Lego Donkey Kong levels up with Diddy, Funky, Cranky, and Dixie figures

Update: They're here! The new kits have just been revealed, and these Lego Donkey Kong sets are a nostalgia overload for fans. You can take a look at them for yourself in our news story.

Original story follows:

It isn't just Lego Donkey Kong joining Mario and co in the not-so-distant future; allies like Cranky and Diddy Kong are on the way too.

Teased through a video on Lego's social accounts, we got another look at Lego Donkey Kong before seeing snippets of other supporting characters that will be joining the lineup of Lego Super Mario sets at some point soon. Included in the roundup was Cranky Kong (who recently made an appearance alongside DK in The Super Mario Bros. Movie), classic sidekick Diddy Kong, Dixie Kong, and Funky Kong.

These figures weren't revealed in full during the footage, but it seems as if they take the same approach as Lego Donkey Kong - namely, they won't be electronic like Mario and will have more in common with figures such as Lego Baby Bowser. That means they'll be static models without moving eyes or sound effects, but putting them near Mario (or other electronic figures, e.g. Luigi and Peach) will trigger a response.

However, they may still have some interactivity to speak of; Diddy's tail is segmented in two with a prominent, suspicious silver connector between them. It's also possible that they'll have different 'roles', as we saw Mario on DK's back when the set was first revealed.

Because announcements like this normally arrive a day or two before a full unveiling, we should end up seeing these sets in full shortly. Keep your eyes on the Lego website tomorrow, in other words.

With the exception of Dixie, who was introduced in Donkey Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest, all of these characters have been with DK since the beginning. Cranky is actually the original Donkey Kong who battled Mario in the Donkey Kong arcade game (the first appearance of both characters, as it so happens), Diddy was your sidekick / the player-two option in Donkey Kong Country, and Funky allowed you to travel between worlds by shooting you out of a barrel. As such, it makes sense that they'd be included here - they're arguably the best-known Kongs aside from DK himself.

For more brick-based goodness, check out the best Lego sets, these Lego Star Wars sets, and the best Lego deals.