and 2.3-inches deep. That will make it easy to place it wherever you like in your home or office, including on your wall. It also comes loaded with Batman: The Animated Series Easter eggs for fans of the show to find in their LEGOs. Some of those are located inside parts of the set that open up to reveal more components. And it’s all topped off with four mini-figures: Catwoman, The Joker, Harley Quinn, and Batman. (We absolutely need LEGO to release at least 30 more mini-figs for this. The show has one of the best and deepest lineups of villains ever.)

LEGO Insiders can grab their copy early, beginning on April 1. Everyone else will have to wait a few days. The Batman: The Animated Series Gotham City LEGO set ($299.99) goes on full sale on April 4.

Is this the greatest LEGO set ever? We don’t want to say “probably,” but we also don’t want to be on the wrong side of history.

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From confirmation that Ryan Gosling will perform his hit Barbie song at the Oscars to a new set of Shrek Universal Orlando attractions, here are some of our favorite pop-culture news odds & ends lately.

• Ryan Gosling Will Perform Barbie Ballad “I’m Just Ken” at the Oscars
• LEGO X Fortnite Introduce Two New LEGO Islands
• A24 Releases Gorgeous Screenplay Book Honoring Robert Eggers’ The Lighthouse
• Shrek’s Swamp Among New Attractions Coming to Universal’s Orlando Resort
• Netflix Teases Wild-Looking Parasite Movie, Parasyte: The Grey
• The Last of Us Season Two Star Is Teasing Queer Chemistry to Come
• Starlight Children’s Foundation Partners with Nintendo for Mario Day
• AMC Launches Three New Nicole Kidman Ads

Ryan Gosling Will Perform Barbie Ballad “I’m Just Ken” at the Oscars

Good news, Barbies. Ryan Gosling is officially confirmed to perform “I’m Just Ken” live at the Oscars. We can’t wait to see how this Barbie movie looks and sounds on stage.

“I’m Just Ken” is one banger of a ballad:

LEGO X Fortnite Introduce Two New LEGO Islands

Get ready LEGO lovers and Fortnite fans, two new LEGO Islands just opened up in the game. ‘LEGO Raft Survival’ and ‘LEGO Obby Fun’ have now arrived and they’ll give you pirate and obstacle-course themed adventures to explore.

Here’s more about LEGO’s big collaboration with Fortnite:

A24 Releases Gorgeous Screenplay Book Honoring Robert Eggers’ The Lighthouse

In celebration of Robert Eggers’ celebrated movie, The Lighthouse, A24 has released a gorgeous Screenplay Book honoring the film. Among other things, the book includes Robert and Max Eggers’ original script, an introduction by Willem Dafoe, full-page stills of Jarin Blaschke’s Oscar-nominated cinematography, select pages pulled from a lighthouse keeper’s guide published in 1881, and more. This The Lighthouse Screenplay Book truly highlights the beauty and atmosphere of its chosen movie. It also marks the 11th edition of A24’s incredible Screenplay Books series. The exquisite tome is the perfect gift for lovers of the movie.

Shrek’s Swamp Among New Attractions Coming to Universal’s Orlando Resort

A few new attractions are heading to Universal Orlando Resort, and among them are some new Shrek adventures. A release shares:

Like ogres and onions, guests can peel back layers of fun in Shrek’s oasis to discover “ogre-the-top” adventures at every turn.

Shrek’s Swamp Meet: Guests can visit Shrek’s Swamp Meet to interact with beloved characters Shrek, Princess Fiona and Donkey, the noble steed eager to joke around and converse with guests, just outside of Shrek’s cottage.

Shrek’s Swamp for Little Ogres: This ogre-sized play area features four fun slides, wet play areas and a playground where guests can climb, bounce and splash around as well as venture into Shrek’s outhouse.

Mama Luna Feline Fiesta: The blockbuster film, Puss in Boots 2: The Last Wish, comes to life with this new interactive experience that takes place in Mama Luna’s retirement home for cats. Here, guests get to play with Mama Luna’s many cats on vivid interactive screens activated by buttons, bells, maracas and levers. They might even spot the one and only Puss in Boots himself. 

King Harold’s Swamp Symphony: Guests can create their own melodious masterpiece as they trigger a choir of ever-changing frog ribbits by continually stomping on an array of interactive lily pads. 

Swamp Snacks: Families can feast like an ogre at this new kiosk, which will serve scrumptious snacks inspired by Shrek, including Shrekzel, Far Far A Waffle, Frozen Ogre and more.

Other new attractions include experiences for Kung Fu Panda and Trolls.

Universal is also creating a whole new theme park:

Netflix Teases Wild-Looking Parasite Movie, Parasyte: The Grey

Get ready for one intensely creepy-looking movie. Netflix is teasing Parasyte: The Grey, a manga-based monster movie. Its synopsis shares, “When unidentified parasites violently take over human hosts and gain power, humanity must rise to combat the growing threat.” Here we go!

The Last of Us Season Two Star Is Teasing Queer Chemistry to Come

Speaking to ET, in an interview which we saw via GameSpot, Isabela Merced, who plays Dina on The Last of Us season two shares, “I already did one day of shooting–it was technically day zero–but the chemistry that Bella and I have is so palpable. It’s really nice to be able to work with someone like that.” Dina and Ellie, of course, share a close and sometimes romantic relationship in The Last of Us Part II, so we’re happy to hear it.

Here’s what we know so far about The Last of Us season two:

Starlight Children’s Foundation Partners with Nintendo for Mario Day

Starlight Children’s Foundation is “dedicated to delivering happiness to hospitalized children nationwide through the healing power of play.” And they’re partnering with Nintendo for an initiative called Power of Play. A release shares:

The Power of Play campaign aims to raise funds and awareness of the healing power of therapeutic play for kids in hospitals and their families. The month-long campaign seeks to raise $225,000 through different activations. As part of the Power of Play celebrations, our annual Stream ForStarlight (S4S) Spring Stream kicks off with an exclusive Mario Day weekend event. Starlight will start the 50 hours of streaming on Friday, March 8th at 4:00pm ET, featuring our 2023 Battle for Charity winners, Team PB, and we’ll round out the kickoff celebrations with a 48-hour raid train until 8pm ET on Sunday, March 10th. Our mission? To raise a whopping $50K by Mar10 Day! Play isn’t just fun – it’s how kids cope and learn through challenges, and how adults continue to strengthen their spirit. So this March, when you play, kids win! 

To get involved, check out the official page here.

AMC Launches Three New Nicole Kidman Ads

We come here to… see if AMC can have lightning strike more than once. The theater chain will introduce three new Nicole Kidman ads to its movies.

One will debut on March 1, while the other will arrive in the coming months. And we’ll have to catch them all like Pokémon. Only time will tell if they capture the magic of the original.

Check out the Nicole Kidman AMC backpack:

The post Ryan Gosling to Perform BARBIE’s ‘I’m Just Ken’ at the Oscars and Other News Odds & Ends appeared first on Nerdist.

Teenage animator Preston Mutanga has gained a lot of online fame for his LEGO recreations of popular TV shows and films. His work is so beloved that Marvel tapped him to create the LEGO sequence in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. Surely, he’s still bragging to his family and friends about such an incredible opportunity. It is an Oscar-nominated animated film, after all. We also loved his recreation of the Stranger Things 4: Volume 2 trailer, and now he’s back again with a LEGO version of the Deadpool & Wolverine trailer. Just imagine the awesome things he will continue to do in the future!

You can check out his LEGO Deadpool & Wolverine trailer below:

There are many reasons why Preston’s work is impressive. First, the Deadpool & Wolverine trailer hit the internet a little over a week before his recreation. That’s a quick turnaround for someone who also juggles life as a full-time student. Then, there’s the actual LEGO trailer itself, which really captures all the Deadpool and Wolverine goodness. Seeing Wolverine’s shadowy LEGO hands turn into claws is so much fun. We would honestly watch the whole film in LEGO form at this point. The comments under this video heap lots of praise on him, with one person deeming him the “LEGO Jesus.” This is both hilarious and true.

Surely, Deadpool would absolutely love to have a LEGO sequence of himself come to life. We know Ryan Reynolds does since he retweeted the original LEGO Deadpool & Wolverine teaser Mutanga made. Hopefully, we will see more of Mutanga’s work on the big screen in the very near future.

Until then, we are waiting for Deadpool & Wolverine to arrive in theaters on July 26.

The post DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE LEGO Trailer Displays Animator Preston Mutanga’s Awesome Work appeared first on Nerdist.

Disney’s first-ever full-length animated film remains one of its most beloved movies. Now it’s ready to be one of your most beloved LEGO sets. The company’s newest collectible will let you move in with an iconic princess and her seven hi-ho’ing roommates thanks to the LEGO Disney Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs’ Cottage.

Bring to life a legendary home from Disney’s distant past with LEGO’s new 2228-piece set. Designed for ages 18 and up, the Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs’ Cottage is a colorful re-creation of the 1937 animated classic’s cozy forest abode. Inside the replica cottage fans will find plenty of notable touches from the film. There’s a bedroom with seven beds, a room with the dwarves’ pipe organ, a baking table, sink, and plenty of cupboards.

The set measures more than 13.5-inches long, 7.8-inches tall, and 7.8 inches wide. It also comes with plenty of characters to fill it. There are 10 minifigures in total: Snow White, each of the Seven Dwarfs, the handsome Prince, and the evil Queen, who comes with her red apple. Plenty of animal friends also join the musical fun. You can place some of those woodland creatures at the nearby wishing well included with the set. Or they can stop by the collection’s sleeping chamber where those under a spell can remain under glass.

Anyone can get their set early next month on March 4, either online or in stores. LEGO Insiders can get theirs even earlier if they want. They can order online starting March 1. The LEGO Disney Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs’ Cottage retails for $219.99.

Putting this set together will also be a fun way to prepare for Disney’s upcoming live-action Snow White remake starring Rachel Zegler. It comes to theaters next year on March 25, 2025. Until then avoid getting close to any sleeping chambers except for this mini LEGO one.

The post Make SNOW WHITE’s Cottage Your Home With This LEGO Set appeared first on Nerdist.

When asked to imagine a bouquet of flowers, most people will likely dream up a bunch of red roses. And that’s why LEGO’s newest addition to its Botanical Collection makes total sense. We’re only surprised that the LEGO Bouquet of Roses set took so long to manifest. But now you can officially show your affection for that special someone with a set of LEGO roses that will always remain perfect. While real red roses will wilt quite quickly, this version of a bouquet will remain red and lovely forever. Not to mention, it’s a gift and activity in one. What could be better than that? Let’s take a closer look at this bouquet of roses and see what LEGO’s newest Botanical Collection creation is all about.

LEGO’s Botanical Collection has always been filled with absolutely exquisite sets, and its Bouquet of Roses is no exception. In true LEGO style, the set doesn’t want you to build the same rose over and over twelve times. Instead, it includes a dozen red LEGO roses in three different varieties. You’ll create “four [roses] in full bloom, four blooming, and four in bud.” And anyone who knows LEGO knows that even within each category there will likely be small nuances in the roses to keep you on your toes. In addition to the roses, you’ll get to build “a scattering of small white flowers.”

Click To View Gallery

In total, the LEGO Botanical Collection: LEGO Icons Bouquet of Roses contains 822 pieces. Additionally, it will cost you $59.99. This set was released on January 1, 2024—so it’s available to purchase at any time. Additionally, if the LEGO Botanical Collection is one of your favorites, you can look forward to an upcoming in-depth “field guide” to the floral builds. LEGO Botanical Almanac: A Field Guide to Brick-Built Blooms releases on March 19 and is available for pre-order now. It will give you a deeper look at LEGO’s collection of roses, flowers, succulents, and other plants.

All we need now is for these LEGO roses to gently waft the scent of fresh-cut blooms all around our house.

Originally published on December 11, 2023.

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Over the years, the LEGO company has created sets based on all kinds of video games. But, there are a few that we want and haven’t gotten quite yet. So, Guide Strats asked themselves this question — what might some of the most awe-inspiring buildings in video games look like if they were LEGO sets? Using BrickLink Studio 2.0, they digitally rendered several video game-based architecture builds and their packaging. For an extra cherry on top, the group even calculated how many LEGO bricks each set would have. You can check out our faves down below:

Kaer Morhen from The Witcher III

From The Witcher III comes Kaer Morhen, a run-down fortress, reimagined as a LEGO set that comes with 2,385 pieces. Kaer Morhen stands atop the Blue Mountains of Hertch. It’s where the witchers belonging to the School of the Wolf, including Geralt of Rivia, began their training. The original inspiration for this foreboding fortress came from Orava Castle in Slovakia, also built upon a high rock and surrounded by a dense forest.

Click To View Gallery

Temple of Time from The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

The Legend of Zelda has been around for nearly forty years, but the building that inspired Guide Strats is a lot more recent. The Tears of the Kingdom game from 2023 inspires their digital LEGO architecture build, with the Temple of Time. Guide Strats has reimagined this mystical building as a buildable set with 1,845 pieces. The coolest part of the Temple of Time is that it floats in mid-air. They’ve simulated the temple’s gravity-defying power by placing it atop transparent tube pieces, and then scattering clouds at the base.

Click To View Gallery

Dragonsreach from Skyrim

If you’re a fan of Skyrim, the fifth installment in the Elder Scrolls series, you’ll recognize the castle known as Dragonsreach. This imposing fortress would take 2,325 pieces to put together. Their digital LEGO version of Dragonsreach uses brown blocks stacked into patterns evoking Gothic architecture. In Skyrim lore, they say that King Olaf built Dragonsreach to house the captured dragon Numinex. Sadly, there’s no dragon head included, but we still think it’s pretty imposing.

Click To View Gallery

Altissia Palace from Final Fantasy XV

There’s even some Final Fantasy representation here, with ltissia Palace, the luxury palazzo fans know from Final Fantasy XV. This set would have a whopping 10,580 pieces in total. That’s more than any other build in Guide Strats’ research, and over 500 more than the LEGO Eiffel Tower set that exists in real life. That one is the tallest LEGO structure you can build (at 58.5 inches) and the second-largest of any set.

Click To View Gallery

For digital LEGO builds for Elden Ring and Half-Life 2, check out the official Guide Strats site.

The post These Digital Builds Imagine THE LEGEND OF ZELDA Castle As LEGO appeared first on Nerdist.

At some point in the first half of 2024, the mighty mutants from the ’90s X-Men: The Animated Series are making their grand return on Disney+ when X-Men ’97 premieres. But in anticipation, a ton of new X-Men ’97 merchandise has already hit the shelves, including action figures, t-shirts, and more. Of course, there will also be X-Men ’97 LEGO sets, starting with a new X-Jet. Or, as Marvel Comics fans know it, the Blackbird. This 359-piece construction set measures over 3 in. (8 cm) high, 11 in. (30 cm) long, and 10 in. (25 cm) wide, and is already available for pre-order for $84.99. You can check out several images of the new X-Jet set in our gallery below:

Click To View Gallery

The buildable toy features twin cockpits with room for 4 minifigures, including Wolverine, Cyclops, Rogue, and Magneto, in his new good guy costume. It also has 2 stud shooters on both sides of the plane, and 2 spring shooters beneath the wings. The buildable model plane also includes 2 removable containers where you can store spare studs… and Wolverine’s long claws when they are not attached to him. For added fun, builders can zoom in, rotate models in 3D, and track their progress using the LEGO Builder app.

Unlike some early LEGO announcements, this set doesn’t really offer up any spoilers for the upcoming X-Men ’97 series. They already revealed some time ago that Magneto would be in hero mode in this continuation, so that doesn’t count. His costume is an homage to the era of comics where Charles Xavier left him in charge of his school. But other product releases have spoiled certain plot developments, like the addition of Mister Sinister as the series’ main villain. Hopefully, some big surprises will remain unspoiled from merch reveals when X-Men ’97 drops later this year.

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Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is a true triumph of the medium. It’s one of the best looking, most innovative films ever made. But one artist who worked on it really stood out. An all-time great animated movie included a sequence made by a 14-year-old. The team behind the franchise was so impressed with Preston Mutanga‘s LEGO recreations they tasked him with bringing the movie’s LEGO Spider-Man section to life. Obviously he’s a real prodigy. And yet, despite knowing all that, we’re still awed by one of his recent remakes. He created Stranger Things 4: Volume 2‘s trailer in LEGO. It has us ready to battle the original and mini-fig versions of Vecna. However, we’d really prefer if all versions of Hawkins took care of him without us. Watching, in any form, is way less stressful than actually fighting.

Forget the Upside Down, Stranger Things 4 heads to LEGO World in (now 15-year-old) Preston Mutanga’s take on the hit Netflix series. From Eleven and friends, to Hopper and Joyce, to the California crew, to poor Eddie Munson, everyone is along for this plastic brick war against true evil.

They’ll need to work together, too. Even in minifigure form, Vecna is super creepy. Even at roughly 1.5-inches tall he’d freak us out.

This isn’t good because a kid made it. This is a fantastic way to re-experience one of Stranger Things‘ best seasons. If you didn’t know about the original series you’d think it really was a LEGO show for adults.

It’s so good it has us ready to fire up Netflix for a rewatch. (That desire doesn’t apply to listening to Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill,” though, because we’ve never stopped playing it since it helped save Max.)

And after we’ve finished rewatching Stranger Things 4 again? We’re putting Across the Spider-Verse on, obviously. We’ll never stop being awed by Preston’s work.

The post STRANGER THINGS 4 Leaves the Upside Down for LEGO World in Young Animator’s Remake appeared first on Nerdist.

Earlier in the year, Nerdist went on its own epic journey and built LEGO’s Rivendell set. As expected, the results were astounding. The build features all the hallmarks of The Lord of the Rings movies’ elven sanctuary, including the bridge and gazebo where Arwen and Aragorn share a moonlit moment and the Council Ring where our favorite fellowship forms. Not to mention, it comes with 15 Minifigures. In short, it gives you everything you need to recreate sequences from the beloved franchise in LEGO form. And in a gorgeous stop motion video, shared by Warner Bros. itself, DigitalWizardsStudios did exactly that. Watch as LEGO’s The Lord of the Rings Rivendell set transforms into a stop-motion animation masterpiece that reimagines all our favorite cinematic scenes.

DigitalWizardsStudios notes, “Join the Fellowship of the Ring for a building adventure of a lifetime as you relive all of your favorite Rivendell scenes thanks to LEGO 10316’s Lord of the Rings: Rivendell set. This stunning 6,167-piece set comes to life in beautiful LEGO stop-motion animation like you’ve never seen before!”

And we have to agree. Is this not exactly the sort of imaginative creation this The Lord of the Rings LEGO set was begging for? The stop-motion video really brings to life the beauty of the Rivendell LEGO build… And of the movies. After all, not just any dialogue can remain effortlessly elegant in LEGO form. And we must say, watching the LEGO One Ring drive a bunch of Minifigures to argument is a singular experience. In short, we’re ready for the LEGO The Lord of the Rings Movie to release any day now. Can you imagine LEGO Frodo interacting with LEGO Batman?

For those who want to know more about how this epic LEGO Rivendell stop-motion video was created, DigitalWizardsStudios has just the videos for you. In addition to the end result, they’ve shared two other fun LEGO recordings. First, you can experience a speed build of the LEGO Rivendell set, noted for ASMR purposes. We do enjoy the clicking of the blocks and the satisfying way they come together. And second, the creators have shared a “Making of” behind-the-scenes video so you can check out exactly what went into making the seemingly effortless animation.

Now we just need someone to yell, “And my LEGOs!” as Frodo heads off to Mordor.

Feature Image: DigitalWizardsStudios

The post LORD OF THE RINGS LEGO Rivendell Set Comes to Life in Epic Stop-Motion Video appeared first on Nerdist.

Rejoice, Twihards! LEGO is getting its first Twilight set ever, and it’s all thanks to LEGO Ideas. We should have known a Twilight fan would help make this happen. Although we don’t yet know when this set will release, it is officially coming our way. LEGO recently announced its first LEGO Ideas 2023 review results, revealing seven fan creations that are currently in development. And in among the seven? Why yes, it is a LEGO Twilight: Cullen House set.

It honestly feels hard to believe that LEGO never made a Twilight set before this one. But it’s better late than never. Edward waited decades for Bella, after all. What is that compared to a few years for a Twilight LEGO set? And it seems like this set will be worth it.

LEGO shares of the Twilight: Cullen House set and its creator, “Nick became a huge Twilight fan as an adult and was inspired to create this impressive LEGO replica of the iconic Cullen family house. His design included a brick-built wolf and, of course, some of the main characters in Minifigure likeness so you can replay your favorite scenes from the movie.” Meanwhile, creator Nick Micheels, aka LobsterThermidor, notes, “No one asked for it, I answered! Welcome to Twilight: Cullen House.  When you see this set on the shelf, you’ll ask, “Where the H-E-Double Lego Bricks have you been, loca!?”

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But we have all obviously asked for it. Although the final set will be different than the LEGO Ideas model, this Twilight: Cullen House perfectly brings to life everyone’s favorite vampire family home. It comes complete with three levels and lots of windows. (No turrets, dungeons, or moats.) Of course, Edward must have his piano so he can serenade Bella. And we love the nod to Twilight‘s cover art on the walls, as well as other details such as:

A baseball bat and glove in the garage for playing vampire baseball (only during a thunderstorm, of course)

Graduation cap display art because the Cullens matriculate a lot (it’s a private joke)

NO BEDS! (because vampires don’t get sweepy)

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Of course, LobsterThermidor imagines Minifigures will come with the collection. These will include Bella, Edward, Jacob (shirtless and sweaty, duh), and Carlisle Cullen, who looks handsomely pale. With any luck, the official LEGO Twilight set will end up coming with all the Cullens. And these Twilight Minifigures had better sparkle, if you ask us. But the LEGO build of a Werewolf that LobsterThermidor imagines in the collection is very cool. We hope that remains in the purchasable version.

This definitely shouldn’t be LEGO’s last Twilight set, though. We suggest, nay DEMAND, a “Cullens and Bella Play Baseball” set, stat!

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