This $200 LEGO set turns a 45-year-old arcade classic into a working machine

The original 1981 Donkey Kong arcade cabinet is getting the LEGO treatment, with the newly revealed 72051 Donkey Kong Arcade set arriving worldwide on August 1 for $199.99. The 1,367-piece build is part of the LEGO Super Mario theme and aimed at adult builders, standing 15.5 inches tall once assembled. The cabinet actually plays, too.

Rather than a static display piece, the set recreates a Donkey Kong arcade level featuring Jumpman, Donkey Kong, and Lady, the character who would go on to become Pauline, complete with scaffold, ladder, and hammer details. A built-in mechanism circulates the barrels in a continuous loop, and pulling the lever releases one of the 21 barrels at a time, while the joystick moves Jumpman and a button makes him jump over whatever’s rolling his way. LEGO pitches it as a nostalgic display piece for a game room, shelf, or home office when you’re not fiddling with the controls.

The Donkey Kong Arcade is the latest in a Nintendo partnership that keeps expanding, following Ocarina of Time’s Final Battle set and the debut LEGO Pokémon sets earlier this year. The Kongs have their own brick history as well, going back to the 2023 expansion sets that marked the family’s first appearance in LEGO form. This one arrives with considerably less mystery than LEGO probably intended, though, as retailer listings and in-store sightings spoiled the set well ahead of today’s reveal. The Donkey Kong Arcade launches August 1 through LEGO.com and LEGO Stores.

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