Where will LEGO Super Mario minifigures go first?

The LEGO Group's confirmation that Super Mario minifigures will finally launch next year leaves us to wonder what exactly will come from them first.

LEGO Super Mario minifigures are officially coming in 2027, and the first game-based figure has been unveiled in the form of Mario himself. The information shared in the teaser from earlier today is expectedly light, but we can at least speculate on the possibilities for Super Mario minifigures while we wait for more details.

Read on for that speculation, including an option which is all but certain to start off the range of Super Mario minifigures, based on the teaser.

Standard sets

The teaser shared by Nintendo for the Super Mario minifigures made it clear that multiple sets would be coming in 2027. This term is often used by the LEGO Group and partners in much the same way as the community, to describe the physical models which land on shelves.

Right now, that would be the likes of 72041 Party at Toad's House, which features the current range of brick-built Super Mario figures. There's another possibility on the table, though, especially after something debuted earlier this month.

SMART Play compatibility

The LEGO Group's next big experiment is SMART Play, using electronics to change the way kids play with LEGO sets. This is done via a SMART Brick, SMART Tags, and SMART Minifigures. That should sound familiar to LEGO Super Mario enthusiasts, as it's strikingly similar to the course-building system and blocky electronic figures currently being used in LEGO Super Mario.

All of these models are due to retire this year, just as Mario minifigures debut in 2027. One way to keep the interactivity of the theme while introducing minifigures would be to mix SMART Play into standard sets, especially with a SMART Mario minifigure. Note that the decoration on each SMART Minifigure's torso is not visible on Mario in the teaser, but this has consistently been the case with SMART Minifigure renders so far.

A full minifigure series

While the teaser's wording suggests that Super Mario minifigures will be starting with sets, the usage of moulded heads (at least for Mario) may also remind you of the LEGO The Simpsons minifigures.

The animated characters' unique shapes meant an entirely new head piece for each character. Looking at what has been teased for Super Mario minifigures so far, a similar strategy seems likely. This strategy is already in use in LEGO Sonic the Hedgehog, which introduces around one character per year with a new head mould.

This would mean that while getting through the main Super Mario cast (Mario, Luigi, Peach) would be attainable, the extended characters, such as Wario, might be less of a priority in standard sets. The Simpsons faces a similar dilemma in its limited array of sets released each year, and the solution early-on in that partnership was to release some of the less iconic characters in a minifigure series.

Now that Super Mario minifigures are confirmed, such a possibility may well be on the table, but don't expect anything of the sort to be implemented immediately. Standard sets with minifigures are most likely coming first, as suggested in the teaser. 2027 can't come quickly enough.

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