The idea behind LEGO Ideas is brilliant. Step 1: Put a call out to LEGO builders to pitch and design their dream sets. Step 2: Have LEGO fans vote on their favorites. Step 3: Make the winning builds into official sets. Step 4: Split the profits and the credit with the original creator. By giving fans the opportunity to invest in not only in the creation of something but also in its economic success, LEGO has created a business model that's as close to 'can't fail' as possible.
LEGO Ideas also pushes LEGO to adapt. If the proposed set is weird or idiocyncratic, then the build will be similarly unconventional. It gives birth to ideas that might otherwise never be pitched at all. If you know the audience for it exists, it's easier to take a risk on a Ship in a Bottle or a Steamboat Willie.
Since 2010, there have been 75 LEGO Ideas sets, 50 of which are currently retired. Here are the best LEGO Ideas sets that are currently available for purchase as of June 2026.
The Best LEGO Ideas Set Available Now
For the blurb-averse, the side-scrolling catalog above has all of our picks in it. If you want more info and details about each one, though, keep on reading.
Minifigure Vending Machine
It's one thing for LEGO to be decorative. It's quite another thing for LEGO to be functional, and the Minifigure Vending Machine manages to be both. You insert a coin, turn the crank (without the coin, the crank doesn't turn), and a capsule containing one of 16 collectible minifigures dispenses out of the bottom.
The vending machine has a retro 1980's physical appearance, so If you want it as a decorative shelf display, it can serve that function. But if you're like me, you can fill the capsules with chocolate and candy and keep the machine on your desk for snacking. Check out our experience building the LEGO Minifigure Vending Machine for a detailed look at this set.
River Steamboat .
This is not only one of the best LEGO Ideas sets; it's one of our picks for the best LEGO sets overall. The LEGO River Steamboat is a mechanical marvel, tailored for the experienced builder who wants an involved, engaging experience. Its interior includes a jazz lounge, crew quarters, and a museum. Push the boat along a flat surface, and the paddle wheel turns. We built and photographed this set at launch, and having done so, we cannot recommend it enough.
Dungeons & Dragons: Red Dragon's Tale
This Dungeons & Dragons set stands out due to its color diversity. The blue and purple roofing juxtaposes with the green meadow, which contrasts with the massive, four-legged Red Dragon that dominates the scenery.
This set is intended as both a build and a roleplay game. A LEGO-humored adventure, Red Dragon's Tale, turns the set into a dungeon experience that includes hidden items, secret lore, and enemies and allies including a Displacer Beast, an Owlbear, and a Beholder. We built and photographed this set at launch, if you'd like to read our full review.
The Starry Night
Created in collaboration with the Museum of Modern Art, LEGO The Starry Night is a recreation of artist Vincent van Gogh's best known work. Rather than rendering it flat, the designers made LEGO The Starry Night three-dimensional, which replicates the original painting's thick brushstrokes and physicality. The set also comes with a tiny Vincent van Gogh, which makes this one of the rare occasions that LEGO recreated a historical figure in minifigure form. This one also made it on our list of the best LEGO Art sets currently available.
Jaws
LEGO has a particular affinity for designing boats. The LEGO Jaws set, based on the 1975 Spielberg film, is a near perfect recreation of the Orca, the weathered fishing boat that the killer shark attacks and eventually destroys. The set comes with three minifigures representing Sheriff Brody, Matt Hooper, and Quint, and it also comes with a massive great white shark mounted on a stand. The shark's head is detachable from the rest of its body, so you can incorporate it into the Orca build and make it seem as though it's breaking through the water's surface. For more photos, see our review and gallery of the set's launch.
Home Alone
Unlike most LEGO buildings, the three-storied McCallister mansion is a closed dollhouse, with walls on all sides and no open interiors. The walls turn outwards on hinges to reveal a treasure trove of Easter eggs and booby trap references to the first Home Alone film. It includes: Kevin's treehouse with a zipline that leads from the house; the basement with the scary furnace; swinging paint cans; the Michael Jordan cutout on the toy train set; and the OH-KAY truck that the Wet Bandits use to make their getaway. It's a perfect build and display for the holiday season. We built and photographed this set at launch if you'd like to see some images and read our review.
The Goonies
A loving tribute to a rough-edged '80s classic, The Goonies depicts all the key plots points and iconography from the film: the Fratelli hideout, hidden passage beneath the fireplace, the booby traps in the caves, the wishing well, the collpasing floor rigged to the organ and the skeleton of One-Eyed Willy in his treasure room, surrounded by glittering jewels and gold coins. Even the minifigures are lovingly detailed. Mikey has his inhaler, Data has his utilility belt, and Sloth is wearing his signature Superman shirt. Goonies never say die.
Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas
LEGO created a perfect homage to Tim Burton's stop animation classic. You build Spiral Hill, Jack Skellington’s house, and the Halloween Town Hall, along with eight characters that incldue Jack Skellington, Sally, and Santa Clause himself. We built this set for its launch, and we loved the its impossible angles and forced perspective.
Love Birds
By LEGO standards, this build is short and sweet with an incredible price point to match – just $50 for what would typically be a $75 dollar set. Love Birds depicts two birds on a budding tree, symbolizing growing affection. With Valentine's Day right around the corner, this is a perfect way to show your cherished one how much you care about him or her.
Tuxedo Cat
Perfect to pose on a window sill for a lazy Sunday, Tuxedo Cat is a little over a foot tall. Even though it's sitting on its haunches, its paws, tail, and face are posable, and you have option of installing blue eyes or yellow eyes. Looked at from a distance or out the corner of your eye, it would be easy to confuse the model with the real thing!
Peanuts: Snoopy's Doghouse
Based on Charles Schulz's comic strip masterpiece, this set features Snoopy and Woodstock posing on top of the doghouse. You can either show them sleeping in the prone position, or sitting upright with the typewriter. Or, you can fold out the doghouse into a starry sky, and have the duo sitting around a campfire.
How Many LEGO Ideas Sets Are There?
According to LEGO's trusty search filter, there are 25 LEGO Ideas sets available for purchase as of June 2026.
What LEGO Ideas Sets Are Coming Next?
Some of the recent LEGO Ideas sets to receive approval are Godzilla and a model of the moon rocket ship from the comic book Tintin - Destination Moon. Check out the official LEGO Ideas page for more details, and register to take part in the voting and selection of the next LEGO Ideas sets.
Kevin Wong is a contributing freelancer for IGN, specializing in LEGO. He's also been published in Complex, Engadget, Gamespot, Kotaku, and more. Follow him on Twitter at @kevinjameswong.
