Lego has announced its latest collaboration with Nintendo at San Diego Comic-Con: a pixelated recreation of Mario and Yoshi from the 16-bit Super Nintendo classic, Super Mario World. Like Lego’s Art sets, it’s a 2D creation meant for display but also includes hidden moving mechanisms, bringing Yoshi to life.
The 1,215-piece set stands over 15 inches tall when assembled and features a yellow-caped Mario riding Yoshi atop a grass-covered hill. The front of the set is assembled from Lego tiles and looks to be a very accurate recreation of the 16-bit sprites used in Super Mario World.
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Image: Lego
But when you turn the set around, it becomes very obvious why Lego is positioning this as a display piece. Lego’s designers incorporated a pair of mechanisms to recreate the game’s sprite animations. Turning a crank attached to the base makes Yoshi’s legs run in an endless loop, while a knob on the back opens the dinosaur’s mouth and makes his bright red tongue pop in and out.
The Lego Super Mario World: Mario & Yoshi set is officially available for preorder starting today through Lego’s online store for $129.99 and will ship starting on October 1st. It will be the fifth adult-focused set released as part of Lego and Nintendo’s ongoing collaboration, joining the 2,646-piece NES console, 2,807-piece Mighty Bowser, 540-piece Piranha Plant, and 2,064-piece transforming question mark block.