Toys

Days later, Energize Lab still hasn’t even acknowledged that its “AI charm bot” is literally profiling you, storing everything you tell it in the cloud, and that a single hacker can read all those conversations, hijack the bot’s personality, and make it lie to you.

It was briefly shown during Nintendo’s The Legend of Zelda 40th Anniversary Direct today, but Hori’s website now has a listing for its $49.99 electronic ocarina. You can play your own songs by pushing buttons, play one of 12 pre-programmed songs from the games, use it with the Ocarina of Time remake’s sound recognition feature, or connect headphones for a private jam session.

During its The Legend of Zelda 40th Anniversary Direct today, Nintendo briefly shared a teaser for its next collaboration with Lego. The new set features Link brandishing the Master Sword while riding Epona as the horse rears up. Pricing and piece count aren’t known, but the set could arrive alongside Nintendo’s Ocarina of Time remake.

With the BrickStation Kit, Lego’s 1,911-piece replica of the original Sony PlayStation will be able to connect to a TV and play original PS1 games, as reported by Retro Dodo. When it eventually launches through Kickstarter, the upgrade will rely on a Raspberry Pi Zero 2W for emulating games but you’ll have to supply your own functional controllers.

After teasing them back in March, Lego has now officially unveiled its first Mario-themed collection to come with character minifigures. There are eight sets launching on January 1st, 2027, which start from $9.99 and are suitable for children aged four or older. Click through the images below for the full price details.

After releasing a buildable Xbox 360 in 2023, Mattel is back with a DIY recreation of Microsoft’s original console complete with a chonky replica of the Duke controller. The $324, 3,509-piece set is part of Mattel’s Lego-like Brick Shop line and includes gaming dioramas hidden inside plus interactive lighting and console sounds.

Mattel’s older Mega line of building sets included a couple of Halo sets featuring the Warthog, but Amazon Australia leaked a larger and more detailed 935-piece buildable UNSC M12 Warthog that’s part of Mattel’s recent Brick Shop line. There’s no pricing, but the model includes working independent suspension and customizable detailing.

Launching on August 4th for $199.99 the 1,478-piece modular set features Mulder’s messy office and a close encounter of the third kind with an alien and a hovering UFO. It’s yet another set that could be worth it for the minifigures alone with tiny versions of Skinner, Krycek, Mr. X, Carl Busch, and the Flukeman.

Lego included a replica of the telescope with its Space Shuttle Discovery set that launched in 2021, but this new 15-inch long Hubble replica is much larger and far more detailed. Inside you’ll find mirrors and gyroscopes, while outside are adjustable solar arrays and antennas. It launches on August 1st for $139.99.

You may never have to give up playing with your favorite childhood toys at this rate. Play-Doh is trying to capture some of that longing for simpler times with its new Bloom kits — undeniably gorgeous floral arrangements complete with a vase and a finishing spray to preserve them.

Following the 12 new sets announced last month featuring Smart Brick interactivity, Lego is once again expanding its Pokémon collection with five new sets. They range in price from a $69.99, 757-piece Munchlax to an elaborate $299.99, 2,386-piece Poké Ball that opens to reveal a battle scene and Professor Oak’s laboratory.

As cute as baby Yoda may be, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial was released when I was just an impressionable little boy so Lego’s new 1,226-piece Ideas set has me feeling nostalgic. Launching on August 1st for $139.99, Lego’s E.T. has a moving head and limbs while pushing a button makes the alien’s chest glow red.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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