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

LEGO is celebrating the Year of the Snake with three new sets. This review focuses on the most elaborate: a meticulously crafted replica of a traditional trotting lantern, set #80116.

The lantern's exterior is breathtakingly detailed. Intricate decorations adorn every surface, from hanging red lanterns to gold detailing and beautifully rendered cloudscapes on the walls. The build itself is a layered masterpiece, adding decorative elements in successive stages, creating a sense of anticipation and rewarding the builder with an ever-increasing level of visual complexity. This echoes the delightful experience of building the now-retired LEGO Carousel.

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Inspired by historical trotting lanterns from the Han Dynasty, the LEGO model incorporates a clever mechanism. A light brick illuminates the lantern's base, projecting a black-lined image onto its side. Rotating a central rod animates this projection. While the advertised wall projection feature is somewhat underwhelming, the overall effect is charming.

The lantern's upper section opens to reveal three delightful miniature scenes: a dumpling stall, a decorative goods stall, and a shadow puppet theater. This unexpected interior adds a layer of playful surprise, cleverly concealed within the lantern's cylindrical design. The set includes five minifigures, a snake-themed costume, dumplings, a red envelope, a shadow puppet, and chopsticks.

The value proposition hinges on your priorities. While the light and rotation mechanism is functional but not spectacular, the set's aesthetic appeal and intricate interior scenes make it a stunning Lunar New Year centerpiece. Despite its 9+ age rating, the complexity suggests it's more suitable for older builders.

The LEGO Trotting Lantern (#80116), containing 1295 pieces, retails for $129.99 and is currently available at Amazon and the LEGO Store. For further LEGO inspiration, explore our selections of the best LEGO sets, best Marvel LEGO sets, and most expensive LEGO sets.