Lego Enthusiasts Keep Misassembling the Game Boy Set

Can you believe it’s been about 35 years since Nintendo launched its iconic portable console? It seems that’s just enough time for some folks to forget what the Game Boy actually looked like, as evidenced by social media posts and the packaging for the recent Lego set that brings it to life.

Released late last year, the Lego Game Boy set, featuring 421 pieces, quickly became a sought-after gift during the holiday season. Recently, many enthusiasts have been sharing their completed Lego builds, only to be met with corrections from seasoned fans who keep spotting the same mistake.

This awesome Lego set includes two non-playable cartridges that can be inserted into the console, just like the original. One of the pieces is designed to be placed at the end of the cartridge, mimicking the offset indent found on real Game Boy games. This design was intended to make it easier to insert and remove the cartridges from the Game Boy.

However, if you’ve never had the chance to play on a real Game Boy—or if you’re just going by instinct—you might be tempted to place that last piece right in the center of the cartridge. It seems logical, right? While this might seem like a minor detail that most people wouldn’t notice or care about, dedicated Lego fans have been sharing tips on how to properly complete the set. Discussions have emerged where people admit they initially assembled the cartridges incorrectly, regardless of whether they grew up with the portable console or are new to it.

“I put it in the center for my first cart, then noticed the proper placement when making the second cart,” one user shared in a Reddit thread about the issue. “I didn’t have a Game Boy growing up, so I didn’t know that was what the carts were supposed to look like.”

“Every [Game Boy] post I’ve seen has the cartridges built wrong,” lamented one frustrated Lego fan in a Facebook group dedicated to showcasing builds. “Please stop centering the top tile and offset it so it has the notch like the original GB games.”

Some fans are expressing surprise at these revelations, while others are thankful for the guidance to get their builds right. But if mistakes are being made, it’s not entirely the builders’ fault. Even the actual Game Boy Lego box features an incorrect depiction of the cartridges in one of its images.