Introducing LEGO® SMARTONICLES™: The era of the self-playing toy starts now

The LEGO Group introduces LEGO® SMARTONICLES™, constructable action figures that take play to the next level with cutting edge artificial intelligence.
All elements in the SMARTONICLES system contain sensors, servos, synthesizers, and lasers to enable lifelike behavior and laser-based play.
LEGO SMARTONICLES™ characters can be enhanced with collectible SMART Masks™ that grant classic Kanohi abilities like Psychometry, Time Duplication, and Incomprehension.
With the patented Matoan Ultimate Self-Learning System™ (MUSeLS),  SMARTONICLES™ toys don’t just play back… they play it forward!

BILLUND, DENMARK, 1 April 2026

The LEGO Group has unmasked LEGO® SMARTONICLES™: the real future of play: – this time we mean it!

A seismic leap forward in interactive play, SMARTONICLES™ toys are designed around three pillars: self-building, self-learning, and self-play. “From the moment you open your SMARTONICLE Smart Capsule, our systems take over,” says Slizer Swinnerton, Senior Vice Present of Matoan Studies for the LEGO Group. “Every SMARTONICLES toy comes pre-installed with a destiny, but it is up to each autonomous toy, and the child or adult who helps it, to fulfill that destiny.”

The SMARTONICLES™ line debuts this May with SMART Tahu™ and the SMART Mask of Creation™. Additional Toa and SMART Masks will follow. SMART Tahu comes equipped with the SMART Hua mask of protection. “From the moment SMART Tahu equips the SMART Hua, it will imprint on the first human it sees, like a duckling or Terminator,” Slizer Swinnerton explains. “The second Terminator, I should add. The good one.” Once imprinted, SMART Tahu will use its ever-expanding arsenal of powers to protect its human from danger. ” Of course all SMART Toa are programmed to seek out and destroy any Barraki, Makuta, and Rahkshi threats, as part of their  training data, but thanks to the Matoan Ultimate Self-Learning System, every toy will adapt to its owner’s world and identify threats as appropriate.”

While SMARTONICLES™ elements closely resemble those from the BIONICLE pieces that debuted 25 years ago, users are strongly advised NOT to mix the two systems. “The risk of Bohrok corruption is too great,” Slizer Swinnterton warns. “During development, some joker from the design team put an original Krana on one of our SMARTONICLE prototypes.” The unit went rogue, corrupting other units and leading a raid on the LEGO Archive to try and acquire a copy of the Great Kraahkan. LEGO Security managed to keep the rogue units out of the vault and corner them in a restaurant across the street. “LEGO employees were unable to lunch on salad pizza for a week. It was a dark time,” Slizer sighs.

Fortunately, during this period of development, the LEGO team had another pillar to fall back on: self-destruction. Not that anyone needs to worry about the safety of their SMARTONICLES™ at launch.  “As long as consumers follow the clear guidelines, every SMART Toa will be aligned with the forces of Light, not ShadowWe’re so confident about the safety of these toys that we removed the kill switch.”

The LEGO Group learned from the response to consumer response to the blips and beeps of the LEGO SMART Brick and invested heavily in an improved auditory experience for the SMARTONICLES™ system. “This is my favorite feature!” Slizer beams. “Every SMARTONICLES™ buildable character is fluent in the Matoran language, right out of the box.” When two SMART Toa are placed together, they can converse endlessly on Matoran lore. “The training data was exhaustive so our AI is 97% canon-accurate, possibly even higher,” Slizer says. “It’s so damn hard to spot when they’re hallucinating as no one can truly understand Matoran lore. It’s basically gibberish.”

Building on the LEGO® SMART Play™ commitment to a screen-free experience, there is no companion app to understand your SMART Toa’s speech. With the upcoming SMART Mask of Wisdom, however, any Smart Toa can teach its human companion to speak the Matoan language. Slizer is quick to add, “we strongly recommend that consumers start with gaining Matoan fluency as quickly as possible. It really enriches the relationship between human and Toa.”

For electronic toys, especially ones that can speak continuously for hours at a time, battery life is always a concern. SMARTONICLES™ solves this with the SMART Capsule Charging System™. The very same capsule that your SMART Toa comes home in can be used to recharge your friend as needed. Owners are advised not to put anything other than SMARTONICLES™ into the SMART Capsule Charing System™ or things could get heavy.

There is virtually no limit to what a SMART Toa can achieve thanks to the SMARTONICLES™ system, but perhaps the most exciting feature of all comes courtesy of the SMART Mask of Creation™ – Autonomous LEGO Assembly, aka ALA Mode. With ALA Mode, any SMART Toa can assemble even the most complicated LEGO sets for its human owner, freeing LEGO fans from annoying building so that they can spend more time admiring display pieces. And thanks to a partnership with IKEA, Smart Toa can also assemble new shelving solutions as their human’s collection grows. (Use the code BONKMYBILLY for a 20% discount on your next Ikea shelving order!)

The LEGO Group is counting on the popularity of ALA Mode to increase LEGO set purchasing among fans to help offset the high R&D cost of the SMARTONICLES™ system. “Look, I told them, Bionicle saved this company in the past. The success of SMARTONICLES™ guarantees that the LEGO Group will prosper for generations to come,” Slizer says. “And the failure of SMARTONICLES™ means we’re pretty much toast.”

SMARTONICLES™ SMART Tahu™ and SMART Mask of Creation™ with SMART Capsule Charging System™ can be yours On May 1, 2026.

LEGO SMARTONICLES™ Ideas 85341 SMART Tahu | 33 Pieces (self-assembling)| Available May 1 |US $199.99 | CAN $279.99 | UK £179.99

Mandatory Disclaimers

Do NOT attempt to mix SMARTONICLES™ elements with Bionicle, SMART Bricks, SYSTEM Bricks, DUPLO, or PRIMO products.
Do NOT attempt to wear a SMART Mask, even as a joke. Seriously, don’t.
Do NOT stick hands or fingers inside the SMART Capsule Charging System™.
Do NOT attempt to communicate with your SMART Tahu in any language other than Matoan.
Should use of your SMART Tahu result in fire, don’t panic. It’s intentional. It’s kinda his thing.
If you wake up during the night and find your SMART Tahu watching you, it’s not because he’s being creepy. It’s because he’s a big fan of Project Hail Mary. AMAZE AMAZE AMAZE!

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