A box marked “TEST” in large red letters, containing a scrapped prototype of an interactive Lego playset, offers a glimpse into the rigorous development process behind Lego’s newest venture: Smart Bricks. The initial iteration, dubbed “Smart Brick Jungle Explorers,” was abandoned in favor of a Star Wars-themed model, according to Lego Group design director Michael Fuller.
Fuller, who has spent 18 years with the Lego Group, described the intensive, multi-year effort to bring the Smart Brick to life. “The Lego Batman Movie, that was five, six years of my life,” Fuller said, referencing his previous major project. He was approached by Lego’s Tom Donaldson after completing the 2017 film, despite his own reservations about his suitability for a technologically focused role. “I actually tried to convince him I wasn’t right for it. I’m not techie at all. I’m old-school. But Tom said, ‘No, that’s what we demand. I’ve got lots of smart engineers and techie people. I need a toy guy.’”
The early stages of development involved Fuller creating hand-drawn concepts, filling an entire wall at Cambridge Consultants with “What if?” scenarios. These concepts then transitioned into handmade prototypes, a phase that consumed approximately half of the project’s total development time. The team, described as small and requiring resilience, gathered play data from the initial Jungle Explorers sets. Fuller spent evenings analyzing “telemetry” to determine which features resonated with children and which did not.
The final product, however, represents a commitment to comprehensive feature integration. According to Lego, the Smart Brick includes a built-in synthesizer generating sounds rather than relying on prerecorded audio, sensors capable of detecting light, dark, and color, and lights that can communicate with other bricks. Some of these capabilities did not even exist at the project’s outset.
The development process defied conventional product development norms, according to Lego. “We said, ‘Let’s do everything. Let’s put it all in,’” said Knights. The company has resisted exploring potential applications beyond the realm of building block sets, despite the technology’s potential for broader use, including possible military applications. Donaldson dismissed the idea of prioritizing profit, stating, “I didn’t say, ‘Here’s a business case with the exact revenue.’ We just said, ‘If we can do this, we all know there would be something big.’”
Michael Fuller is credited with work on The Lego Movie (2014) and The Lego Batman Movie (2017), according to IMDb. The Lego Batman Movie, directed by Chris McKay, featured Will Arnett reprising his role as Batman alongside Zach Galifianakis, Michael Cera, Rosario Dawson, and Ralph Fiennes. The film was a collaboration between production houses in the United States, Australia, and Denmark, and served as the first spin-off in The Lego Movie franchise.
