LEGO SMART Play in 2026: What Ten Months Taught Retailers and Toy Manufacturers

Ten months after LEGO unveiled SMART Play at CES 2026, the platform is no longer a show-floor preview. It is a two-tier assortment that retailers have to stock with care, and a case study for any toy manufacturer looking at connected, screen-free play. The business lesson sits in how the hardware is split, not in the chip itself. That same idea shows up in our look at what toy manufacturers can take from LEGO's growth in 2026.

The LEGO Group introduced LEGO SMART Play on Jan. 5, 2026, at the Consumer Electronics Show. The first sets, in the LEGO Star Wars range, went on sale March 1, 2026, in select markets, with pre-orders opening Jan. 9. The play is screen-free. A SMART Brick, SMART Tags and SMART Minifigures work together so a build can respond with lights and sounds as it is moved and played with, and the platform elements are compatible with the existing LEGO System-in-Play.

Two tiers, one brick. All-in-One sets include at least one SMART Brick, a SMART Charger and SMART Tags, and the Star Wars All-in-One sets also include at least one SMART Minifigure. Compatible sets include one or more SMART Tags — and often SMART Minifigures — but not a SMART Brick. Official product pages say, "SMART Bricks are currently only available in All-in-One sets," and Compatible pages are marked "SMART Brick not included." For a shop, that means the All-in-One set is the start of interactive play, and a Compatible set is an add-on until a brick is in the basket.

Star Wars opened the line with three All-in-One sets: Darth Vader's TIE Fighter (75421), Luke's Red Five X-Wing (75423) and Throne Room Duel & A-Wing (75427). Five Compatible sets sit alongside them, including Luke's Landspeeder (75420), Yoda's Hut and Jedi Training (75422), AT-ST Attack on Endor (75424), Mos Eisley Cantina (75425) and Millennium Falcon (75426). Official pages for those Compatible sets point shoppers to a SMART Brick from 75421, 75423 or 75427.

Pokémon SMART Play was announced June 2, 2026, and went on sale Aug. 1, 2026, from LEGO.com, LEGO Stores and select retailers in six launch markets: the USA, the UK, Germany, France, Poland and Australia. That wave has 12 SMART Play sets: two All-in-One sets — Training House with Pikachu (72164) and Charizard vs. Jolteon Ultimate Battle (72167) — and 10 Compatible sets. 72164 includes one SMART Brick, a charger and four SMART Tags and lists at $69.99. 72167 includes two SMART Bricks, a charger and four SMART Tags and lists at $119.99.

Official U.S. list prices on LEGO.com, checked by TDmonthly on Nov. 15, 2026 (Pacific Time). Every set below showed as available now at list price. Pokémon SMART Play sets on the official U.S. theme page also showed a sale percentage of zero.

Prices and availability were checked on the official U.S. LEGO shop on Nov. 15, 2026, and can change. Street prices at other retailers were not independently confirmed on those retailers' pages for this article, so we are reporting LEGO.com list prices only.

One short note on the technology is enough for a trade reader. The LEGO Group says the SMART Brick is powered by a custom-made chip smaller than a standard LEGO stud, and that the platform includes more than 20 patented world-firsts. Official product copy puts play time at about 45 minutes per charge, with charging of up to 2 hours and 30 minutes. A phone or tablet is not required to play. The optional LEGO SMART Assist app is for volume, troubleshooting and firmware updates, including updates when new Compatible sets arrive.

For retailers, the practical work is to display at least one All-in-One set with the Compatible sets that use it, and to train the floor team on that dependency. For toy manufacturers, the useful model is a paid "start here" hardware set that can unlock a wider, lower-priced accessory range — as long as the packaging and the planogram make that relationship obvious. LEGO has not published a SMART Play sales figure in its first-half 2026 results; the H1 2026 release notes only that the platform has featured in LEGO Star Wars and LEGO Pokémon.

Sources

• The LEGO Group: Introducing LEGO SMART Play (Jan. 5, 2026)
• The LEGO Group: LEGO Pokémon SMART Play sets (June 2, 2026)
• LEGO.com: SMART Play Training House with Pikachu (72164), checked Nov. 15, 2026
• LEGO.com: SMART Play Darth Vader's TIE Fighter (75421), checked Nov. 15, 2026
• LEGO.com: LEGO Pokémon theme, U.S. list prices checked Nov. 15, 2026
• The LEGO Group: H1 2026 results (Aug. 25, 2026)

More in this LEGO series

• What LEGO Has Confirmed for 2027 — and What Is Still Unannounced
• LEGO's Finances From 2024 Through the First Half of 2026
• Who Owns the LEGO Group, and How KIRKBI and the LEGO Foundation Think Long-Term
• LEGO's Virginia Factory and Distribution Hub: What It Means for the U.S. Toy Supply Chain in 2027
• What Toy Manufacturers Can Learn From LEGO's Growth in 2026