LEGO is certainly making the most of San Diego Comic-Con 2026. Not only did the company introduce the LEGO SMART Play Gateway. It also introduced several new sets for legendary IPs like Star Trek and Donkey Kong.
Smart Play Gateway
LEGO’s brand-new SMART Play System was first announced in January, demonstrating the technology with a toy car. This new system incorporates patented sensors on SMART Bricks that can connect to compatible SMART Minifigures or SMART Tags. This lets users create environment-appropriate lighting and sound effects. The system holds more than 20 patented world-first technologies
This system was put on display at LEGO’s Comic-Con booth with Destination: LEGO Pokémon Lab and Destination: Mos Eisley. Pokémon puts players right at the beginning of their journey as a trainer. Guests choose their first partner Pokémon by selecting a Poké Ball to reveal Bulbasaur, Charmander, or Squirtle. They interact with this creature via a SMART Brick, which lights up and makes sounds.
Mos Eisley is based on the Star Wars universe. The interactive experience includes oversized LEGO brick environments pulled directly from the LEGO Star Wars SMART Play: Mos Eisley Cantina set. Grab the mic and swing it to trigger a SMART Brick remix of the iconic Cantina Song as the Modal Nodes band plays along. You can grab a seat at the infamous corner booth and have a face-to-face encounter with Greedo.
“The excitement around LEGO SMART Play began earlier this year and continues to grow with the launch of new sets on August 1. We are thrilled to bring these themes to life at the LEGO SMART Play Gateway during San Diego Comic-Con,” said Beth McKenna, Head of U.S. Marketing at the LEGO Group. “LEGO SMART Play represents the most significant advancement in LEGO® play since the Minifigure. Comic-Con is the ideal venue to showcase the possibilities of LEGO SMART Play, where attendees unite over the stories, characters, and worlds they adore.”
New Sets
But LEGO hasn’t forgotten about its analog sets. The company had several new ones on display as well.
A LEGO Icons Star Trek: U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701 Bridge (11385) set was revealed. In celebration of Star Trek’s 60th anniversary, this set lets you recreate the iconic bridge and transporter room from the original series. And it includes 8 minifigure Starfleet crew members. This 1,701-piece set will be available starting September 1st at LEGO Stores and the official website.
LEGO is getting it on like Donkey Kong….Arcade with this new set (72051) that pays tribute to the classic game. “Pull the lever to release one of the 21 barrels at a time, move Jumpman with the joystick and press the button to make him jump over the barrels — there is even a mechanism to circulate the barrels in a continuous loop to keep the fun rolling! A must-have for adult fans of classic arcade games and retro decor,” the press release reads. This 1,367-piece collectible set will be available in stores starting August 1st.
Or maybe the swamp is more to your liking? The LEGO Minifigures Shrek Series (71053) brings 12 beloved characters into the brick world family. Each one is available inside a sealed mystery box. You can get Shrek, Fiona, Donkey, Puss in Boots, Lord Farquaad, or many others, most with a matching accessory like blind mice, a magic mirror, or a lollipop. These will be available starting September 1st, but the company teases there will be more to come next year.
We’ll keep you posted on this and other SDCC updates as the week continues.
