Lego has unveiled a new Donkey Kong arcade machine set that pays homage to the 1981 classic, and it reportedly has the blessing of Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto himself.
Designed by Carl Merriam—who previously worked on the Lego Nintendo Game Boy, Piranha Plant, and several other nostalgia-fueled sets—the $200 Donkey Kong arcade build recreates the iconic cabinet in painstaking brick-by-brick detail.
It actually plays a game
The set doesn’t play exactly like the original Donkey Kong—Jumpman (the character later renamed Mario) can’t reach the top under his own power. But like Lego’s $230 pinball machine, the set includes an actual functional game mechanism. A working joystick lets you move Mario left and right through a simplified version of the classic barrel-jumping gameplay, with a built-in scoring system that tracks your progress.
The set captures the look and feel of the original arcade cabinet, from the distinctive side art to the screen bezel. At over 2,600 pieces, it’s a substantial build that should take several hours to complete.
Miyamoto’s approval
According to Merriam, the Donkey Kong creator was shown the set during development and gave it his personal approval. Given Miyamoto’s famously high standards and the protective nature of Nintendo’s intellectual property, this is no small endorsement.
The Lego Donkey Kong arcade machine joins a growing lineup of Nintendo-themed Lego sets, including the NES, the Game Boy, the Super Mario series, and the recently released Lego Nintendo Pinball. It’s currently available for pre-order on Lego’s website and at select retailers, with general availability starting next month.
