We Build the LEGO Trotting Lantern, a 2025 Lunar New Year Celebration

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

LEGO continues its Lunar New Year tradition with three exciting 2025 sets celebrating the Year of the Snake. This review focuses on the most elaborate of the three: a meticulously crafted replica of a traditional trotting lantern (#80116).

The lantern's exterior is a masterpiece of detail. Intricate decorations adorn every surface, from hanging red lanterns to gold accents and beautifully rendered cloud and rock scenes on the lantern's walls. The building process itself is a layered delight, adding decorative elements in stages, creating a sense of anticipation and rewarding complexity reminiscent of the LEGO Carousel.

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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 advertised wall projection feature is somewhat underwhelming, the rotating image within the lantern itself is a charming nod to the original design.

The true magic lies within. Opening the upper section reveals three intricately detailed miniature scenes: a dumpling stall, a decorations stall, and a shadow puppet theater. This hidden complexity adds a delightful surprise element to the build. The set includes five minifigures, one dressed in a snake costume, along with accessories like dumplings, a red envelope, a shadow puppet, and chopsticks.

The LEGO Trotting Lantern's value proposition hinges on your priorities. While the light and rotation mechanism may not justify the price alone, the stunning aesthetics and hidden dioramas make it a captivating and visually impressive celebration of the Lunar New Year. Despite its 9+ age rating, the intricate detail and complexity make it feel like an 18+ build.

The LEGO Trotting Lantern (#80116), containing 1295 pieces, retails for $129.99 and is available now at [Amazon](link to Amazon) and the LEGO Store. For more LEGO recommendations, explore our selections of the best LEGO sets, best Marvel LEGO sets, and most expensive LEGO sets.