As a kid, there were few job titles more appealing than ‘Pokemon Trainer’. Thanks to Pikachu and pals, tufts of tall grass quickly became an all-consuming obsession for me in the ‘90s. Whether roaming the Essex countryside on family walks, or peering wistfully out of car windows, my synapses sparked with imagination whenever I saw flashes of foliage, picturing weird and wonderful creatures scuttling just out of sight. Yet, while I partially lived out that fantasy by battling monsters on my monochromatic Game Boy screen, I still secretly dreamed of one day befriending my very own Pokémon.
25 years later, Lego has made my childhood wish come true. Unlike the purely collectible adult-focused recent Kanto models (one of which made its way onto our list of the best Lego sets overall), the next wave of brick-tastic Pokémon sees the cutesy creatures roaring to life. Infused with Lego’s new Smart Brick, slotting one of the tech-stuffed bricks inside your chosen ‘mon - one of 19 - suddenly turns these static toys into gurgling creatures. As Pikachu greets me with an enthusiastic ‘Pika!’ before chowing down on a berry-shaped brick I place in front of him, it elicits an immediate grin from this grumpy 35 year old.
