Last night, the LEGO Group officially announced a partnership with The Pokémon Company and will launch Pokémon sets in 2026.
On the official LEGO website, Pokémon has now been established as a brand-new theme series. Although there is no related content available yet, the debut set of this series is already enough to excite Pokémon fans.
However, judging from the yellow tail built with LEGO bricks and the “Thunderbolt” electric current shown in the Official Teaser Trailer, it seems that the most popular Pikachu is the obvious choice!
Since its establishment in 1998, The Pokémon Company has been creating a fantastical and engaging world of pocket monsters for fans through animation, games, and more. The main characters and the vast variety of Pokémon have long become familiar to fans worldwide.
In the anime, Ash Ketchum, who has been on his journey for 28 years without aging a day, has become the subject of numerous internet memes, including “Eternal Second Place,” “Clueless Steel-Hearted Straight Man,” and “Master of Releasing Pokémon.”
Meanwhile, Team Rocket, composed of Jessie, James, and Meowth, has truly earned its place in fans’ hearts as the “cute yet charming villains.”
In terms of games, the Pokémon series has sold over 480 million copies, making it the best-selling JRPG in history.
LEGO Group’s Chief Product and Marketing Officer, Julia Goldin, stated:
“We are thrilled to collaborate with a brand like Pokémon, which has such a passionate fan base, to bring something our shared audiences have been asking for. We firmly believe that through the limitless possibilities of LEGO play and the exciting adventures of the Pokémon world, this partnership will create a whole new range of opportunities for Trainers and builders alike.”
Notably, up until now, the brand that has held the Pokémon license and sold buildable brick sets is none other than Mattel—the very company that has recently been vocal about challenging the LEGO Group! Various Pokémon-themed brick sets have long been available under its Mega Construx brand.
The official announcement comes well in advance, with the related sets not set to launch until 2026. Does this mean that Mattel’s collaboration with Pokémon will end next year? And could this be considered LEGO Group’s counterattack against Mattel? It seems like there’s quite an interesting story behind the scenes!
However, let’s leave the business battles between these major companies aside. For Pokémon fans, the real excitement lies in speculating which Pokémon will be the first to appear on that currently empty theme page!
