Super Mario

Peach's Garden Balloon Ride Expansion Set

A pink hot air balloon that makes the whole Mario shelf feel a little more finished.

Brick Rated Score

3.7/5

Set 71419 · 2023

Pieces453

Minifigsn/a

Year2023

Set number71419

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The verdict

I built this one on a Sunday afternoon expecting filler, and the balloon itself won me over more than I expected, it actually looks like something Peach would fly.

This is not a set that reinvents anything, it is an expansion piece meant to slot into a bigger Super Mario course, and once I accepted that, I enjoyed it a lot more. It is best for someone already deep into the Mario line who wants Peach's own vehicle and a garden scene to go with it, not someone looking for a standalone showpiece. If you don't already own a Starter Course, skip this one entirely, it will just sit on a shelf looking pretty and doing nothing.

Best for: Super Mario collectors who already own a Starter Course and want Peach in the air

The full review

What it is

I'll be straight with you, when I unbagged this one I wasn't expecting much beyond another pastel garden diorama. But the balloon changed my mind. It's built around that curved quarter-balloon piece LEGO first used back in 2020, and here in soft pink and white it genuinely looks like something out of the game, basket and all, sized just right for a Peach figure to ride in. Setting it up next to a garden scene with a little house, a fountain, and clouds gave me one of those small satisfying moments where a set clicks into place visually.

The catch

Here's the honest part. At 453 pieces for fifty dollars, you're not getting a bargain, and you're not getting Peach either. That one stung a bit when I checked the box contents, given her name is right there in the title. What you do get is Pom Pom, a Blue Toad, a Pink Yoshi, and a Lava Bubble, which is a decent spread of characters but not the headline figure a title like this promises. And structurally, this is an expansion set through and through, meaning none of the interactive bits do anything without a Starter Course already on your shelf.

Who it's for

If you're already collecting the Super Mario line and building out a course, this is a worthwhile add, the balloon alone makes it feel distinct from the dozen other garden and house expansions in the theme. If you're new to Mario sets or shopping for a one-off gift, walk past this one and start with a Starter Course instead, this piece will mean nothing without it.

The parts story

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

The build itself is quick and calm, more garden diorama than engineering puzzle. You'll spend most of your time on the little Blue Toad house and the fountain before getting to the balloon, which goes together fast and is genuinely the payoff moment of the whole set. There's no tension or clever trick construction here, it's a relaxed afternoon build, which honestly suits the Mario expansion format fine.

The standout part is that curved pink balloon dome, a mold LEGO introduced back in 2020 for a different balloon set, recolored here specifically for Peach's ride, and it's doing a lot of the visual heavy lifting. The set also includes eight action tags, including a Turnip power-up tag unique to this box, which matters if you're chasing full tag collections. Part count value is fair for a Mario expansion, not spectacular, since a good chunk of your money is going toward the electronics-compatible action tags and the character pieces rather than raw brick count.

Fun facts

01The balloon's curved dome piece was first introduced in 2020's Poppy's Air Balloon Adventure, LEGO simply recolored it pink for Peach here.
02Despite the set's name, no Peach, Mario, or Luigi figure is actually included in the box.
03The set includes eight action tags, one of which, the Turnip, is unique to this expansion set.
04LEGO officially released the set on January 1, 2023, and it has since been marked as retiring on the official Shop.