Lunar Lantern Festival: Craft a LEGO Trotting Lantern

LEGO's 2025 Lunar New Year (Year of the Snake) Collection: A Detailed Look at the Trotting Lantern

LEGO celebrates the Lunar New Year annually with themed sets. Following the 2021 Ox and 2024 Dragon sets, 2025's Year of the Snake introduces three new builds: a Lucky Cat, a Good Fortune set featuring Chinese iconography, and a magnificent trotting lantern (set #80116), the focus of this review.

The LEGO Trotting Lantern: A Masterpiece of Detail

This 1295-piece set is a stunning recreation of a traditional trotting lantern. Its intricate detailing is immediately apparent. From the hanging red lanterns to the gold accents and the exquisitely rendered sky and cloud scenes on the lantern's walls, every element is meticulously crafted.

The construction process itself is a layered delight. Building progresses from the lantern's core to increasingly intricate details, offering a rewarding sense of anticipation and accomplishment. This echoes the joy experienced building the now-retired LEGO Carousel.

A Glimmering Light and Hidden Dioramas

Inspired by historical Han Dynasty lanterns, the model incorporates a light brick and rotating mechanism to project a silhouette image onto the lantern's side. While the projected image's clarity is somewhat limited, the effect is still captivating.

The lantern's upper section opens to reveal three charming miniature scenes: a dumpling stall, a decorative goods stall, and a shadow puppet theater. This cleverly concealed element adds a layer of surprise and delight. Five minifigures, including one with a snake headdress, and various accessories (dumplings, red envelopes, etc.) complete the set.

A Stunning Lunar New Year Celebration

The LEGO Trotting Lantern's value proposition hinges on the buyer's priorities. While the light-up, rotating feature may not justify the price for some, the set's aesthetic brilliance and intricately detailed miniature scenes make it a captivating celebration of the Lunar New Year. Though rated for ages 9+, its complexity suggests a more mature building experience.

Available now at Amazon and the LEGO Store for $129.99.

For further LEGO exploration, see our selections of the best LEGO sets overall, the best Marvel LEGO sets, and the most expensive LEGO sets.