After months of rumor and speculation, LEGO® SMART Play™, an Integrated Smart Brick and Minifigure system has been revealed at the annual Consumer Electronics Show. The first sets to include this technology will be in the LEGO STAR WARS range, and are due for release in March. This Press release has dropped just as I am getting started on a normal work day: I will probably post again about known knowns and known unknowns later in the week. But in short, this is a way to enhance the way trhat kids play with their bricks and Minifigures.
I have always been intrigued by the ways in which LEGO has worked to combine technology with play, from the first ‘Stop signal’ that I owned with my childhood trainset through Life of George, Boost, Vidiyo, and Super Mario. Some have been hits, some misses, but ways of enhancing play are constantly under investigation by the research teams at LEGO.
BILLUND, DENMARK & LAS VEGAS, USA, 5 JANUARY 2026: The LEGO Group has unveiled LEGO® SMART Play™, a new interactive platform set to transform LEGO play experiences for kids and families. With this exciting innovation, builders can bring their LEGO creations to life in ways they’ve never imagined!
Showcased at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2026 in a presentation from Julia Goldin, Chief Product & Marketing Officer of the LEGO Group and Tom Donaldson, Senior Vice President & Head of Creative Play Lab at the LEGO Group, LEGO SMART Play™ represents one of the most significant evolutions in the LEGO System-in-Play since the introduction of the LEGO Minifigure in 1978.
Designed to inspire children, LEGO SMART Play™ turns their imaginative ideas into reality, bringing their creations to life with moments of surprise and discovery. The combination of LEGO SMART Play™’s platform elements – the LEGO SMART Brick, LEGO SMART Tags and LEGO SMART Minifigures – react in real time to bring an interactive play experience to kids that is full of exploration and imaginative storytelling.
Joining the LEGO Group at CES was Asad Ayaz, Chief Brand Officer of The Walt Disney Company and President of Disney Entertainment Marketing, and Dave Filoni, Chief Creative Officer of Lucasfilm, to announce that the first LEGO SMART Play™ building sets announced for fans will feature Star Wars™ – the perfect playground for epic storytelling, unforgettable characters and endless brick-built adventures. For the first time, with LEGO SMART Play™, a galaxy far, far away…. will play back! The new sets will launch on March 1st, 2026, in select markets.
What is LEGO SMART Play™?
The new platform features more than twenty patented world-firsts within its technology, and the LEGO SMART Brick – at the heart of the platform – is powered by a custom-made chip, measuring smaller than a standard LEGO stud.
The technology has been developed by the LEGO Group’s Creative Play Lab team to enable responsive physical play, breathing builder’s LEGO creations through advanced, invisible technology.
The LEGO SMART Brick is packed with technologies that bring play to life including sensors, accelerometers, light sensing and a sound sensor as well as a miniature speaker driven by an onboard synthesiser, and much more, in addition to easy wireless charging.
LEGO SMART Tags and LEGO SMART Minifigures are paired with the LEGO SMART Brick to power the system and allow builders’ creations to become interactive, responding to actions with appropriate sounds and behaviours, allowing for a truly responsive play experience. All elements are compatible with the existing LEGO System-in-Play.
“For over 90 years, the LEGO Group has sparked imagination and creativity in children around the globe. As the world evolves, so do we— innovating to meet the play needs of each new generation. LEGO SMART Play™ is the next exciting chapter in our LEGO System in Play and something we are super excited about being able to bring to the world at this scale,” said Julia Goldin, Chief Product & Marketing Officer of the LEGO Group.
Tom Donaldson, Senior Vice President & Head of Creative Play Lab at the LEGO Group said “The launch of LEGO SMART Play™ brings creativity, technology, and storytelling together to make building worlds and stories even more engaging, and all without a screen. We truly believe we are setting a new standard for interactive, imaginative experiences and can’t wait to see this innovation in the hands of kids when we launch this year.”
LEGO SMART Play™ building sets come to the LEGO Star Wars™ Galaxy
Now, brick builders and Star Wars fans alike can interact with iconic scenes, characters and moments inspired by a galaxy far, far away…. like never before as the LEGO® SMART Play™ system makes its debut with three ‘All-In-One’ LEGO Star Wars building sets.
“Our teams work hand-in-hand with best-in-class licensees to bring technology and innovation to products that continue our storytelling in new and unexpected ways,” said Paul Gitter, Executive Vice President of Global Brand Commercialization at Disney Consumer Products. “This milestone in our long-time collaboration with the LEGO Group adds a new dimension to this legacy, continuing to help fans express their creativity and imagination by extending the Star Wars story through play.“
“We’ve worked with our incredible friends at Lucasfilm for over 25 years, and our focus has always remained on creating original, unique experiences for the fan community through our sets. With LEGO SMART Play, legendary stories and characters of the Star Wars galaxy will come to life like never before.” said Julia Goldin, Chief Product & Marketing Officer of the LEGO Group.
The three ‘All-In-One’ LEGO Star Wars sets will come with a LEGO SMART Brick with charger and at least one LEGO SMART Minifigure and LEGO SMART tag.
75423 LEGO® Star Wars™ SMART Play™: Luke’s Red Five X-Wing building set™
A 584-piece set, including two SMART Minifigures (Luke Skywalker, in his iconic pilot suit, and Princess Leia), as well as Luke’s trusty companion, R2-D2, and Rebel Crew and Stormtrooper Minifigures. for builders 6+
This set includes an Imperial turret, transporter and command center, all of which unlock interactive features, such as laser-shooting sounds, engine sounds and lights plus refueling and repair sounds, through the use of the included LEGO SMART Brick, two LEGO SMART Minifigures and five LEGO SMART Tags.
- Dimensions: The set measures over 2 in. (6 cm) high, 8.5 in. (22 cm) long and 7.5 in. (19 cm) wide
- 1x LEGO SMART Brick
- 2x LEGO SMART MINIFIGURES featuring Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia
- 5x SMART TAGS featuring the X-wing, Imperial turret, transporter, command center and R2-D2 accessories
- Price: 89,99 EUR / 99,99 USD / 79,99 GBP/ 149.99 AUD
75421 LEGO® Star Wars™ SMART Play™: Darth Vader’s TIE Fighter™ building set
One of the galaxy’s most iconic villains and his fighter ship arrives as part of LEGO SMART Play™, allowing fans to replay and re-define the most epic battles on behalf of the Galactic Empire. For builders 8+
This 473-piece set features a brick-built Rebel Outpost and an Imperial Fueling Station, as well as a SMART Minifigure featuring Darth Vader and a Rebel Fleet Trooper Minifigure. The roar of the twin ion engines comes to life, among other interactive features, with the LEGO SMART Brick.
- Dimensions: The set measures over 4 in. (10 cm) high, 4 in. (11 cm) long and 5.5 in. (15 cm) wide
- 1x LEGO SMART Brick
- 1x LEGO SMART MINIFIGURE featuring Darth Vader
- 1x SMART TAG featuring the TIE Fighter
- Price: 69,99 EUR / 69,99 USD / 59,99 GBP/ 99.99 AUD
75427 LEGO® Star Wars™ SMART Play™: Throne Room Duel & A-Wing™ building set
Fans will be able to re-enact and re-imagine one of the most memorable moments from the original Star Wars trilogy, the final lightsaber duel between Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader at the end of Star Wars: Return of the Jedi™. The 962-piece set comes with three SMART Minifigures featuring the characters Darth Vader, Emperor Palpatine and Luke Skywalker (Jedi). For Builders aged 9+
Additionally, the set comes with a brick-built A-Wing Fighter and Pilot Minifigure, two Royal Guard Minifigures, and a SMART Tag-enabled cannon turret to defend the Emperor’s Throne Room.
- Dimensions: The set measures over 5.5 in. (14 cm) high, 11.5 in. (29 cm) long and 19 in. (49 cm) wide
- 2x LEGO SMART Bricks
- 3x LEGO® SMART MINIFIGURES featuring Luke Skywalker, Emperor Palpatine, Darth Vader
- 5x SMART TAGS featuring an A-wing, throne, Death Star turret and Lightsaber™ duels (2x tags)
- Price: 159,99 EUR / 159,99 USD / 139,99 GBP/ 249.99 AUD
For the first time in the history of LEGO Star Wars™, with LEGO SMART Play™ sets, the battle comes to life, allowing fans to recreate iconic scenes and interactions, as well as create new ones. Fans can unlock SMART features such as Lightsaber™ hums with the SMART Minifigures of Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker, the engine roar of the A-wing and even listen to “The Imperial March” with Emperor Palpatine sitting on his throne.
The LEGO SMART Play™ All-in-One sets from LEGO Star Wars will be available for pre-order from January 9th and available to purchase from the 1st March from www.LEGO.com, LEGO Stores and select retailers in launch markets.
LEGO SMART Play™ will continue to expand through new updates, launches and technology – with the LEGO Group set to reveal more additions in the future.
For more information about LEGO SMART Play™ – visit: https://www.lego.com/smart-
Final Thoughts – for now
I am excited to see this new revolution in the LEGO System: LEGO Boost and LEGO Super Mario both incorporated a remarkable amount of interactive play through their ability to sense the position and motion of the smart bricks via their accelerometer, and this new smartbrick seems like the logical extension. I was concerned about battery life, but it would seem that the sets are all coming with wireless chargers for the Smart Bricks.
I’ll bring some more thoughts soon, but I’d love to know: What do you think about the possibilities of the Smart Play system? Leave your comments below.
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Until Next Time,
Play Well!