Donkey Kong arcade cabinet gets a 1,367-piece LEGO set, coming in August
A 1,367-piece Lego set recreating Nintendo's original Donkey Kong arcade machine is coming in August, priced at $200.
Lego is reportedly preparing a $200 Donkey Kong arcade cabinet set, set for release in August, according to images leaked on the Legoleak subreddit. The 1,367-piece build recreates the look of the original 1981 machine, complete with ‘Jumpman’ (later renamed Mario) and Pauline minifigures. Controls on the front suggest some sort of interactive functionality, though Lego hasn’t detailed what that entails.
The timing lines up with Donkey Kong’s 45th anniversary, which began appearing in arcades in July, 1981. The game put both Shigeru Miyamoto and Nintendo on the map, pioneering platformer mechanics before the term existed and becoming the highest-grossing arcade title of 1981 in Japan and 1982 in the U.S.
Donkey Kong is having a moment, with a Super Mario Bros. Movie appearance, a theme park land, and a new game in Donkey Kong Bananza. A Lego set that celebrates the arcade original rather than the Country redesign feels like a smart nod to retro fans. If the leak holds, expect an official announcement soon, and a quick sell-out.