Lego’s Donkey Kong arcade machine lets Mario jump endless barrels — Miyamoto is reportedly happy

July 22, 2026 Sean Hollister

Carl Merriam has designed some of my favorite nostalgia-inducing Lego sets, including the Lego Nintendo Game Boy and Piranha Plant. He's assisted on the incredible Lion Knights' Castle, Galaxy Explorer, and Pirates of Barracuda Bay.

Now, he's helped the company create a Donkey Kong arcade machine set that managed to win even Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto's favor - or so he's told.

It doesn't play quite like Donkey Kong, of course. Jumpman, the character that would be renamed Mario, can never reach the top under his own power. But like Lego's $230 pinball machine, it does contain a basic fully functional game. There's a working joystick …

Read the full story at The Verge.

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