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The Lego Mario & Yoshi set is an homage to 1990’s Super Mario World.
The Lego Group -
From the front, it looks like a fairly straightforward re-creation of the game’s 16-bit sprites.
The Lego Group -
Behind the facade are complex mechanics that move Yoshi’s feet and arms and bob his body up and down, to make him look like he’s walking. A separate dial opens his mouth and extends his tongue.
The Lego Group
Nintendo and Lego are at it again—they’ve announced another collaboration today as a follow-up to the interactive Mario sets, the replica Nintendo Entertainment System, the unfolding question mark block with the Mario 64 worlds inside, and other sets besides.
The latest addition is an homage to 1990’s Super Mario World, Mario’s debut outing on the then-new 16-bit Super Nintendo Entertainment System. At first, the 1,215-piece set just looks like a caped Mario sitting on top of Yoshi. But a look at the back reveals more complex mechanics, including a hand crank that makes Yoshi’s feet and arms move and a dial that opens his mouth and extends his tongue.
Most of the Mario sets have included some kind of interactive moving part, even if it’s as simple as the movable mouth on the Lego Piranha Plant. Yoshi’s mechanical crank most strongly resembles the NES set, though, which included a CRT-style TV set with a crank that made the contents of the screen scroll so that Mario could “walk.”
The Mario & Yoshi set is available to preorder from Lego’s online store for $129.99. It begins shipping on October 1.
Lego has also branched out into other video game-themed sets. In 2022, the company began selling a replica Atari 2600, complete with faux-wood paneling. More recently, Lego has collaborated with Epic Games on several Fortnite-themed sets, including the Battle Bus.
Listing image by The Lego Group