The clacking of marbles against plastic, the agonizing wait as your ball teeters on the edge of a trap, the trash talk between friends gathered around a tabletop game. Remember that? The “Tricky Traps” LEGO Ideas project bottled that exact feeling, transporting us back to the days when entertainment didn’t require a charging cable. Created by LEGO enthusiasts BRICKUP and JodyPad, this 600-piece recreation of the classic 80s Tomy game has already captured over 1,000 supporters on the LEGO Ideas platform. Nostalgia sells, but this project goes beyond mere sentimentality. The creators have meticulously designed each piece to function exactly like the original, resulting in a LEGO set you’ll actually play with long after building it.

I’ve always had a soft spot for LEGO sets that do something after you’ve snapped the last brick into place. The company has quietly built an impressive portfolio of interactive builds over the years. The playable chess sets let you stage epic battles between minifigures. The LEGO Mario sets transform your living room floor into a real-world platformer with electronic sensors and sound effects. Even the Ideas Maze set from 2016 brought genuine gameplay to the LEGO experience, with a tilting labyrinth that challenged your steady hand. “Tricky Traps” continues this tradition, blending the satisfaction of construction with the thrill of competition.

Designers: BRICKUP & JodyPad

The original Tricky Traps captured 80s kids’ hearts with its devilish obstacle course for marbles. Players navigated through moving platforms, sudden drops, and precarious pathways, all while racing against opponents and the clock. This LEGO recreation maintains that essence while adding the unmistakable texture of brick-built design. Each of the approximately 600 pieces serves a purpose, creating a 1:1 scale model that doubles as a fully functional game. The designers incorporated Technic elements to recreate the motorized aspects of the original, ensuring that this isn’t just a static display piece. The attention to mechanical detail shows a deep understanding of both LEGO engineering and what made the original game so addictive.

LEGO shines brightest when it pushes beyond static models. The grand piano that actually plays, the Nintendo Entertainment System with its scrolling TV screen, the functioning typewriter with its satisfying key action. “Tricky Traps” belongs in this category of builds that reward you twice: first during construction, then every time you play with it. For a generation raised on instant digital gratification, there’s something revolutionary about a toy that demands patience, skill, and physical presence. If this set makes it through the LEGO review process, expect to see adults hogging it at family gatherings, reliving their youth one marble at a time, while introducing a new generation to the analog joys of mechanical gaming.

The project still has 589 days to gather the 5,000 supporters needed to reach the next review milestone, but its early momentum suggests a hunger for tactile, interactive play experiences. With enough support, it could potentially become a retail box set that all of us can assemble and play with. If you want to see that happen, i.e., if you love tactile games over doomscrolling displays, go ahead and give the Tricky Traps your vote on the LEGO Ideas website here!

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