Two classics combine in Lego’s cute new Pac-Man arcade set.
Announced Monday, to mark (a somewhat random) 43 years since the game’s 1980 release, the toymaker’s latest novelty set is a neat arcade set made of Lego blocks, in collaboration with Bandai Namco.
The 2,650-piece Pac-Man Lego set will cost you a cool $269.99 (£229.99), which is almost three times as much as the adorable BTS set. It’s the latest retro gaming set from Lego, following its Nintendo Entertainment System and Atari 2600 sets, not to mention various Super Mario sets.
The game’s eponymous hungry hero Pac-Man sits on the top next to his eternal ghost enemies Blinky and Clyde, which can flip around to their blue, vulnerable selves. There’s a crank on the side which operates a mechanical version of the game, and the arcade’s coin slot lights up with a button. In a fun feature, there’s a little Easter egg to hide inside the machine — a tiny little Lego figurine playing a tiny Pac-Man arcade game.
Created by Toru Iwatani, Pac-Man was revealed in Japan on May 22, 1980 by Namco, and later released on June 29. It was this day 43 years ago that the first focus test for the game was held with members of the public.
« A cultural icon for the past 40 years, it was a delight to bring Pac-Man to brick life, » said Lego designer Sven Franic in a statement. « Our team of talented designers worked tirelessly to capture the essence of the beloved Pac-Man arcade machine in brick form, from Pac-Man himself to the colourful, maze-like environment he inhabits. »
Lego’s Pac-Man set will be on sale from June 4, 2023 from the Lego website and Lego Stores.
