In partnership with Nintendo, the Lego Group has launched its line of Lego Super Mario sets. Below you’ll find reviews of all the best sets along with all the info about these cool toys you need to know along with where to pick them up.
This set features the Lego Mario figure, which boasts light-up eyes, an LCD chest display, and it’s even got Bluetooth!
I met with Lego not so long ago to have a look at this toy and it’s just insanely wholesome. It talks as well. There’s nothing like dangling Mario upsidedown and hearing him shout “whoa whoa whoa.”
It’s also worth pointing out, if you’re picking up the power-up packs, which allow you to dress up Mario in new styles, you’ll need the Mario figure from this set. The same goes for expansions sets. Even though you’ll have Lego to build and play with, to get the full experience, you need to grab the starter course first.
As for the Lego elements at play here, we’ve got a fun Mario course to build complete with baddies to beat and bosses to best.
It’s a really cool set that’s highly interactive. Kids are going to go wild over building this set, interacting with it, then rebuilding it into something.
Getting to build big boss Bowser is going to put smiles on faces. If they’re into building courses, which they almost certainly will be, having the final boss of the Mario games means they can finish off a run in spectacular fashion.
This set isn’t just about the Bowser figure, though. There is a lot of interactions to play with if you own the Lego Mario figure (found in the starter set), and there’s a lot to have fun building.
The Bowser castle/statue looks formidable, and I honestly cannot wait to sit down with my kids to build it. Then there’s the multiple castle areas to construct, the routes leading into the aforementioned areas, and there’s a host of Mario baddies to build.
I’m a huge fan of all the smaller details that go into this set. From the tiny trees to the fire lanterns, and even the way lava flows out the castle windows, so much care has gone into making this set feel bigger and better than the others.
If it’s for a Birthday or Christmas gift, and you’ve already snagged the starter set, you really will not go wrong with the Bowser’s Castle Boss Battle Expansion Set.
Kids love Yoshi, Mario’s food-chomping dinosaur sidekick, so having a Yoshi figure to race through courses with Mario is sure to make a lot of kids happy.
Outside of everyone’s favorite dinosaur, you get to build Mario’s house, two routes – one of which has a rather lovely hammock on – and there’s a pesky Goomba figure to build to get in everyone’s way.
It’s a fun little set, and for the price, you really can’t go wrong. In fact, because of the Yoshi toy, I can see this set doing really well (so get it fast before it sells out!).
The number blocks, Toad house, treasure chest, and Cheep Cheep all feature interactivity with the Lego Mario toy from the starter set. If you’ve already picked up the starter set, be sure to let your kids know about the new interactions in case they miss it.
On the building side of things, we’ve got three mushroom houses, a Toad and Toadette figure, two Cheep Cheeps on a spinning mechanism, a Goomba, and different routes connecting everything. That forest section with the tiny mushroom looks absolutely awesome.
Although this is one of the pricier sets, I’d say given the sheer amount of different items to build here, plus all the extra figures, and the fact it massively expands the starter set, you can’t really fault the price.
As a larger set for a Birthday or Christmas gift, you really won’t go wrong with this one.
You’ve got the castle area, flag pole and bounce pad, warp pipe with a piranha plant guarding it, as well as three routes – brick, lava, and water – heading to the castle.
All that’s before we even factor in the figures, namely a buildable Koopa Troopa and a Bob-omb.
If you’ve already got the starter set, the next step is building out your course further. Remember, there is no right or wrong way to build a course; it’s all up to the child.
If you are looking to expand your courses, the Guarded Fortress is one of the best Lego Super Mario sets to do that. There’s so much in it!
You see, in the Mario games, the final, harder areas involve lava. It’s a thing. The lack of brightness replaced with harsh colors really helps set the mood.
That’s why I love this set so much. it changes the dynamic of the course you’re building. It screams ‘this is the final stretch’.
In this set, kids will be building a really stylish Whomp figure as well as a lava area with a narrow bridge over it.
The goal here is to get past the Whomp who guards the course by knocking him down and stomping on his back. And yes, the Mario figure from the starter set will react when he does just that.
Seriously, what better obstacle is there than a seesaw with carnivorous plants on each end?
This set also comes with a Time Block to add extra time onto the course when it’s used with the Lego Mario figure from the starter set, and Goomba and Koopa Troopa buildable figures – the latter of which is sure to add an extra challenge to courses.
So, what are building here? We’ve got a smaller course which can be combined with the starter course, an interactive mushroom power-up, as well as a buildable Shy Guy figure and Boomer Bill enemies you can attach to a mechanism to make them spin.
The thing I will always love about Lego is how even though this is a small, more affordable set, there’s still a lot to build and play with. You really can’t fault the Lego Super Mario sets when it comes to value.
I absolutely love how even the more simple sets pack in worthwhile builds. Kids are going to get a lot of usage out of the buildable Pokey toy. It’s the perfect enemy to drop into a course.
But how do you defeat this spiny baddie? Easy. Build the hammer turntable and have the Lego Mario figure smash that cactus down block by block.
As well as the desert area to build, there’s also a Monty Mole figure to terrorize the inhabitants of the Mushroom Kingdom with. Neat!
