Lego officially reveals Donkey Kong Arcade set in a trailer starring The King of Kong’s Steve Wiebe

Nintendo has officially revealed its Donkey Kong Arcade set, in a trailer starring a face familiar to fans of the game.

As leaked earlier this month, the set is based on the original Donkey Kong arcade game, and shows the first level surrounded by a marquee similar to that on the coin-op cabinet.

Now that it’s been officially announced, more details on the set are known, including its interactive features.

The set contains 1,371 pieces and is available for pre-order now for $199.99 / £149.99 with Lego set to dispatch it from its warehouse from August 1.

Players can load the set up with 21 barrels, and can then pull a lever to release one of the barrels at a time, as if Donkey Kong had thrown one.

The barrel will then roll towards Jumpman (later renamed Mario), and players can use a joystick and button to make him move and jump over the barrel.

The set is the latest addition in a subset of Super Mario branded Lego sets that are aimed at adult collectors. Previous sets have included a giant Bowser, a Question Block containing a Super Mario 64 diorama, a Piranha Plant, an NES and Game Boy, and large-scale Mario Kart models of Mario and Luigi.

The King of Kong

The set was officially revealed first on the Nintendo of America account on X, with a Lego-created trailer starring Steve Wiebe.

Wiebe was the main focus of The King of Kong, a 2007 documentary which focused on the ongoing battle to become the world record Donkey Kong high score holder.

Wiebe was portrayed in the documentary as the wholesome ‘good guy’ trying to beat Billy Mitchell, another high score veteran portrayed as a scheming rival.

The documentary’s popularity, driven by its ‘normal guy trying to become a hero’ story and memorable moments such as its ‘kill screen’ scene, led to a renewed interest in the competitive Donkey Kong high score scene.

As a result, neither Wiebe nor Mitchell are in the top 10 leaderboard any more, though their rivalry in The King of Kong documentary ensures they still remain the two most ‘known’ names among players.