January 6, 2026
Hot takes, cold bricks
New Lego smart-play system
Fans split: Mindstorms mourners vs Mario vibes as Lego’s smart bricks ignite the comments
TLDR: Lego unveiled SMART bricks, tags, and minifigures that react and “play back” for interactive builds. Comments split between grieving the canceled Mindstorms robotics line, celebrating robust “Mario-style” fun, pondering AI’s impact on logic toys, and suggesting 3D printing as the true DIY alternative.
Lego just dropped its LEGO SMART Play System: SMART Bricks, SMART Tags, and SMART Minifigures that react and “play back” to make builds talk, light up, and feel alive. The hype video is all caps excitement, but the comment section is where the fireworks really happen.
The loudest take: Mindstorms fans feel snubbed. One lamented that every “replacement” since the beloved robotics line was killed “should’ve just been parts of Mindstorms,” calling this a flashy sidegrade instead of a true heir. On the flip side, others shrug and say it’s basically unbranded Lego Mario—and that’s fine—while builders like gherkinnn praise the design as “as robust as it gets” and can’t wait for “loopy” inventions.
Then came the debate. A_Duck credits programmable toys for teaching a “systems” mindset, and wonders if AI will send logic toys the way of toy steam engines. Cue a thread war over whether kids should learn to debug or prompt bots. Meanwhile, DIY fans chimed in with a spicy “why buy?”—mg says they’d 3D-print parts at home. Meme watch: “Blockheads vs Printheads,” “Mario without plumber,” and “tiny DJ minifigs” after someone asked if tags have speakers. The real question: smart creativity, or just smart marketing?
Key Points
- •LEGO announced the SMART Play System as a major innovation in LEGO play.
- •The system includes SMART Bricks, SMART Tags, and SMART Minifigures.
- •The announcement claims “a brick that plays back,” highlighting interactivity.
- •A demo video is provided for viewers to see how the system works.
- •An FAQ lists questions about the system and each component, including whether SMART Tags have a speaker.