Which anniversaries could LEGO themes cover in 2026?

There are plenty of pop culture anniversaries landing in 2026, giving the LEGO Group many opportunities to create all kinds of never-before-seen sets.

When it comes to the wider pop culture landscape, 2026 could well prove to be a banner year for anniversaries. Everything from Pokémon, Star Trek and Raiders of the Lost Ark to LEGO’s own NINJAGO, Harry Potter and Bionicle themes will all be celebrating major milestones in the next 12 months.

In addition, the LEGO Group also has the opportunity to venture into all-new territory with models based on previously-unexplored properties, franchises and events, expanding its product portfolio in all sorts of potentially exciting ways.

With that in mind, here are number of upcoming pop culture anniversaries due to hit in 2026 and how existing LEGO themes could take advantage of their celebratory year ahead.

Heavy hitters of the ’80s

The 1980s has proven to be a very fruitful decade for the LEGO Group in recent years, having previously tapped into the likes of Back to the Future, Gremlins, Indiana Jones, Ghostbusters and many other massive movies.

The good news for fans of a certain age is that there are still many exciting and untapped films from that period that could be considered for potential LEGO sets. Those include the 50th anniversary of boxing classic, Rocky, the 40th anniversaries of Tom Cruise’s Top Gun, Jim Henson’s Labyrinth, George Lucas’ mega flop, Howard the Duck, and Short Circuit, with a LEGO Ideas submission based on Johnny 5 actually managing to hit 10K supporters back in 2021.

The Rocketeer

Disney’s The Rocketeer will be celebrating its 35th anniversary and despite the movie not being a smash hit back in 1991, the film based on Dave Stevens’ creation has gone on drum up a sizeable cult following in the intervening years. A brick-built figure of Cliff Secord’s aerial hero released via the LEGO Disney theme would no doubt go down a treat with dedicated fans of the movie, as would any minifigures of its core cast of characters.

Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire

In 1996, in the absence of any new Star movies, Lucasfilm released a bold multimedia project set between the events of The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire spawned a Nintendo 64 video game, tie-in novel, Hasbro action figures and more merchandise. The event will mark its 30th Anniversary in 2026, yet no LEGO Star Wars minifigures, vehicles or playsets have been created so far based on this almost forgotten entry in the Skywalker saga.

Nintendo anniversaries

Video game giant Nintendo will be marking the anniversary of numerous properties next year, not least of all the media juggernaut that is Pokémon. In addition, the Nintendo 64 reaches its 40th anniversary in 2026 and the Nintendo Wii its 20th anniversary, providing perfect inspiration for more brick-built consoles to follow in the footsteps of 72046 Game Boy.

The LEGO Super Mario theme could also have a field day with Super Mario 64’s 30th anniversary, while there’s no reason why LEGO Icons couldn’t also get in on the gaming action by celebrating the 40th anniversaries of Metroid, Castlevania and Dragon Quest.

The Monkees

With two previous LEGO sets based on The Beatles having dropped in previous years, fellow ’60s supergroup The Monkees could mark their 60th anniversary in 2026 with a model. Whether that be a LEGO Art build similar to 31198 The Beatles or even something more surreal such as 21306 Yellow Submarine from LEGO Ideas, the chart-topping band also deserves its shot in the brick-built spotlight.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Vampires and LEGO always seem to be something of a winning combination, with minifigures of the undead creatures having popped up in the likes of LEGO Studios, VIDIYO, LEGO Scooby-Doo’s 75904 Mystery Mansion, 71045 Series 25, the BrickLink Designer Program’s 910049 Adventures in Transylvania and 21354 Twilight: The Cullen House.

With Buffy the Vampire Slayer reaching its 30th anniversary next year, a standalone LEGO Icons or LEGO Ideas release based on the supernatural TV drama would surely be a big hit with fans of the series. Sunnydale’s resident Slayer, Buffy Summers (as played by Sarah Michelle Gellar), is long overdue her own minifigure, as are Watcher Rupert Giles, high school students Willow Rosenberg and Xander Harris, plus a legion of the undead to stake.

You can find out about a number of LEGO and other pop culture anniversaries due to arrive in 2026 right here and be sure to read more of our look back on 2025 features here.

Featured image: HappyValuableChalk, Disney and Nintendo

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