A retro arcade experience with LEGO, telling the story of Pharrell Williams’ cosmic inspiration.

Inspired by Pharrell’s Over The Moon kit, UNIT9 designed and built a space-themed pinball machine to serve as a jaw-dropping centrepiece for the event. Taking 1,500 hours to make and over 25,000 LEGO bricks, the fully functional retro arcade game was a super fun way to draw in the crowds and allow them to embrace their creativity.

Accessing a web tool via WeChat, guests could customise their own digital LEGO minifigures and upload them to the pinball machine by scanning a QR code, enabling them to customise their experience. Next, they could step up and attempt to hit the top pinball score, navigating spinners, ramps and other obstacles along the way.

Narrated by Pharrell himself, the arcade game featured four different zones, each representing the singer & producer’s key influences – music, fashion, street culture and cosmic inspiration. Each time players hit sensors in the different zones, kinetic LEGO components came to life, transforming the pinball experience into a LEGO-filled cosmic celebration. These included a spinning Neptune record to symbolise Pharrell’s music, an anti-gravity skate park where a roller coaster runs on the track, and a space-themed fashion show featuring astronauts floating up and down in outfits designed by Pharrell.

The LEGO x Pharrell Williams pinball experience was a hit. We navigated multiple work streams across digital, experiential and product design, as well as timeline management and coordination across time zones to successfully deliver an epic interactive installation that embodied LEGO’s innovative spirit.