LEGO Unveils Lunar New Year Trotting Lantern for 2025

Every year, LEGO releases special Lunar New Year sets. In 2021 (Year of the Ox), they unveiled a Spring Festival scene set in a traditional garden. For 2024 (Year of the Dragon), LEGO created the Auspicious Dragon - designed to resemble a bronze statue on display.

LEGO Spring Festival Trotting Lantern

$129.95 at Amazon | $129.99 at LEGO Store

As 2025 marks the Year of the Snake, LEGO introduces three commemorative sets. First is a Lucky Cat, followed by Good Fortune - a creative blend of Chinese symbols featuring decorative fans, calligraphy tools, and golden ingots. The crown jewel, which we assembled and photographed for this review, recreates an authentic trotting lantern. True to LEGO's signature craftsmanship, this lantern reveals surprising depth upon closer inspection.

We Build The LEGO Trotting Lantern

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The exterior craftsmanship deserves special recognition - every inch boasts lavish decoration. From hanging red lanterns to gold-accented borders and landscape murals depicting clouds and rock formations, the attention to detail is extraordinary.

Assembly follows a fascinating layering technique. After constructing the core structure, builders add increasingly intricate decorative layers. This progressive detailing recalls the joy of building the discontinued LEGO Carousel - that delightful anticipation of discovering what elaborate feature comes next.

Historically, Han Dynasty-era trotting lanterns used oil lamps to project paper silhouette shadows while heat-powered propellers created rotation. The LEGO version implements a simplified mechanical recreation: A central rod activates a light brick that casts yellow glow through printed transparencies, creating rotating projections inside the lantern.

While the packaging suggests wall projection capability, our testing revealed disappointingly blurry results - somewhat puzzling since traditional lanterns weren't designed for this purpose anyway.

The true marvel lies in the upper chamber, which unfolds to reveal three hidden dioramas: a dumpling stall, decoration booth, and shadow puppet theater. These surprising interiors use clever spatial design reminiscent of Polly Pocket's nested worlds. Five included minifigures feature Chinese New Year costumes and accessories like dumpling plates, red envelopes, and traditional puppets.

This set's appeal depends on expectations. The lighting mechanism, while clever, doesn't fully justify the price point. However, as a visually stunning display piece with remarkable hidden interiors, it makes a magnificent Lunar New Year tribute. Recommended for ages 9+ but with complexity that rivals adult-oriented sets.

For more LEGO recommendations, explore our guides to the best overall sets, Marvel collections, and premium offerings.

The LEGO Trotting Lantern (Set #80116) retails for $129.99 containing 1,295 pieces. It's currently available at Amazon and LEGO stores.