LEGO® Super Mario 2020: The Many Moulds of Mario

Today, Ben Davies provides our first look at LEGO® Super Mario: the incredible array of new pieces that have been developed for, or appear for the first time in, this exciting new theme. (Or jump ahead to Ben's later articles covering the existing pieces that come in new colours, and the printed and stickered parts including LEGO Super Mario barcodes.) Products were kindly supplied by LEGO; all content represents the opinion of the author. 

One of the most curious new LEGO® themes in recent memory is undoubtedly LEGO Super Mario, which combines Nintendo’s famous plumber with the LEGO Group’s plastic bricks. Ahead of the August launch of the theme, we here at New Elementary had an opportunity to get hands-on experience with some of the upcoming sets, and examine many of the exciting new moulds introduced by the theme.

Mario

The most prominent new moulds are those used for the theme’s eponymous hero. He’s received a bit of a make-over for his LEGO debut, appearing considerably more blocky than usual.

Mario consists of three all-new primary pieces (body, hat, and overalls) plus 1x1 round tiles for ears and buttons.

Mario’s Body

The most significant of these is Mario’s body, officially known as Creature, W/ Function, No. 1 (Design ID 49242 | Element ID 6286809), which comes packaged snugly in its own smaller box. The front features multiple LED screens embedded into the figure for displaying facial expressions and player feedback, while the back features buttons for turning the figure on and off, and connecting the figure to a Bluetooth device for syncing scores with a mobile app. Both the hair and head feature studs, for attaching a hat and ears, respectively.

Upon closer inspection, it turns out Mario’s body is actually an assembly consisting of a front section (Design ID 58272) and a removable back panel (58171), which can be unscrewed to reveal the battery compartment.

To customize Mario, five new hats and suits have been designed, with four of these appearing in “Power-Up Packs” which enhance the gameplay with new abilities, and a fifth available in 71360 Adventures with Mario.

Mario’s Hats

Five hats are available for Mario to wear, with four completely new moulds introduced. These new moulds include:

• Hat, 4x5, No. 1 (58101) in Bright Red/ Red (6278685) in 71360 Adventures with Mario (1x) and White (6310523) in 71370 Fire Mario Power-Up Pack (1x)
• Hat, 4x5, No. 3 (68626 | 6317330) in Bright Yellow/ Yellow in 71372 Cat Mario Power-Up Pack (1x)
• Hat, 4x5, No. 4 (69222 | 6317329) in Bright Red in 71371 Propeller Mario Power-Up Pack (1x)
• Hat, 4x5, No. 5 (69223 | 6317331) in Bright Yellow in 71373 Builder Mario Power-Up Pack (1x)

Each of these hats features a 2x2 anti-stud and tube connection on the inside for attaching the hat to Mario’s head. An additional connection point in the form of a 1.5mm hole can also be on the Propeller Mario hat.

Mario’s Overalls

Five new moulded overalls have also been created. These elements all feature two studs on the front for attaching buttons, 'waffle plate' antistuds on the bottom of the shoes, and a hole in the bottom for the barcode sensor to fit through. The full list of overalls is:

• Creature W/ Function, Lower Part, No. 1 (58101 | 6278685) in Bright Blue/ Blue and Reddish Brown in 71360 Adventures with Mario (1x)
• Creature W/ Function, Lower Part, No. 2 (65497 | 6308997) in White and Reddish Brown in 71370 Fire Mario Power-Up Pack (1x)
• Creature W/ Function, Lower Part, No. 3 (67611 | 6309036) in Bright Red and Bright Blue in 71371 Propellor Mario Power-Up Pack
• Creature W/ Function, Lower Part, No. 4 (67624 | 6309054) in Bright Yellow and White in 71372 Cat Mario Power-Up Pack (1x)
• Creature W/ Function, Lower Part, No. 5 (67630 | 6309067) in Bright Yellow and Reddish Brown in 71373 Builder Mario Power-Up Pack (1x)

What you might have noticed is that, despite all appearing virtually identical in shape, each of the overalls features a different mould/design number. It turns out that there’s actually a very good reason for this.

Closer inspection revealed that the inside of each pair of overalls features a set of six moulded bars of varying heights, in different arrangements depending on the particular suit (thus the need for unique IDs for every suit). These bars rub against a combination of the six metal switches exposed on Mario’s body, in order to tell LEGO Mario what suit is being used.

Raised Plates and Tiles with Rounded Corners

To create the courses for Mario to complete, a modular series of new raised plates and tiles with rounded corners has been introduced.

Plate, 4x4x2/3, Circle, W/ Reduced Knobs

The first of these is Plate, 4x4x2/3, Circle, W/ Reduced Knobs (66762) and Plate, 4x4x2/3, Circle, W/ Reduced Knobs, W/ Sticker (69807), with the latter featuring a pre-applied sticker. This element features 12 studs around the perimeter, with 1x1x1/3 sections of each rounded corner extending one plate below the main 4x4 plate body.

This plate (without stickers) will be available in a total of ten colors:

• White (6315195) in one set: 71360 Adventures with Mario (1x)
• Medium Stone Grey/ Light Bluish Gray (6294703) in six sets: 71362 Guarded Fortress (1x), 71364 Whomp’s Lava Trouble (4x), 71368 Toad’s Treasure Hunt (1x), 71373 Builder Mario Power-Up Pack, 71376 Thwomp Drop (2x), 71377 King Boo and the Haunted Yard (6x)
• Bright Green (6308875) in eight sets: 71360 Adventures with Mario (6x), 71361 Character Packs (Fuzzy, Bob-omb, Spiny) (x1), 71362 Guarded Fortress (11x), 71366 Boomer Bill Barrage (4x), 71367 Mario’s Home & Yoshi (2x), 71368 Toad’s Treasure Hunt (13x), 71372 Cat Mario Power-Up Pack (2x), 30385 Super Mushroom Surprise (1x)
• Bright Blue (6308879) in two sets: 71360 Adventures with Mario (1x), 71361 Character Packs (Blooper, Eep Cheep, Urchin) (x1)
• Bright Yellow (6314197) in five sets: 71361 Character Packs (Bullet Bill, Paragoomba) (x1), 71363 Desert Pokey (2x), 71365 Piranha Plant Power Slide (4x), 71371 Propeller Mario Power-Up Pack (2x), 40414 Monty Mole & Super Mushroom (3x)
• Bright Red (6301842) in five sets: 71360 Adventures with Mario (1x), 71361 Character Packs (Peepa, Buzzy Beetle) (x1), 71364 Whomp’s Lava Trouble (2x), 71370 Fire Mario Power-Up Pack (2x), 71376 Thwomp Drop (2x)
• Medium Nougat (6308873) in one set: 71369 Bowser’s Castle Boss Battle (1x)
• Dark Orange (6308871) in four sets: 71360 Adventures with Mario (1x), 71362 Guarded Fortress (2x), 71377 King Boo and the Haunted Yard (4x)
• Reddish Brown (6299920) in one set: 71377 King Boo and the Haunted Yard (7x)
• Black (6312482) in three sets: 71362 Guarded Fortress (2x), 71369 Bowser’s Castle Boss Battle (6x), 71376 Thwomp Drop (1x)

Tile 4x4x2/3, Circle, W/O Knobs

Another version of this design without the studs has also been introduced as Tile 4x4x2/3, Circle, W/O Knobs (68869) and Tile 4x4x2/3, Circle W/O Knobs, W/ Sticker (71144).

This tile will only appear in three colors:

• Medium Nougat/ Medium Dark Flesh (6317938 , W/ Sticker: 6320485, 6331722, 6323186) in three sets: 71364 Whomp’s Lava Trouble (1x), 71366 Boomer Bill Barrage (1x), 71369 Bowser’s Castle Boss Battle (2x)
• Flame Yellowish Orange/ Bright Light Orange (W/ Sticker: 6326776, 6326767, 6315523) in two sets: 71360 Adventures with Mario (1x), 71368 Toad’s Treasure Hunt (2x)
• White (W/ Sticker: 6321212) in one set: 71376 Thwomp Drop (1x)

Plate, 6x6x2/3, Circle, W/ Reduced Knobs

A slightly larger Plate, 6x6x2/3, Circle, W/ Reduced Knobs (66782) has also been introduced. This design features 20 studs arranged in a circular formation, with 2x2 sections of the plate corners extending below the 6x6 plate body.

The Plate, 6x6x2/3, Circle, W/ Reduced Knobs will appear in seven different colours:

• Medium Stone Grey (6299919) in one set: 71362 Guarded Fortress (1x)
• Bright Green (6301631) in five sets: 71360 Adventures with Mario (2x), 71362 Guarded Fortress (3x), 71366 Boomer Bill Barrage (1x), 71367 Mario’s Home & Yoshi (2x), 71368 Toad’s Treasure Hunt (9x)
• Bright Blue (6301629) in three sets: 71360 Adventures with Mario (1x), 71366 Boomer Bill Barrage (3x), 30385 Super Mushroom Surprise (1x)
• Bright Yellow (6314191) in three sets: 71363 Desert Pokey (1x), 71365 Piranha Plant Power Slide (1x), 40414 Monty Mole & Super Mushroom (1x)
• Bright Red (6294705) in three sets: 71364 Whomp’s Lava Trouble (1x), 71369 Bowser’s Castle Boss Battle (8x), 71376 Thwomp Drop (3x)
• Dark Orange (6301632) in two sets: 71360 Adventures with Mario (2x), 71377 King Boo and the Haunted Yard (2x)
• Reddish Brown (6301634) in one set: 71368 Toad’s Treasure Hunt (2x)

Plate, 8x8x2/3, Circle, W/ Reduced Knobs

The largest of the new modular plates is Plate, 8x8x2/3, Circle, W/ Reduced Knobs (66790).

This large plate is going to initially be available in six different colours:

• Bright Blue (6301640) in two sets: 71360 Adventures with Mario (1x), 71362 Guarded Fortress (2x)
• Dark Green/ Green (6300008) in one set: 71362 Guarded Fortress (1x)
• Bright Green (6301641) in three sets: 71360 Adventures with Mario (2x), 71367 Mario’s Home & Yoshi (1x), 71368 Toad’s Treasure Hunt (2x)
• Bright Yellow (6314193) in three sets: 71363 Desert Pokey (1x), 71365 Piranha Plant Power Slide (1x), 40414 Monty Mole & Super Mushroom (1x)
• Dark Orange (6301642) in one set: 71377 King Boo and the Haunted Yard (4x)
• Bright Red (6294706) in two sets: 71369 Bowser’s Castle Boss Battle (2x), 71376 Thwomp Drop (1x)

Warp Pipe

Another new element is Design Element 6x6, Circle (66787), better described as the 6x6 Warp Pipe. Despite what the LEGO name would suggest, the 6x6 Warp Pipe is not actually circular, but rather more boxy, in order to fit with the LEGO Mario aesthetic. Presently, this element only appears in Bright Green (6294708) in 71360 Adventures with Mario (1x) and 71362 Guarded Fortress (1x).

Character Elements

With a plethora of brick-built characters appearing across the LEGO Super Mario line, it comes as no surprise that several unusual new moulds have been introduced to assist with their construction.

Feet, 2x2x2/3, No. 1

The first of these new character elements is Feet, 2x2x2/3, No. 1 (66858). These can be used to add a pair of stubby feet to a character. Conveniently, they also feature four hollow studs on top, and a hole for a cross axle down the center.

This small but useful element will be appear in the following colours:

• Reddish Brown (6300006) in six sets: 71360 Adventures with Mario (1x), 71361 Character Packs (Paragoomba) (1x), 71365 Piranha Plant Power Slide (1x), 71367 Mario’s House & Yoshi (1x), 71368 Toad’s Treasure Hunt (3x), 71377 King Boo and the Haunted Yard (2x)
• Medium Nougat (6312472) in two sets: 71363 Desert Pokey (1x), 40414 Monty Mole & Super Mushroom (1x)
• Bright Orange/ Orange (6320320) in one set: 71367 Mario’s House & Yoshi (1x)
• Bright Yellow (6302719) in two sets: 71361 Character Packs (Bob-omb, Spiny, Buzzy Beetle) (2x) (Decorated), 71362 Guarded Fortress (x1)
• Aqua/ Light Aqua (6294713) in one set: 71369 Bowser’s Castle Boss Battle
• Dark Green/ Green (6315100) in two sets: 71362 Guarded Fortress (1x) and 71365 Piranha Plant Power Slide (1x)

Feet, 2x3x2/3, No. 1

Another new element for easily adding feet to a creation is Feet, 2X3X2/3, No. 1 (66859). Although similar to the previously mentioned feet element, the larger size means that the feet cannot be fused together, sacrificing support for cross axle connections.

These feet will be appearing in Bright Yellow (6308887) in 71360 Adventures with Mario and in Bright Blue (6294714) in 71366 Boomer Bill Barrage.

Wing, No. 108

A new wing element is also being introduced, used for constructing Cheep Cheeps and Eep Cheeps. Compared to previous wing elements, Wing, No. 108 (67928) appears much softer, with rounded edges, and an inlaid feather texture. This element will only be available in White (6312461) in 71361 Characters Packs (Eep Cheep) (2x) and 71368 Toad’s Treasure Hunt (4x).

Arm, No. 5

A new, extended arm with Technic pin has also been introduced, with the official name Arm, No. 5 (66788). While it may appear quite similar to Arm, No. 1 (28660), we assure you, it is longer!

The extended arm will be available in six sets in four colours:

• White (6312462) in one set: 71361 Character Packs (Bullet Bill) (2x)
• Bright Yellow/ Yellow (6315218) in three sets: 71360 Adventures with Mario (2x), 71362 Guarded Fortress (2x), 71365 Piranha Plant Power Slide (2x)
• Bright Yellowish Green/ Lime (6320142) in one set: 71367 Mario’s House & Yoshi (2x)
• Aqua/ Light Aqua (6294712) in one set: 71369 Bowser’s Castle Boss Battle (2x)

Design Plate 2x2, No. 2

To help create the iconic Super Mushrooms and Toad characters, a new mushroom top element has been introduced as Design Plate 2x2, No. 2 (66855). Although the cubic stylization may not make it look much like a mushroom cap, this is quite a versatile element, with four studs and antistuds, and a hole going through the plate.

A Bright Red (6310501) version of the element with white spot printing appears in 71366 Boomer Bill Barrage (1x), 40414 Monty Mole & Super Mushroom (1x), and 30385 Super Mushroom Surprise. A White (6309077) version with red spot printing and a Bright Purple/ Dark Pink (6323867) version with white spot printing both appear exclusively in 71368 Toad’s Treasure Hunt (1x).

Shells

Two new element designs representing shells have also been introduced for the Super Mario product range.

Decoration Element 4x4, No. 1

The first of these is Decoration Element 4x4, No. 1 (67013). This element bears considerable similarities to two 2x4 Triple Wedges (47759) placed back to back, but features several distinguishing features, including recessed studs, a hole through the center, and a lip along the edge.

The shell will be appearing in five sets, in three colour combinations:

• White and Dark Green/ Green (6299928) in three sets: 71362 Guarded Fortress (1x), 71364 Whomp’s Lava Trouble (1x), 71365 Piranha Plant Power Slide (1x)
• White and Earth Blue/ Dark Blue (6294717) in one set: 71361 Character Packs (Buzzy Beetle) (1x)
• White and Dark Stone Grey/ Dark Bluish Gray (6315380) in one set: 71369 Bowser’s Castle Boss Battle (1x)

Decoration Element 4x4, No. 2

A second version of the shell element, Decoration Element 4x4, No. 2 (67931) features the addition of four moulded diamonds protruding from faces of the shell.

The shell with diamonds appears in a total of two sets, in two colour combinations:

• White and Dark Green/ Green (6315223) in one set: 71360 Adventures with Mario (1x)
• White and Bright Red (6302720) in one set: 71361 Character Packs (Spiny) (1x)

Design Plate 8x8x2/3

While we don’t actually have Design Plate 8x8x2/3 (67929) in hand yet to analyze, we’re able to provide you with a fancy look at a 3D visualization of the part. This element is only available in White (6318110) in 71369 Bowser’s Castle Boss Battle (1x), where it is used to help form Bowser’s shell.

Round Tiles

Excitingly, two new rounded tile designs are also appearing first in the Super Mario sets. The first of these is the Tile 2x4, Circle, No. 1 (66857). Although this element may feel like a POOP (Part out of Other Parts), introducing a new mould allows the inclusion of three tubes on the underside, stability improvements, and the ability to print on the face.

Two copies of this design will be appearing in the Super Mario sets, both in Brick Yellow/ Tan with printing. A version featuring Bowser Jr. (6308924) will appear in 71360 Adventures with Mario, while a version with “MARIO” text (6309029) will feature in 71367 Mario’s House & Yoshi.

Secondly, we’re receiving Tile 3x3, Circle, No. 1 (67095). This design fills a gap in the system, as an intermediate between Flat Tile 2x2, Round (14769) and a 4x4 round tile that can be made by adding multiple Tile 2x2, W/ Bow (27925).

The Tile 3x3, Circle, No. 1 will be coming in Medium Nougat (6326106) in 71369 Bowser’s Castle Boss Battle (2x) and in White with printing for Peepa’s face (6308951) in 71361 Character Packs (Peepa) (1x) and printing for Shy Guy’s face (6309023) in 71366 Boomer Bill Barrage (1x).

Brick 1x2x1 2/3, W/ 8 Knobs

Oh, and there’s one more, very exciting piece appearing first in the new Super Mario sets: Brick 1x2x1 2/3, W/ 8 Knobs (67329).

This element is similar to the existing Brick 1x2x1 2/3 W/ 4 Knobs (22885), but with the addition of two new studs on either side of the brick. These extra studs allow a pair of these bricks to form the basis for a simple SNOT cube.

Brick 1x2x1 2/3, W/ 8 Knobs will be appearing in eleven sets in three different colours:

• Dark Stone Grey (6314192) in six sets: 71360 Adventures with Mario (2x), 71361 Character Packs (Fuzzy, Bob-omb, Urchin) (2x), 71362 Guarded Forest (2x), 71363 Desert Pokey (4x), 71365 Piranha Plant Power Slide (2x), 71377 King Boo and the Haunted Yard (4x)
• Black (6308883) in two sets: 71367 Mario’s House & Yoshi (2x), 71368 Toad’s Treasure Hunt (2x)
• Bright Yellow (6310247) in three sets: 71364 Whomp’s Lava Trouble (2x), 71369 Bowser’s Castle Boss Battle (2x), 71376 Thwomp Drop (4x)

Phew! That incredible list is only just the beginning of our LEGO Super Mario coverage. Wait until you see how many recolours there are!

READ MORE: Continue to part 2: the recolours

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