Whether you’re actually a kid or just a kid at heart, there’s never been a better time to love amazing toys like the ones we cover at The Verge. Big toymakers are capitalizing on adults’ disposable income and a recent wave of nostalgia for the ‘80s — the heyday of toys — like never before. Meanwhile, crowdfunding and 3D printers are letting tiny startups get in on the action as well.
Papa wants an Exoplanet Explorer to go along with the reimagined OG spaceship. You’ll help me out, right? Or maybe a literal sub sandwich shop. Or a working desk fan. Or an amazing arcade. Or a gorgeous train station. You’ve got till 12PM PT June 30th to vote on your fan-designed favs.
Here are the previous winners.
It’s been roughly a quarter of a century since Furby made its debut in the late 90s, and Hasbro thinks it’s time for a comeback (well, another one that is). It’s announcing a new version of the interactive toy today that can respond to “hugs, pats, belly tickles, shaking, and feeding of its pretend Pizza Charm” and has “over 600 responses to discover.”
“Holiday 2023” could mean any number of specific dates, but the key to getting your hands on these choice Zelda and (hot) Ganon Tears of the Kingdom Amiibo whenever they release is probably going to be having the wherewithal to place a preorder.
Or, you know, to have an uncle working at Nintendo.
This was one of my “sets that got away,” so I’m overjoyed it’s coming back — particularly now it’s composed of several modular islands with their own secret underground passages instead of a single rigid baseplate. (You can “unfold” it kind of like the Lion Knights’ Castle.)
It’s coming July 7th for $215, and I can’t wait to pair it with Lego’s Black Seas Barracuda remake when I find the cash.
The second round of voting in Lego’s 2023 BrickLink Designer Program has just begun, meaning another chance for you to help Lego pick five fan-designed sets to produce. Fingers crossed for the Sub Sandwich Shop to shine this time! I would also happily own a Galactic Medical Transport or this mobile-home-on-a-big-rig, though.
The latest fan design to become an official Lego set: The Sanderson Sisters’ cottage from Hocus Pocus. It’s a little less spacious than the original Lego Ideas submission, but still sure to put a spell on a certain persuasion of grown-up ‘90s kids! It’s $230, coming July 4th. Yes, Mary can fly the vacuum.
Smashing two nostalgic properties together is an easy win, but Duane Shoots Toys did it in hard mode earlier this year by meticulously recreating a miniature version of the finale of Scarface... and making Tony Montana play Duck Hunt.
I guess it’s true: every dog, even Nintendo’s 40-year old good boy, has his day.
Paramount’s new Transformers feature barely capitalizes on Beast Wars’ Maximals, but the action-packed movie has a couple of surprises sure to please a certain kind of fan.
It’s filled with detail — and comes with Alfred, Catwoman, Penguin, and Max Shreck mini-figs.
Lego Dreamzzz is one of the most imaginative series of sets the company’s come up with in a while. (I’m also partial to the school-bus-turned-spaceship and nightmare shark pirate ship.) They’re all tie-ins for a new Lego show coming May 15th to Netflix, Amazon, and streaming to YouTube for free. The sets won’t arrive till August.
375 designs — and Lego will turn five of them maximum into limited-edition sets. Vote by 12PM PT on March 31st.
Personally, I’m pulling for:
The Sub Sandwich Shop, this tricky Japanese castle, an incredibly detailed Victorian home, a working mini golf course, this Space Museum (for Lego Space), a badass Boogie Boombox, a simple Snack Shack that reminds me of Hawaii, and this decadent Parisian Street.
[www.bricklink.com]
Somehow, these ones made it to stores before they were even announced — and @echoalive122_ has already built ‘em for us. More at their Instagram.
I’m pumped for Jack Black Bowser — almost as much as the man himself. My wife knows I’m excited for The Super Mario Bros. Movie (releasing April 5th!) and surprised me with this fire-breathing (water-vaporizing) Bowser figure. It joins other movie merchandise, like the Plumber Van.
Bowser’s seven-inches tall, has 14 points of articulation, and comes with a small bottle dropper to add water to the back of his head. Three AAA batteries not included.
The Dart Zone Pro MK-3 is $60 at Amazon, an all-time low — it originally retailed for $130. It’s one of the few non-boutique blasters you can buy that’s designed for sporting grade Nerf right out of the box, even if many community-designed blasters can easily outclass it.
Note: we might get a commission if you buy through that link.
I told you about the Bricklink Designer Program in January, but this weekend is your last. February 28th is the deadline to submit your design to be judged by peers and by Lego. You can make tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars if your design is one of the five winners.
This is, to me, a perfect Lego video — just a person putting bricks together to make a fun and clever idea, then showing it in action.
PS: if anyone wants to take this concept and slow it down to make a clock, that would be extremely cool.
Okay, this Fortnite Heavy SR replica isn’t all cardboard: you’ll see springs, dowels, rubber bands, and a pair of motorized flywheels that fling its foam (not particularly far).
But it’s still incredible to watch DanCreator’s cardboard crafting at work. And while we’re talking about YouTube crafts... can I assume you’re familiar with the guy who carves supercars out of wood for his children? Good stuff.
In 2021, I profiled Out of Darts, calling them “the foam-slinging equivalent of James Bond’s gadget armorer Q.” Their latest gadget is the Herja, a fully-automatic flywheeler you can bolt onto another blaster so you’re never cornered without ammo.
It’s $90 for a DIY kit or $190 for a fully-assembled blaster. That’s definitely going on my birthday wishlist.
621 sets vied for your vote, and a winner has now been chosen: Lego will be producing a version of BoltBuild’s Dragon’s Keep: Journey’s End as its first Dungeons & Dragons set. Lego designers will take it from here, so the final result might not look exactly like the pics — but it’s confirmation that the Lego Castle renaissance will continue.
