Pokémon scalpers don't worry Lego, exec says

Lego's senior vice president shares a surprising sales trend for new sets

In 2026, if a product has Pikachu on it, there's a good chance that it'll sell out and end up on eBay. We've seen this frenzy play out nearly everywhere: trading cards, apparel, and books. It's certainly proven true for previous Lego Pokémon sets, where $650 price tags weren't enough to make anyone flinch. If you ask the people working at Lego, it's not a big deal at all.

In an interview with Polygon, representatives from Lego dished on the creation of its upcoming Pokémon sets. Unlike previous Pokémon releases, these Lego sets are packed with special technology, including Smart Bricks and Smart Tags, which allow individual pieces to communicate with one another. The Pokémon themselves have internal stats and typing, just like they do in the video games. The toys can even be trained to become stronger. Naturally, you can also simulate battles with your Lego Pokémon.

Though the sets are aimed at children, the Smart Play functionality will probably appeal to basically anybody. This opens up the door for the Pokémon Lego sets to get gobbled up by resellers hoping to turn a profit. The risk of sellouts seems likely, given the surprisingly low price points: the cheapest set, Jigglypuff, only costs $14.99. The most expensive set out of the dozen releasing on August 1 is the $119.99 Charizard and Jolteon set, which comes with two Smart Bricks. As far as Lego sets are concerned, these are fairly accessible price points.

According to Federico Begher, senior vice president at The Lego Group, both Pokémon and Lego are "multi-generational" properties with a wide appeal.

"It's primarily designed for kids, but I think I can fairly say that adults will definitely take an interest," Begher says. "We usually see the first two, maybe three months, where we have a higher share of adults buying into new propositions such as this."

"But over time, that kind of evens out into its natural state," Begher adds. "So it's usually an initial effect."

So far, Lego fans can still pre-order any of the Pokémon Lego sets that were revealed in early June 2026. The availability might reflect the sheer scope of the collection: there are a dozen sets in all. Some of it might also have to do with how much Lego is underselling its own product. The product pages for the new Pokémon sets don't fully explain how they work or what fans will be able to do with them.

To get a better sense of those possibilities, you should check out the rest of Polygon's interview with Lego about its upcoming Pokémon collab.