Lego Super Mario

Did You Know?

• An app titled Lego Super Mario was developed by Ustwo for Android, iOS, and Fire OS, released on July 20, 2020.
• Since 2021, players can activate the experience via the app using any combination of Lego Mario and Luigi.

Overview

The Lego Group built a life-sized model of Super Mario containing 23,000 Lego bricks and standing 1.2 metres tall. Like the small version, it has a screen on its chest, eyes, and mouth, and pressing buttons elicits reactions matching those when the regular Lego Super Mario stands on certain bricks. In 2022, a king-sized model of Bowser containing 663,900 Lego bricks and standing 14 feet tall was displayed at San Diego Comic-Con. On March 10, 2026, Lego and Nintendo revealed that sets featuring Super Mario minifigures will release sometime in 2027.

Development

Talks between The Lego Group and Nintendo began in summer 2015, when Nintendo's upper management asked to collaborate. After generating many ideas, the most popular was an interactive figure. The team was told to 'do something that only these two companies could do together' as both a Lego and Nintendo product. Lead designer Jonathan Bennink took inspiration from Lego Dimensions in reverse, bringing the video game to life with toys, and from Super Mario Maker, incorporating level construction into Lego building.

Sets drew from mainline Mario games, described as 'a mix between Super Mario Bros. and also 3D World, with the rounded corners'. The concept for the Mario figure took two years. Bennink's team brainstormed ideas using augmented reality and virtual reality, and considered a giant screen for Mario's face but rejected it due to the vacant void when off. Bennink then created an interactive 3x3 brick with a display, something new to the team.

The design underwent rigorous durability testing, with Nintendo dropping 6,000 prototypes. Many prototypes were tested in Kyoto workshops with Nintendo's creative leader Takashi Tezuka, until visits stopped due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Sound effects were newly recorded lines from Mario voice actor Charles Martinet, with music from composer Koji Kondo.

Reception

The theme received generally positive reviews, often called a perfect item for kids that also works for Lego and Mario fans. CNET's Scott Stein described it as 'solid summer entertainment' for lockdown, praising the cute, simple builds and interactivity but criticizing the overwhelming open design and lack of replayability. Many reviews compared it to Super Mario Maker and Nintendo Labo; Alex Olney of Nintendo Life called it Mario Maker in physical form, finding the Mario figurine charming and likable but noting the level designs lacked the figurine's charm.

Mike Fahey of Kotaku said the best way to play was to use imagination, and while the figurine's design grew on him, it was unsettling when turned off; as a Lego collector, he felt the theme lacked an element and that more interactive figures could help. Tom Hoggins of The Telegraph praised the homages and the idea but noted the pricing seemed aimed at Lego collectors rather than the age range. In July 2020, Lego Super Mario was shortlisted for the Play Creators Awards 2020.

In October 2020, Adventures with Mario Starter Course was listed on Tesco's top ten toys for Christmas 2020, and in November 2020 on ITV's This Morning's Top Toys for Christmas 2020. The NES set also received positive reviews for accuracy and interactivity; Kevin Wong of IGN enjoyed the long build and praised its homages and faithfulness, while Graham of Brick Fanatics felt the NES set was far superior to the Mario theme, praising its functionality and appeal to hardcore fans.