After LEGO and Nintendo teased a partnership earlier this week, the companies unveiled new LEGO Super Mario sets and figures that combine physical and digital play.
Featuring bricks that kids can build into worlds, a new electronic Mario figure reacts when placed on bricks. The new figure makes noises and changes expressions, while a small screen on its chest will show symbols such as a timer, coins or fire depending on what bricks Mario interacts with. LEGO released a short video on its YouTube channel today previewing the new toys.
Targeting a range of ages, the companies will launch the new property later this year, though no specific date has been announced yet.
The animatronic toy is the companies’ effort to turn the Super Mario video game into a physical activity, according to a LEGO spokesperson. Super Mario already has a global audience (it’s the bestselling video game franchise of all time) and bringing it into the physical world gives its fanbase a new way to interact with the popular character, the spokesperson adds.
Nintendo bringing Mario into the physical world is also a natural move for LEGO, which is focused on blending physical and digital play together, as well as exploring new play patterns, according to its 2019 annual report.
