Super Mario

Soda Jungle Maker Set

A leafy little Mushroom Kingdom playground with a customization gimmick that finally clicks.

Brick Rated Score

3.6/5

Set 71434 · 2024

Pieces598

Minifigs3

Year2024

Set number71434

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The verdict

This is one of the more charming LEGO Super Mario Maker sets, and the Wiggler is the piece that got me, all those chunky green segments bobbing along really do capture the game.

The Customization Machine that lets you reprogram what the two question blocks give you is a genuinely clever bit of play, not just a sticker on a box. My honest catch is that you need a LEGO Mario, Luigi or Peach figure (sold separately) to get the interactive coins going, so on its own this is a lovely diorama rather than a full game. Great for a kid already deep in the LEGO Mario world who wants to build and rebuild their own jungle levels.

Best for: kids already invested in the LEGO Mario interactive line who want to design their own courses

The full review

What it is

The Soda Jungle Maker Set drops you into one of the swampier, greener corners of New Super Mario Bros U, and I have a real soft spot for it. Instead of another castle or a straight recreation of a level, this is a build-your-own kit, a pile of jungle scenery and interactive bricks you arrange into whatever course you like. The Wiggler is the standout for me, that long caterpillar body with its grumpy little face is instantly recognisable, and the Pink Shy Guy and Piranha Plant round out a trio of character figures that are all unique to this box. Add the raft, the campfire, the poison swamp and the leafy trees and you get a proper little slice of the Mushroom Kingdom that begs to be rearranged.

The catch

Here is where I have to be straight with you. Like every LEGO Super Mario Maker set, this one is designed to work alongside an interactive Mario, Luigi or Peach figure, and that figure is sold separately in another box. Put one on top and the question blocks, the Special Pipe speed run and the customization gimmick all come alive with digital coins and sound. Skip it, and what you own is a very cute static diorama with some clever moving parts but no real game loop. The Customization Machine (which honestly looks a bit like a tiny cement mixer) lets you reprogram what each question block rewards, and that is the smartest idea here, but it only sings once a Mario figure is reading those bricks. At 598 pieces this also sits more in the toy camp than the display-build camp, so older fans hunting a meaty afternoon build should set expectations accordingly.

Who it's for

So who is this for? A child already pulled into the LEGO Super Mario ecosystem, one who owns a Mario or Peach figure and loves the idea of designing their own levels rather than following a fixed path. For that kid, this is close to perfect, endlessly rebuildable and full of personality. If you are a display-focused adult fan or someone buying your very first Mario set with no interactive figure in the house, I would gently steer you toward a starter course first, or toward a set that stands on its own without the extra purchase. Come in with the right expectations and the Soda Jungle is a joy. Come in expecting a self-contained video game in brick form and you will feel the gap.

The parts story

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

Building this is light, breezy and quick, roughly a one to two hour job that a seven or eight year old can largely handle solo with the app guiding them. The instructions nudge you toward the LEGO Super Mario companion software, where you can spin the 3D models around to line things up, which is genuinely handy for the fiddlier scenery. Nothing here is going to challenge an experienced builder, but that is not the point, the modular design means the fun really starts after the box is empty, when you start pulling sections apart and rebuilding the jungle into new layouts.

The stars are the three character figures, the Wiggler in particular with its segmented green body, plus the Pink Shy Guy and the Piranha Plant, all exclusive to this set at launch. You also get the interactive action bricks and the Special Pipe speed run tile that the whole system depends on, along with a nice haul of green and brown botanical elements for the trees and swamp. For 598 pieces at the fifty-something RRP the per-part value is fair rather than remarkable, and most of the money is really buying the play system and those exclusive figures rather than a rare parts pull.

Fun facts

01Soda Jungle is a real world from New Super Mario Bros. U (2012), the swampy region players reach after the Sparkling Waters, complete with its signature poison water.
02The set released on 1 August 2024 with an RRP of $54.99 and its listed availability ran only through 31 July 2025, so it has now retired.
03The Customization Machine lets you reprogram what the two question blocks reward, so the same bricks can produce different in-game outcomes each session.
04None of the three figures is a playable hero, you have to add a separately sold LEGO Mario, Luigi or Peach figure to trigger the coins and sounds.