LEGO Unveils A Whopping 12 New Pokémon Sets, With A Catch

InnovationGamingLEGO Unveils A Whopping 12 New Pokémon Sets, With A CatchByMatt Gardner,Senior Contributor.Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. A British writer who specializes in indie gaming and LEGO.Follow AuthorJun 03, 2026, 02:15pm EDT--:-- / --:--This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.Cubone and Gengar’s Spooky Showdown (72166) is among the best sets in the latest LEGO Pokémon range.LEGOLEGO’s partnership with The Pokémon Company has finally expanded its collection to include 17 new Pokédex entries, but not in a way you may have expected — or, given the response to its latest technology, hoped. A massive 12 new sets are lined up for August 1, but they’re part of the SMART Play line-up.I was pretty impressed with the first batch of Star Wars-themed LEGO SMART Play sets, though I’m more than aware that a newly crowned 40-year-old man like me is far from the target audience for this latest expansion of the line-up. Still, Pokémon is, by definition, a digitally savvy franchise, so perhaps this might be what lifts LEGO’s proprietary tech to expected heights.The first three LEGO Pokémon sets were a little hit and miss. The 6,800-piece mammoth aside, Eevee (72151) was excellent, but the Pikachu and Poké Ball (72152) build was a real misstep for me — proof, perhaps, that certain monster model sizes don’t quite work with LEGO’s elements — and it appears the newest dozen are making the most of what’s available, too, for better and worse. What’s worth noting is how the range is clearly designed to hide the SMART Bricks, meaning they aren’t hamstrung by odd design decisions to make them fit and spoil the finish, and presumably attract casuals who don’t want the interactivity.Personal favorites for me are:Trainer’s Buggy Adventure with Squirtle (72156), a bafflingly funny set in which Squirtle drives a kart with water guns to put out a fire caused by a hamburger on a hot pla...