Super Mario

Adventures with Interactive LEGO Mario

A little plastic guy with a screen for a face, and he genuinely made me laugh out loud the first time he hit a question mark block.

Brick Rated Score

4.0/5

Set 71439 · 2024

Pieces218

Minifigsn/a

Year2024

Set number71439

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The verdict

This is the entry point into the whole Super Mario system, and it earns that job.

The interactive Mario figure is the real star here, he lights up, grunts, sings little jingles, and keeps score as he stomps across the course you build for him, and watching him react to a Goomba for the first time is a genuinely delightful moment. I'll be honest though, 218 pieces for this price is a lot of money for what is mostly a small loop of track and a couple of obstacles, and the figure needs three AAA batteries you have to supply yourself. If you're new to the theme or buying for a kid who loves Mario, this is the mandatory starting piece. If you already own an older starter course, there's not enough new here to double up.

Best for: families and Mario fans just starting the LEGO Super Mario system who want the interactive figure as the centerpiece

The full review

What it is

This set is the front door to the whole LEGO Super Mario line, and its job is to sell you on one thing, the interactive Mario minifigure himself. He's got a full color sensor in his belt buckle, a speaker, and two little screens that flash his eyes and mouth as he reacts to everything you put in front of him. Stomp a Goomba and he does his signature jump, hit a question mark block and coins ping onto his belly counter, and the first time that happened on my table I actually said out loud, that's clever. It's the kind of small moment that makes you understand why this line has stuck around.

The catch

Where I have to be straight with you is the value math. 218 pieces builds you a short winding path, a pipe, a question mark block, and a Goomba, and that's about it out of the box. The figure is doing all the heavy lifting, and the rest of the parts are simple green baseplates and basic bricks that don't feel special on their own. You'll also need to buy your own AAA batteries before Mario says a word, which feels like an odd oversight for a set built entirely around powering him on.

Who it's for

If you've got a Mario obsessed kid in the house and you're building the collection from scratch, this is not optional, it's the engine every other Super Mario set plugs into. If you already have an older starter course sitting in a bin somewhere, skip this one and put the money toward expansion packs instead, since the core Mario figure hasn't fundamentally changed.

The parts story

What the build is actually like, and the pieces worth knowing about.

Building it is fast and low friction, which is exactly right for the audience. You're snapping together flat green baseplates, a short run of track pieces, a warp pipe, and a couple of obstacle elements, and most kids will have it assembled in twenty minutes without help. There's no tension or clever technique in the build itself, the whole experience is front loaded onto what happens after you place Mario down and start playing.

The interactive Mario figure is the only piece that matters for value here, and it earns its keep. It houses a color sensor, a motion sensor, a speaker, and dual LCD screens under the hood, technology you'd expect from a small electronic toy rather than a brick figure. The Goomba and question mark block are simple but accurate little callbacks to the games, and the pipe piece is a nicely proportioned dedicated mold rather than a generic tube. Nothing else in the box is rare or collectible, this is a set you buy for one part and one part only.

Fun facts

01The interactive Mario figure uses a color sensor in his belt, a motion sensor in his feet, and a speaker in his hat to react to the bricks and obstacles you build around him.
02This starter course is designed to be the required base for every other LEGO Super Mario expansion and power-up set, none of the add-on sets work without it.
03A free companion app connects to Mario over Bluetooth and lets kids track coins collected, complete challenges, and open up extra in-game content.
04Mario runs on three AAA batteries that are not included in the box, so you'll want a pack on hand before gift day.