Back in March LEGO revealed that the latest licence to get the buildable treatment would be Nintendo’s own mascot Mario. A range of sets have been announced for the first wave and now there’s even more to spend your money.

Recently the “Super Mario Power-Up Packs” were revealed. These four little boosters for the play experience sell for $10 (~R179.86) each and correspond to a Power-up or outfit seen in the games. This is then translated into gameplay.

The core of the LEGO Mario experience is, well Mario himself. The LEGO representation of the character isn’t a minifigure but an electronic toy which can read parts of other toys using an optical sensor.

These Power-Up Packs change how the interaction occur. The four revealed are 71370: Fire Mario Power-Up Pack, 71371: Propeller Mario Power-Up Pack, 71372: Cat Mario Power-Up Pack and 71373: Builder Mario Power-Up Pack.

You can see how each of these affects the game in the video below.

If you recognise the presenter in that video, LEGO Design Manager Jonathan Bennink, it may be because we interviewed him recently. We recommend giving that a read here if you’re interested in how this unique theme came to be.

During that interview we did not learn that Mario’s overalls and hat were removable, so the announcement of these Power-Up Pack’s was a bit of a surprise reveal.

These four new sets will be released on 1st August overseas, the same day as the rest of the LEGO Mario range.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the lockdown it has caused, we’re unsure when these will arrive in South Africa or other countries in a similar situation. With rules regarding online shopping and delivery recently relaxed we have hope that we will see these products available around the time other countries get it.