Lego Super Mario: Innovative brick-building experience with Nintendo's iconic mascot

When people talk about Nintendo, the brand is almost immediately associated with its iconic mascot. Mario has been a mainstay with several games under his belt for every console and platform released by the company. However, except for the occasional official merchandise, the character has traditionally stayed in digital form. Now, a beloved Danish toymaker is collaborating with the Japanese gaming outfit to produce an innovative product. The LEGO Super Mario set is a brilliant mix of brick-building and interactive tech in one package.

The concept is basically similar to one of Nintendo's existing games called "Super Mario Maker." In fact, it is quite popular and already spawned a sequel exclusive to the Nintendo Switch. It encouraged creativity from players to craft custom stages that can be uploaded online for others to play. LEGO appears to be bringing that idea outside of the digital space and into the hands of children and adults alike.

Earlier this week, the two companies were teasing consumers with a short clip posted on social media. This was uploaded on Twitter by Nintendo of America and called LEGO Super Mario. It turns out that the big reveal was exactly what reports speculated – a playset based on the long-running video game franchise. Moreover, people liken it to a real-life version of "Super Mario Maker" which seems to be the best way to describe it, as noted by IGN.

In an interview with LEGO Super Mario Digital Design Lead Jonathan Bennik, several questions gamers were probably asking are answered. The Mario figure that comes with the package is a lot bigger than the average LEGO minifigures. Moreover, the trailer shows that the eyes, mouth, and chest area feature small coloured displays. This allows Mario to show a range of emotions each time he interacts with special bricks included in the set.

The idea is to encourage people to build their own stages with, and have Mario traverse each section and collect coins just like in the game. There are also other figures such as enemies that players can take on to earn some digital loot. The LEGO Super Mario set is slated to launch later this year with more characters, enemies, and interactive bricks to be revealed later on.