LEGO Smart Play: New Interactive Building Sets Bring Creations to Life

The LEGO Group has officially unveiled LEGO® SMART Play™, a groundbreaking interactive platform designed to revolutionize how kids and families experience play. Announced at CES 2026 by Julia Goldin (Chief Product & Marketing Officer) and Tom Donaldson (Head of Creative Play Lab), this innovation marks the biggest evolution of the LEGO System-in-Play since the 1978 debut of the iconic Minifigure.

How LEGO SMART Play™ Brings Creations to Life

LEGO SMART Play™ bridges the gap between physical building and digital interaction. This new ecosystem allows builders to animate their models using three core components that react in real-time:

• The LEGO SMART Brick: The “brain” of your build that powers movement and connectivity.
• LEGO SMART Tags: Sensors that trigger unique actions, sounds, and digital responses.
• LEGO SMART Minifigures: Interactive characters that drive storytelling and discovery.

A New Era of STEM and Imaginative Play

Designed to inspire the next generation of creators, the platform turns imaginative ideas into living reality. Whether it’s a castle that reacts to its guards or a spaceship that “detects” new planets, LEGO SMART Play™ offers a world of surprising discovery and dynamic storytelling. By combining classic brick-building with advanced tech, the LEGO Group is ensuring that the “System-in-Play” remains the ultimate tool for creative exploration.

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 Future of Screen-Free Interactive Building

LEGO SMART Play™ is a revolutionary tech-integrated platform featuring over 20 world-first patented technologies. At its core is the LEGO SMART Brick, a “living” building block powered by a custom microchip smaller than a standard LEGO stud.

Developed by the LEGO Creative Play Lab, this invisible technology breathes life into physical models, allowing for responsive, sensory-driven play without the need for a digital screen.

Inside the LEGO SMART Brick: Advanced Sensor Technology

The SMART Brick is a marvel of miniature engineering, designed for seamless integration into the existing LEGO System-in-Play. Key technical features include:

• Integrated Sensors: Advanced accelerometers and light-sensing technology.
• Interactive Audio: A built-in sound sensor and miniature speaker driven by an onboard synthesizer.
• Seamless Power: Integrated wireless charging for uninterrupted play.
• Haptic Response: Real-time reactions to physical movement and touch.

The system is further enhanced by LEGO SMART Tags and SMART Minifigures, which pair with the Brick to trigger specific behaviors, sounds, and interactive storytelling moments based on how a child builds and plays.

“LEGO SMART Play™ is the next exciting chapter in our LEGO System in Play… innovating to meet the play needs of each new generation.” — Julia Goldin, Chief Product & Marketing Officer.

LEGO Star Wars™: The Debut of SMART Play™

The legendary partnership between the LEGO Group and Lucasfilm enters a new dimension in 2026. For the first time, fans can experience a “galaxy far, far away” through three ‘All-In-One’ LEGO Star Wars building sets featuring SMART technology.

Why LEGO Star Wars Fans Will Love SMART Play:

• Iconic Interaction: Use SMART Minifigures to trigger legendary movie sound effects and character behaviors.
• Interactive Scenes: Buildings and starships react to play, making the Star Wars story more immersive than ever.
• Complete Kits: Each All-In-One set includes a LEGO SMART Brick, a wireless charger, and exclusive SMART Minifigures and Tags.

Paul Gitter, EVP at Disney Consumer Products, noted that this milestone “adds a new dimension” to the Star Wars legacy, allowing fans to extend their favorite stories through highly responsive, creative play.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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).

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.

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.