It's been several years since LEGO formalized its creative partnership with Nintendo, resulting in some of the most inspired and accessible sets in LEGO's catalog. Initially, in 2020, LEGO clearly distinguished between sets for children and adults. The children's market was catered to with Super Mario playsets, which are digital/physical hybrids allowing kids to construct their own Mario courses. Meanwhile, adults were treated to iconic replicas that evoked waves of Gen-X nostalgia.
However, in recent years, LEGO has intentionally blurred the lines between these two demographics. The new LEGO sets for kids are more complex and engaging, while adult sets have taken on a more whimsical and cartoonish flair. This shift aligns perfectly with Nintendo's family-friendly ethos, making their LEGO sets appealing to a broad, cross-generational audience.
Adventures with Interactive LEGO Mario
6 $49.99 at Target Set: #71439 Age Range: 6+ Piece Count: 218 Dimensions: 1.5 inches high, 4 inches wide, 3 inches deep Price: $49.99
The LEGO Super Mario playsets allow you to build your own Mario courses. You use an LED Mario figurine to scan barcodes on enemies and obstacles, which creates audio feedback like music and classic Mario sounds. The coins you collect are tallied in an app, which syncs to Mario and documents your progress.
This is the most recent starter set that comes with the Mario LED figure; all the other expansion sets will not "work" without it. It also comes with other essentials: a starting pipe, a Yoshi figure, a flagpole, and a Bowser, Jr. figure that rides inside a Junior Clown Car.
Mario Kart – Standard Kart
3 $19.99 at Amazon Set: #72032 Age Range: 7+ Piece Count: 174 Dimensions: 1.5 inches high, 5.5 inches long, 3 inches wide Price: $19.99
The Mario Kart sets are all compatible with the Interactive Mario LED figure that comes in the Adventures starter set. This classic Kart build, which includes a Glider, a Toad pit crew member, and a launching mechanism for Green and Red Shells, is an excellent place to start designing race courses. If you're a fan of the Mario Kart games, this is a great set to put together. And at just $19.99, it's one of the best budget LEGO sets you'll find.
The Bowser Express Train
1 See it at Amazon Set: #71437 Age Range: 9+ Piece Count: 1392 Dimensions: 8.5 inches high, 26.5 inches long, 4.5 inches wide Price: $119.99
Weird, colorful, and lovably narcissistic, the Bowser Express Train features a massive Bowser head on the front of its engine. It comes with six baddies: a Hammer Bro, a Boom Boom, two Goombas, and two Para-Biddybuds. All aboard!
LEGO Piranha Plant
10 $59.99 save 20% $47.95 at Amazon Set: #71426 Age Range: 18+ Piece Count: 540 Dimensions: 9 inches high, 4.5 inches wide, 6.5 inches deep Price: $59.99
We built this set for its launch, and it managed to over deliver on its promise. The LEGO Piranha Plant has personality and adorability to spare, and its price belies its quality. It's rare to feel like you're ever getting a deal when you buy a LEGO set. But this Piranha in a pipe is reasonably priced and worth every penny. Highly recommended.
LEGO Sonic the Hedgehog Green Hill Zone LEGO Set
3 $69.99 at Amazon Set: #21331 Age Range: 18+ Piece Count: 1125 Dimensions: 7 inches high, 14 inches wide and 2.5 inches deep Price: $79.99
It's not Nintendo, strictly speaking? But we're allowing it because of our love for Sonic games. Once bitter rivals, Sonic and Mario are now close collaborators, and Sega is a mainstay on Nintendo's online service. We covered this Sonic the Hedgehog set at the time of its release, and it's a lovely little diorama of Green Hill Zone 1, complete with a loop and a smirking, cocky Sonic minifigure. It's perfect for an adult beginner builder, who might want to test the waters on a new hobby before going all-in. There are more Sonic LEGO sets to choose from as well, so you have options if you're looking to build a fun Sonic toy in 2025.
LEGO Animal Crossing Nook’s Cranny & Rosie's House
3 $74.99 save 20% $59.95 at Amazon Set: #77050 Age Range: 7+ Piece Count: 535 Dimensions: 6 inches high, 15 inches wide, 5.5 inches deep Price: $74.99
This year, Nintendo diversifies its LEGO offerings by introducing Animal Crossing sets. Launched in March 2024, this particular build – the biggest one available at launch – includes both Tom Nook's shop and Rosie the Cat's cottage. A few more sets like these, and Animal Crossing fans will be able to customize their very own village, just like they do in the game.
Fly With Dodo Airlines
1 $37.99 See it at Amazon Set: #77051 Age Range: 7+ Piece Count: 292 Dimensions: 5 inches high, 10.5 inches wide, 3.5 inches deep Price: $37.99
Another iconic location from the Animal Crossing franchise, Dodo Airlines allows you to travel abroad and visit other players' islands. This set includes a seaplane, a dock/jetty, and minifigures for Wilbur and Tangy so you can create roleplay scenarios.
LEGO Super Mario World: Mario & Yoshi
5 Set #71438, includes 1,215 pieces. $129.99 at Amazon Set: #71438 Age Range: 18+ Piece Count: 1215 Dimensions: 15.5 inches high, 10 inches wide, 4 inches deep Price: $129.99
One of the best, most nostalgic LEGO sets in recent memory, this depiction of Mario & Yoshi moves with the turn of the crank. And it's not just Yoshi's feet – it's his head and arm, as well as Mario's cape. A separate mechanism triggers Yoshi to open his mouth and stick out his tongue. It's also nearly 16 inches tall, so the bright, 16-bit colors really pop.
LEGO Great Deku Tree Set
9 Set #77092, includes 2,500 pieces. This 2-in-1 set lets you build the Great Deku Tree in the style of Ocarina of Time or Breath of the Wild with the same pieces. $299.99 at LEGO Store Set: #77092 Age Range: 18+ Piece Count: 2500 Dimensions: 13 inches tall Price: $299.99
We photographed and wrote about this set when it launched. A 2-in-1 build, this set lets you choose between the Ocarina of Time iteration or the Breath of the Wild iteration. You also get three versions of Link, one Princess Zelda, and accessories that include the Master Sword and a Hylian Shield. While it is definitely fun to put together, it is overall one of the more expensive LEGO sets you'll find.
LEGO Super Mario The Mighty Bowser
5 See it at Amazon Set: #71411 Age Range: 18+ Piece Count: 2807 Dimensions: 12.5 inches high, 16 inches wide, 11 inches deep Price: $269.99
The Mighty Bowser is the finest Nintendo set that LEGO has designed thus far, and one of the best LEGO sets available, period. It's a massive, cartoonish, disarmingly adorable build of Mario's ultimate bad guy. It's very imposing in person – bigger than you think – and a spring-loaded mechanic allows him to "breathe fire."
How Many LEGO Nintendo Sets Are There?
As of January 2025, there are 34 LEGO Super Mario sets, 18 LEGO Sonic the Hedgehog sets, ten LEGO Animal Crossing sets, and 1 LEGO The Legend of Zelda set available for purchase on the official LEGO store.
What's Does the Future of LEGO Nintendo Look Like?
The Mighty Bowser is technically an expansion playset, but it is marketed as a standalone set. It demonstrates what seems to be a new LEGO Nintendo approach for 2024 and beyond: a design ethos that does not strictly delineate a children's set from an adult set.
The early, child-oriented LEGO Super Mario playsets were very piecemeal and airy – isolated, singular elements and simple, flat plates that connected the elements together. The builds were too rudimentary, even for children's builds – they felt like LEGO sets designed for children who don't like LEGO.
Today, the LEGO Super Mario sets are more substantial and detail-laden, even though they still have the barcodes that designate them as expansion playsets. The best of these sets – like The Mighty Bowser – make the mobile gameplay a secondary concern to how it looks on display, and how fun and engaging it is to build. And that is where the emphasis should always be. Because whether it's for kids or adults, the joy comes from the build itself; the final product is the outgrowth of that.
There's a great LEGO documentary on Netflix; it's part of a running series called "The Toys That Made Us," and I would recommend it to anyone. My biggest takeaway from the film is that LEGO has tried, many times, to escape or broaden its appeal by creating other toys or by reinventing the bricks somehow – by overlaying them with augmented reality, or repurposing them in some odd, niche fashion. But it never turns out well or lasts, and LEGO keeps returning to the thing that people love most.
Those initial Mario playsets were a step too far and emphasized play over build. And now that LEGO is creating sets that are more in line with their design and company strengths, the future looks bright.
Also, be sure to check out our lists of the best Star Wars LEGO sets and best Harry Potter LEGO sets. And if you're more into superheroes, you can take a look at the best Marvel LEGO sets as well.
