Get ready to jump for joy, because LEGO is bringing a fresh wave of nostalgia with its brand-new line of Mario minifigure sets! After years dominated by the somewhat divisive “boxy” Super Mario figures, these new sets promise a return to classic building fun and iconic character designs. And let’s be honest, those box art previews are already making us want to pre-order!
A New Era for LEGO Mario
LEGO has officially unveiled the first sets based around this exciting new group of Mario minifigures, and they look absolutely fantastic. The vibrant box art alone is enough to get any fan’s heart racing, perfectly capturing the spirit of the Mushroom Kingdom. Just take a look at the Fire Mario & Bowser’s Castle set – it’s pure LEGO perfection!
This new line represents something of a “reset” (pun intended!) for the LEGO Mario theme. While LEGO and Nintendo have a long history together, including some truly awesome Nintendo-themed LEGO sets, much of the previous focus was on the play-focused LEGO Super Mario experience. These sets centered around a larger, non-minifigure Mario that interacted with environmental elements through sounds, music, and simple animations displayed on an LED screen.
I had a chance to try out some of those earlier sets when LEGO introduced the boxy Luigi figure, and while they were clearly aimed at younger kids, even my own children found them lacking in long-term appeal. The interaction felt gimmicky, and ultimately, the sets weren’t as much fun to build or play with.
However, based on what we’re seeing so far, everything is about to change! These new Mario minifigure-based sets look significantly more engaging. While they are still primarily intended for kids, they feature a scale and level of detail closer to other popular LEGO themes like Star Wars and Harry Potter. The key difference? They ditch the gimmicky interactivity in favor of classic LEGO building fun. And let’s not forget those minifigure versions of Mario and his friends – they look absolutely fantastic!
Here’s a sneak peek at some of the upcoming sets:
- LEGO Super Mario: Mario’s Pipe Jump
- LEGO Super Mario: Racing with Mario
- LEGO Super Mario: Mario’s Beach Adventures
- LEGO Super Mario: Fire Luigi vs. Koopa Troopa Battle
- LEGO Super Mario: Luigi & Bowser Jr.’s Race
- LEGO Super Mario: Yoshi at Mario’s House
- LEGO Super Mario: Bowser’s Rumbling Race
- LEGO Super Mario: Fire Mario & Bowser’s Castle
For the first time in a long time, I’m genuinely excited about the upcoming LEGO Mario sets. This is a welcome return to form for the theme, and I can’t wait to see what other surprises LEGO has in store!
Chris Reed is a senior commerce editor and deals expert for IGN. He also runs IGN’s board game and LEGO coverage. You can follow him on Bluesky.
Source: IGN
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