A new year brings with it plenty of traditions, but one of the most threatening to our wallets each passing year is that, after months of relative peace and quiet, Lego just decides to put out tons of new sets every January 1. There are over 150 new sets hitting shelves today, so here’s our roundup of the biggest and best.
January is one of the most important release months for Lego, so it’s no surprise that we’re getting releases from practically every line the brick-builder makes sets for, from brands like Star Wars and Marvel to staples like the Architecture, Ideas, and Icons lines. There are plenty of heavy hitters all over, but of course, one big highlight is Lego marking the end of Stranger Things yesterday with its lavish new set based on the Creel estate—a big set among plenty of big sets landing today. Read on for our breakdown of all the big releases coming starting today!
Lego Sonic the Hedgehog Sets
Lego is getting a little late on the Crossworlds collab train with its latest Sonic sets (or is it just chasing after its own Mario Kart sets?), as Silver, Knuckles, and the main man all hit the road.
Lego Minecraft Sets
Minecraft‘s offerings this month include sets big and small, as well as a few fun non-traditional builds, like a display model of a pixelated fox and another small diorama replicating the many environments of the game’s biomes.
Lego Architecture Paris City of Love
The Architecture line gets a bit clever with its latest diorama, an artsy wall-art-style rendition of the Parisian skyline, featuring notable highlights like Notre Dame, the Arc de Triomphe, and more centered around the Eiffel Tower at its core. ($80, available here)
Lego Stranger Things Sets
After many years away, Stranger Things Lego is back in style in time for the show’s final episode. Not only is there the lavish Creel House, packed with fun features and minifigures inspired by the final season of the show, but if you aren’t quite in the mood for such a pricey set, there’s also a new set of BrickHeadz figurines inspired by the last episodes.
Lego Marvel Super Heroes Sets
After many a quiet month, the Marvel line is back in a big way this month with something touching every corner of the Marvel multiverse, from plenty of Spidey sets to movie stalwarts and a lavish new buildable Iron Man.
- Spidey on his Motorcycle vs. Rhino, $10
- Spider-Man vs. Ghost Rider Motorcycle, $10
- Miles Morales Mech vs. Spider-Man 2099, $15
- Spider-Man Car vs. Venomized Wolverine, $20
- Epic Battle: Spider-Man vs. Sandman, $25
- Mech Battle: Spider-Man vs. Doc Ock, $30
- Spidey: Underwater Vehicles, $35
- Team Spidey Pirate Ship, $50
- Epic Battle: Hulkbuster vs. The Hulk, $50
- Ravager Jumpsuit Groot, $60
- Spider-Man vs. Mysterio: The Daily Bugle, $100
- Iron Man Mark 3 Collectors’ Edition, $130
Lego Ideas Love Birds
Valentine’s Day is just around the corner now, so the latest addition to Lego’s vast array of community-supported sets is a perfectly fitting set of little birds nestled on a branch to gift to your loved one. ($50, available here)
Lego Ninjago Sets
The year 2026 is a big one for Ninjago, as it looks back on 15 years of sets with a nostalgic wave that mixes up sets inspired by the latest season of the Dragons Rising show and recreations of classic sets complete with special bonus anniversary minifigures.
- Nya vs. Mutation Monster Spinner, $10
- Lloyd vs. Earth Monster Spinner, $10
- Kai’s Dragon Mech Battle Pack, $10
- Cole’s Mission Mech & Dragon Zane, $35
- Ninja Dragon Riyu’s Battle, $45
- Jay’s Transforming Car, $55
- Ninja Vehicle Tree House Battle, $80
- Four Weapons Blacksmith 15th Anniversary, $100
- The Dragon of Life, $110
- The Old Town 15th Anniversary, $300
Lego Star Wars Sets
We’ve finally reached a year with a Star Wars theatrical release on the way for the first time in almost seven years, so it’s unsurprising that the Mandoverse is firmly the focus of this new wave—but Grogu aside, there’s fodder from the prequels and sequels to go with it, including a new buildable BB-8 to celebrate 10 years since his debut in The Force Awakens.
Lego Art Japanese Cherry Blossom Landscape
The latest Lego Art set takes a bit of a sideways step away from replicating iconic artwork from history with this original piece inspired by Japanese spring, with an idyllic view of Mount Fuji and a small temple alongside a 3D waterfall seeping out of the frame. ($140, available here)
Lego Disney Sets
The theme of the latest Disney princess sets is not minidolls, but mini… minis: little chibi brick-built figurines that give the feeling of almost like a little vinyl toy compared to the BrickHeadz/Funko comparison. But aside from the world of princesses, there are a few highlights, like a new buildable Olaf.
Lego Speed Champions Sets
It’s not too often that Speed Champions dips into licensed genre collabs, but this month’s wave has not one, but two: for kids, there’s a Champions-scaled build of Cars‘ Lightning McQueen, while for the kids at heart, there’s the latest Lego spin on the iconic DeLorean from Back to the Future.
Lego Collectible Minifigures Series 28
Lego’s latest wave of blind-box minifigures is perhaps somewhat controversial to anyone who dreaded the costume animal representation showing up as part of past waves… because this one is all about them. Fish, peacocks, monkeys, parrots, dogs, and dolphins, oh my—a veritable ark’s worth! ($5 per box, available here)
Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
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![The Pope’s AI Warning Could Help Workers Seek Religious Exemptions From Using AI
Pope Leo XIV’s recent encyclical on AI could set off a wave of workers seeking religious exemptions from using the tech at work. One software engineer in North Carolina already secured one last month, Business Insider reports. Erin Maus, a Unitarian Universalist, first sought the accommodation in April at the large tech-entertainment company where she works, which she described as progressive. She argued that using AI did not align with her religious beliefs because of environmental and ethical concerns. Maus was granted the exemption in May, before the pope’s AI remarks. “I’m writing my code and reviewing my code by hand, which seems crazy to say,” Maus told Business Insider. “Just two years ago, how else would you do it?”
Maus is unlikely to be the only person seeking a similar accommodation as companies increasingly invest in AI and push, sometimes even mandate, employees to use the technology. In the U.S., the share of employees who say they use AI at least a few times a year at work has nearly doubled from 21% to 40% in 2025, according to Gallup.
Now, the pope’s remarks and official theological document could give some workers a stronger argument. “In the era of artificial intelligence, when human dignity is threatened by new forms of dehumanization, ours is the pressing duty to remain profoundly human,” the pope wrote in his 43,000-word encyclical titled Magnifica Humanitas, published last month. He wrote that AI is dehumanizing society by reducing “the mystery of the person into data and performance” and called on the tech industry to avoid “the idolatry of profit that sacrifices the weak.”
The pope continued that “a slower pace in adopting AI does not mean opposing progress; instead, it is an exercise of responsible care for the human family.” That call for a slower adoption of AI could be enough for some workers to argue they should not be required to use it on the job. “When he’s speaking, he’s speaking as the pontiff—as a religious figure—so he’s raising these human dignity issues as religious issues, theological issues,” Jonathan Segal, an employment attorney and Duane Morris partner, told HR Brew this month. “I think it is inevitable that some employees will rely on this to say…I can’t use AI because it conflicts with a religious belief that I have.” Under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, employers are required to make reasonable accommodations for workers whose sincerely held religious beliefs conflict with a work requirement, unless the accommodation creates an undue hardship for the employer.
And it’s not a stretch to think some of these requests could at least get serious consideration. Just a few months ago, Rex Healthcare agreed to pay 0,000 to settle a lawsuit from the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission accusing the company of unlawfully denying a remote employee’s request to be exempted from its mandatory COVID-19 vaccine policy over religious beliefs. “I think this opens a door—or it’s a little bit of a road map—for employees to raise concerns,” Segal told HR Brew. “What the courts have said—what the EEOC has most definitely said—is that, as the general proposition, we shouldn’t question the legitimacy [of] sincerely held religious beliefs.” #Popes #Warning #Workers #Seek #Religious #ExemptionsAI,Pope Leo XIV,work](https://i1.wp.com/gizmodo.com/app/uploads/2026/05/shutterstock_2666910201-1280x853.jpg?ssl=1 "The Pope’s AI Warning Could Help Workers Seek Religious Exemptions From Using AI
Pope Leo XIV’s recent encyclical on AI could set off a wave of workers seeking religious exemptions from using the tech at work. One software engineer in North Carolina already secured one last month, Business Insider reports. Erin Maus, a Unitarian Universalist, first sought the accommodation in April at the large tech-entertainment company where she works, which she described as progressive. She argued that using AI did not align with her religious beliefs because of environmental and ethical concerns. Maus was granted the exemption in May, before the pope’s AI remarks. “I’m writing my code and reviewing my code by hand, which seems crazy to say,” Maus told Business Insider. “Just two years ago, how else would you do it?”
Maus is unlikely to be the only person seeking a similar accommodation as companies increasingly invest in AI and push, sometimes even mandate, employees to use the technology. In the U.S., the share of employees who say they use AI at least a few times a year at work has nearly doubled from 21% to 40% in 2025, according to Gallup.
Now, the pope’s remarks and official theological document could give some workers a stronger argument. “In the era of artificial intelligence, when human dignity is threatened by new forms of dehumanization, ours is the pressing duty to remain profoundly human,” the pope wrote in his 43,000-word encyclical titled Magnifica Humanitas, published last month. He wrote that AI is dehumanizing society by reducing “the mystery of the person into data and performance” and called on the tech industry to avoid “the idolatry of profit that sacrifices the weak.”
The pope continued that “a slower pace in adopting AI does not mean opposing progress; instead, it is an exercise of responsible care for the human family.” That call for a slower adoption of AI could be enough for some workers to argue they should not be required to use it on the job. “When he’s speaking, he’s speaking as the pontiff—as a religious figure—so he’s raising these human dignity issues as religious issues, theological issues,” Jonathan Segal, an employment attorney and Duane Morris partner, told HR Brew this month. “I think it is inevitable that some employees will rely on this to say…I can’t use AI because it conflicts with a religious belief that I have.” Under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, employers are required to make reasonable accommodations for workers whose sincerely held religious beliefs conflict with a work requirement, unless the accommodation creates an undue hardship for the employer.
And it’s not a stretch to think some of these requests could at least get serious consideration. Just a few months ago, Rex Healthcare agreed to pay 0,000 to settle a lawsuit from the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission accusing the company of unlawfully denying a remote employee’s request to be exempted from its mandatory COVID-19 vaccine policy over religious beliefs. “I think this opens a door—or it’s a little bit of a road map—for employees to raise concerns,” Segal told HR Brew. “What the courts have said—what the EEOC has most definitely said—is that, as the general proposition, we shouldn’t question the legitimacy [of] sincerely held religious beliefs.” #Popes #Warning #Workers #Seek #Religious #ExemptionsAI,Pope Leo XIV,work")
![The Pope’s AI Warning Could Help Workers Seek Religious Exemptions From Using AI
Pope Leo XIV’s recent encyclical on AI could set off a wave of workers seeking religious exemptions from using the tech at work. One software engineer in North Carolina already secured one last month, Business Insider reports. Erin Maus, a Unitarian Universalist, first sought the accommodation in April at the large tech-entertainment company where she works, which she described as progressive. She argued that using AI did not align with her religious beliefs because of environmental and ethical concerns. Maus was granted the exemption in May, before the pope’s AI remarks. “I’m writing my code and reviewing my code by hand, which seems crazy to say,” Maus told Business Insider. “Just two years ago, how else would you do it?”
Maus is unlikely to be the only person seeking a similar accommodation as companies increasingly invest in AI and push, sometimes even mandate, employees to use the technology. In the U.S., the share of employees who say they use AI at least a few times a year at work has nearly doubled from 21% to 40% in 2025, according to Gallup.
Now, the pope’s remarks and official theological document could give some workers a stronger argument. “In the era of artificial intelligence, when human dignity is threatened by new forms of dehumanization, ours is the pressing duty to remain profoundly human,” the pope wrote in his 43,000-word encyclical titled Magnifica Humanitas, published last month. He wrote that AI is dehumanizing society by reducing “the mystery of the person into data and performance” and called on the tech industry to avoid “the idolatry of profit that sacrifices the weak.”
The pope continued that “a slower pace in adopting AI does not mean opposing progress; instead, it is an exercise of responsible care for the human family.” That call for a slower adoption of AI could be enough for some workers to argue they should not be required to use it on the job. “When he’s speaking, he’s speaking as the pontiff—as a religious figure—so he’s raising these human dignity issues as religious issues, theological issues,” Jonathan Segal, an employment attorney and Duane Morris partner, told HR Brew this month. “I think it is inevitable that some employees will rely on this to say…I can’t use AI because it conflicts with a religious belief that I have.” Under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, employers are required to make reasonable accommodations for workers whose sincerely held religious beliefs conflict with a work requirement, unless the accommodation creates an undue hardship for the employer.
And it’s not a stretch to think some of these requests could at least get serious consideration. Just a few months ago, Rex Healthcare agreed to pay $150,000 to settle a lawsuit from the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission accusing the company of unlawfully denying a remote employee’s request to be exempted from its mandatory COVID-19 vaccine policy over religious beliefs. “I think this opens a door—or it’s a little bit of a road map—for employees to raise concerns,” Segal told HR Brew. “What the courts have said—what the EEOC has most definitely said—is that, as the general proposition, we shouldn’t question the legitimacy [of] sincerely held religious beliefs.” #Popes #Warning #Workers #Seek #Religious #ExemptionsAI,Pope Leo XIV,work](https://gizmodo.com/app/uploads/2026/05/shutterstock_2666910201-1280x853.jpg "The Pope’s AI Warning Could Help Workers Seek Religious Exemptions From Using AI
Pope Leo XIV’s recent encyclical on AI could set off a wave of workers seeking religious exemptions from using the tech at work. One software engineer in North Carolina already secured one last month, Business Insider reports. Erin Maus, a Unitarian Universalist, first sought the accommodation in April at the large tech-entertainment company where she works, which she described as progressive. She argued that using AI did not align with her religious beliefs because of environmental and ethical concerns. Maus was granted the exemption in May, before the pope’s AI remarks. “I’m writing my code and reviewing my code by hand, which seems crazy to say,” Maus told Business Insider. “Just two years ago, how else would you do it?”
Maus is unlikely to be the only person seeking a similar accommodation as companies increasingly invest in AI and push, sometimes even mandate, employees to use the technology. In the U.S., the share of employees who say they use AI at least a few times a year at work has nearly doubled from 21% to 40% in 2025, according to Gallup.
Now, the pope’s remarks and official theological document could give some workers a stronger argument. “In the era of artificial intelligence, when human dignity is threatened by new forms of dehumanization, ours is the pressing duty to remain profoundly human,” the pope wrote in his 43,000-word encyclical titled Magnifica Humanitas, published last month. He wrote that AI is dehumanizing society by reducing “the mystery of the person into data and performance” and called on the tech industry to avoid “the idolatry of profit that sacrifices the weak.”
The pope continued that “a slower pace in adopting AI does not mean opposing progress; instead, it is an exercise of responsible care for the human family.” That call for a slower adoption of AI could be enough for some workers to argue they should not be required to use it on the job. “When he’s speaking, he’s speaking as the pontiff—as a religious figure—so he’s raising these human dignity issues as religious issues, theological issues,” Jonathan Segal, an employment attorney and Duane Morris partner, told HR Brew this month. “I think it is inevitable that some employees will rely on this to say…I can’t use AI because it conflicts with a religious belief that I have.” Under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, employers are required to make reasonable accommodations for workers whose sincerely held religious beliefs conflict with a work requirement, unless the accommodation creates an undue hardship for the employer.
And it’s not a stretch to think some of these requests could at least get serious consideration. Just a few months ago, Rex Healthcare agreed to pay $150,000 to settle a lawsuit from the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission accusing the company of unlawfully denying a remote employee’s request to be exempted from its mandatory COVID-19 vaccine policy over religious beliefs. “I think this opens a door—or it’s a little bit of a road map—for employees to raise concerns,” Segal told HR Brew. “What the courts have said—what the EEOC has most definitely said—is that, as the general proposition, we shouldn’t question the legitimacy [of] sincerely held religious beliefs.” #Popes #Warning #Workers #Seek #Religious #ExemptionsAI,Pope Leo XIV,work")
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