How Lego Designed Its Authentic Nintendo Game Boy Model

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The Lego Game Boy is expected to be a hit gift for fans of classic video games this holiday season. This detailed, 421-piece set lets you build a replica of Nintendo’s iconic 1989 handheld console, and it looks fantastic on display. It even includes buildable versions of two classic games, The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening and Super Mario Land, which you can insert into the Game Pak slot. Special screens change to show scenes from the games and the original Game Boy startup screen. At $60, it’s also one of the more affordable Lego sets designed for adults. The Lego Game Boy became available October 1st at the Lego Store, Amazon, Walmart, and Target.

I recently discussed the design of the latest Lego Nintendo display model with Carl Merriam, a Senior Designer at Lego Group, via email. The questions come from TopMob, and the responses are from Lego.

I’m really interested in the process behind creating LEGO sets. I’m curious about how designers begin – how do they decide how many pieces to include, and how do they choose the right shapes and sizes? I also wonder if designs, like the original Game Boy, go through many changes before they’re finalized. Could you give me a general idea of how a LEGO designer takes a concept and turns it into a finished product?

The LEGO Game Boy started as a simple idea: to create a LEGO set that honored the original Nintendo Game Boy. We began by building different versions using existing LEGO bricks. As we worked, we realized we needed a few new, unique LEGO pieces. We designed and developed those new pieces, then built countless more versions of the Game Boy. Finally, we landed on a combination of pieces that accurately resembled the original, was sturdy when built, and, most importantly, was enjoyable to assemble.

TopMob: Does the LEGO Game Boy set use any unique pieces not found in other LEGO sets?

Okay, so building this thing with LEGO was seriously cool. We actually had to make a special curved brick just for the corners where the speaker goes. We also used a bigger tile for the back and a bracket to hold the buttons. But honestly, most of the pieces were stuff you’d already find in your LEGO collection. The coolest part? The start and select buttons are actually old tires – like, from 1969! And the A and B buttons? Those are minifigure hats! We even squeezed a classic 2×4 brick in there somewhere, just for fun.

TopMob: What did Nintendo bring to this design, in terms of knowledge, advice, and secrets?

LEGO collaborated closely with Nintendo on all LEGO Nintendo products, including the Game Boy. A particularly enjoyable part of the process was deciding on hidden surprises (easter eggs) and recreating iconic game screens from Super Mario Land and The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening. Nintendo not only shared their ideas for the set’s design but also provided reference photos of the original Game Boy’s internal parts.

TopMob: We really wanted this LEGO set to not just look like a Game Boy, but also feel like a real handheld device. It was important to strike a balance – we included details like visible studs on the D-pad to make it clear this is still a LEGO creation, even though it’s a replica. Was maintaining that LEGO aesthetic crucial to the design?

When designing this LEGO set, we experimented with many different versions to get the features just right. Because the original Game Boy is relatively small, we focused on finding clever ways to make the build functional. We eventually managed to make all the controls work! After that, I wanted to recreate how the real Game Boy feels to use. I spent a lot of time perfecting the buttons, dials, and power switch, building and testing different versions until the LEGO model felt as close as possible to holding an actual Game Boy.

The studs on the D-pad are included for two reasons:

1. We like to include studs to add LEGO DNA, so you can see it is a LEGO model.

The way the LEGO bricks are connected, with the studs visible, lets the direction pad move like a real Game Boy controller. We considered making it flush with the surface and covering the studs with tiles, but that would have stopped it from working properly.

TopMob asks if the custom cartridges they can build are the same size as original Game Boy cartridges. They also want to know if the cartridge slot on the device can still accommodate and play authentic Game Boy games.

LEGO: Unfortunately not. The real Game Pak is slightly too big to fit into the LEGO Game Boy set.

TopMob asked whether Link’s Awakening and Super Mario Land were the original picks for Game Boy cartridges, or if other games were considered. They also wanted to know everyone’s favorite Game Boy game.

We chose to create games based on LEGO and Nintendo, as a way to celebrate our many years of working together.

Link’s Awakening is the Game Boy game I enjoy the most. I distinctly remember calling the Nintendo help line when I got stuck trying to find the Hookshot while playing it.

TopMob asks: What tiny detail on this project are you most pleased with? And what was the most difficult part of creating it?

As a longtime LEGO designer and fan, I put a lot of effort into making this set the best it could be, and there are many details I love. But if I had to choose just one favorite feature, it would be the power switch. My main goal was to recreate the feel of the original Game Boy as accurately as possible – making the buttons press and the dials turn. But getting the power switch to slide and click just like the real thing was especially satisfying.

My main challenge was getting the LEGO Game Boy to be the right size. The closest I could get using LEGO bricks was 11 studs wide, 18 studs long, and about 3.6 studs deep. Since LEGO bricks usually come in whole number sizes, it was tricky figuring out how to arrange the pieces to center the screen and its border within the device.

TopMob: Besides the Game Boy, what’s your favorite LEGO Nintendo set?

The LEGO Super Mario Desert Pokey (71363) is my favorite. It’s incredible how accurately this set brings the iconic Desert Pokey encounter from the Super Mario games to life.

The Lego Game Boy is the latest in a series of officially licensed Nintendo Lego sets made for adults – it’s the eighth one, and the second to be released this year. Lego previously launched a detailed Mario Kart set in May, which has 1,972 pieces and costs $170.

If you’re a fan of classic Nintendo games, you’ll want to see the Super Mario World: Mario & Yoshi Lego set. This 1,215-piece set is designed to look like the pixel art from the Super Nintendo version of the game, and the Mario and Yoshi figures are really cool. Originally priced at $130, it’s currently available on Amazon for $105. Super Mario World first came out a year before the Game Boy!

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2025-11-05 20:41