New Release： LEGO SMART Play™

• The LEGO website now offers SMART Play™ system officially announced, with the first three Star Wars toy sets, new releases on 1/27, and official launch on 3/1/2026.
• Free shipping within the US for orders over $35.
• Buy>>

Editor's Pick: LEGO Group's announcement at CES on January 5, 2026 created huge waves in the toy industry. Let me break down what SMART Play™ is all about in simple terms.

Simply put, it makes your bricks "responsive"

When this "smart brick" is attached to a duck you've built with LEGO, it quacks!

The next moment, attach the brick to a small car, and it makes engine roaring sounds while "driving"; when "turning," you'll hear screeching brake sounds.

The brick's responses aren't pre-programmed or pre-recorded, but come from its sensing abilities

Since you can't limit a child's building creativity, you can't limit the fun of the smart brick either.

But here's the question: can all LEGO bricks be played with this way?

"Yes," your regular bricks can be used in the building!

"But also no," without the following components, the bricks can't "come alive"—

SMART Play™ includes three different components (shown below)

Smart Minifigures, Smart Tags (shown in red), and Smart Bricks

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Smart Brick

This is a 2x4 LEGO brick that can recognize Smart Tags and Smart Minifigures.

It's the brain of the whole operation.  

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This 2x4 Smart Brick contains enough powerful technology to launch a rocket to the moon (... of course, assuming you have a few spare rockets handy...). It's equipped with responsive lights, a color recognition scanner to sense the surrounding environment, a sound synthesizer that can play almost any sound, and a built-in accelerometer. The accelerometer can detect how the brick is twisted, turned, and tapped during play.

All this advanced technology means it can react to how children play—and then respond!

When the Smart Brick is placed on or near a Smart Tag, it transforms into the corresponding object based on the tag's instructions. This means it can be a helicopter one second and a car the next.

It can also sense the presence of Smart Minifigures, bringing your stories to life in unprecedented ways. The Smart Brick will display unique sound effects, emotions, and reactions for each Smart Minifigure.

The magic of the Smart Brick comes from custom silicon-based Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) chips. These chips are smaller than a standard LEGO brick and are highly specialized to deliver the functionality needed for the LEGO SMART Play experience.

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Smart Tags

These clever little squares tell the Smart Brick what it should transform into, helping it interact with you.

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Could it be a spaceship? A helicopter? A toilet? As long as you have the corresponding Smart Tag, the Smart Brick will respond accordingly, enhancing your play experience.

Smart Tags help the Smart Brick unlock sound effects, mini-games, and even secret missions full of funny easter eggs that keep players guessing! And since there's no limit to the number of Smart Tags, the SMART Play™ system offers endless replay value. 

Smart Minifigures

When placed next to a Smart Brick, you'll discover that each Smart Minifigure reacts differently to its surroundings, making unique sounds and displaying different emotions and reactions—all played through the Smart Brick.

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Through sounds emitted by the Smart Brick, you can tell which Smart Minifigure might enjoy flying through space in a starship. You'll notice that more timid characters might seem a bit... hesitant...

And since each SMART Play Minifigure reacts uniquely to specific game scenarios, they perfectly inspire children's imagination and creativity, making each play session full of new role-playing fun.

Smart Minifigures don't make sounds on their own, but they trigger nearby Smart Bricks to emit sounds!

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In summary, if you add the SMART Play™ system to your existing LEGO bricks, your LEGO set comes alive, unlocking endless play possibilities—

Build a helicopter and insert a helicopter Smart Tag. Add a Smart Brick near the Smart Tag. Now, your Smart Brick has "transformed" into a helicopter that reacts to your movements with dynamic lights and sounds! Hear it take off and fly—or flip it upside down to hear alarm sounds. Add a Smart Minifigure pilot and listen to their reactions!

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All images above are from @ LEGO, copyright belongs to the original creator

The first three sets featuring SMART Play™ aren't priced outrageously! Available for pre-order on 1/9/2026, officially launching on 3/1—

75421 Darth Vader's TIE Fighter

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Price: $69.99

Piece count: 473, includes 1 Smart Minifigure (Darth Vader), 1 LEGO Smart Brick and 1 Smart Tag

Features engine roaring sound effects

75423 Luke's Red Five X-wing

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Price: $89.99

Piece count: 584, set includes 2 Smart Minifigures (Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia), 1 LEGO Smart Brick and 5 Smart Tags

Features laser firing sound effects, engine sounds with light effects, plus interactive refueling and repair sound effects

75427 Throne Room Duel and A-wing Starfighter

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Price: $159.99

Piece count: 962, includes 3 Smart Minifigures (Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader, and Emperor Palpatine), 2 LEGO Smart Bricks and 5 Smart Tags

Features lightsaber humming sounds for Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker, engine roaring for the A-wing Starfighter, and interactive sound effects like Emperor Palpatine playing "The Imperial March" while sitting on the throne

More new product introductions:

LEGO 2026 Jan New Items

Gifts with Purchase

LEGO Brand Retail

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