Each year, LEGO introduces captivating themed sets to honor the Lunar New Year. In 2021, during the Year of the Ox, LEGO unveiled a Spring Festival set, beautifully depicting a traditional garden. Fast forward to 2024, the Year of the Dragon, and fans were treated to the LEGO Auspicious Dragon, designed to mimic a bronze statue poised elegantly on a stand.
LEGO Spring Festival Trotting Lantern
Priced at $129.95 on Amazon and $129.99 at the LEGO Store, the 2025 Year of the Snake sees LEGO releasing three unique sets. The first, a Lucky Cat, captures the charm of this beloved symbol. The second, named Good Fortune, is a rich pastiche of Chinese iconography, featuring a decorative fan, a calligraphy pen and scroll, and golden ingots. The third and most opulent set, which we've meticulously built and photographed for this review, is the LEGO Trotting Lantern—a stunning replica of a traditional lantern.
We Build The LEGO Trotting Lantern
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Take a moment to appreciate the lantern's exterior, which is adorned with intricate details. From the red lanterns hanging from the buttresses to the gold detailing on the borders and the walls, which artistically depict an open sky framed by clouds and rocks, this model exudes extravagance.
Constructing the lantern is a delightful layering experience. You start with the core structure, then add layers of detail, and finally, more intricate elements on top. This process evokes a sense of excitement, similar to what I felt with the now-retired LEGO Carousel, eagerly anticipating the next decorative piece.
Historically, trotting lanterns from the Han Dynasty were powered by oil lamps, projecting silhouettes and rotating via heat-generated propellers. LEGO's designers have ingeniously replicated this effect with a mechanism involving an upright rod that triggers a light brick. This causes the bottom of the lantern to glow, projecting an image through a clear piece with a black-lined design, which rotates as you turn the rod.
The packaging boasts the ability to project the image onto a wall, but in practice, the projection is blurry and difficult to make out. This feature seems less effective and not in line with the original lanterns' purpose. However, the upper tier of the lantern opens to reveal three hidden dioramas: a food stall serving dumplings, a decorations stall, and a shadow puppet theater. These surprises, concealed within the lantern, add a delightful element of visual trickery. The set includes five minifigures, one wearing a snake costume, along with accessories like a plate of dumplings, a red envelope, a shadow puppet, and chopsticks.
Deciding to purchase this set hinges on what you value most. If it's the mechanical effect of the rotating, lit-up lantern, you might find it lacking in clarity and impact. However, for those seeking a visually stunning piece that hides intricate minifigure-scale scenes within an elaborately detailed structure, the LEGO Trotting Lantern is a splendid tribute to the Lunar New Year. Though rated for ages 9 and up, the complexity of the final build suggests an 18+ level of sophistication.
For more inspiration, explore our selections of the best overall LEGO sets, the finest Marvel LEGO sets, and the most luxurious LEGO sets available.
The LEGO Trotting Lantern, Set #80116, is priced at $129.99 and comprises 1295 pieces. It's available now at Amazon and the LEGO Store.
