LEGO and Disney go retro with classic Mickey Mouse and Minnie sets

The classic look Mickey Mouse and Minnie are to be immortalised in brick form, thanks to a new partnership between Disney and LEGO that will see the Danish toy company launch new building sets depicting the animated icons in their original look.

With this new construction set, fans can re-live memories and immerse themselves in the worlds of both LEGO and Disney.

The large-scale LEGO|Disney Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse Buildable Characters come with nostalgic and stylish details that not only includes their recognisable original outfits, but a series of buildable accessories to pose with, including a retro camera, a guitar, and a photo album complete with pictures of the iconic duo’s adventures from years gone by.

Each figure in the new set also stands on a base that resembles an old-time film reel, complete with the original character signatures. Mickey Mouse stands tall at 14 inches high and Minnie Mouse at 13 inches, while the set boasts an impressive total of 1,739 bricks to build with.

LEGO designer, Ollie Gregory, who worked on the project, said: “We always look to design things that people would like to put on their shelf, including my own, which is why we went for the ‘classic’ Mickey Mouse design with the iconic silhouette and colour palette – as a surprise for builders, the characters insides are built from colourful elements inspired by classic outfits worn by the the pair in the past.

“The Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse Buildable Characters are extremely detailed and intricate, and there were lots of challenges to overcome. For example, to create the tips of their noses we even had to bring back the LEGO Classic Space Helmet in black, which hasn’t been seen since 1987. LEGO fans will also notice that we have debuted a new colour in this set, 363 – TR. Brown with Opalesence, the first time it is included in any set – so there’s lots to explore with this build.”

LEGO gives closer look at LEGO Super Mario launch as pre-order opens on first sets

A few very eventful weeks after the grand unveiling of the latest collaboration, LEGO’s Super Mario licensed range is now available to pre-order, kicking off with the Adventures with Mario Starter Course.

The new LEGO Super Mario product line features an interactive LEGO Mario figure that collects coins in real-life game levels created with LEGO bricks. Neither a video game nor a traditional LEGO brick-based set, it promises to “change the way people interact with Super Mario in the physical world and engage in LEGO experiences.”

Unveiled by LEGO Design Lead Jonathan Bennink, fans will be able to explore the LEGO Super Mario universe with the Adventures with Mario Starter Course. This entry point set to the world of LEGO Super Mario is needed to unlock expansion sets and features seven action bricks for different interactions with the LEGO Mario figure that are only included in this set.

The LEGO Mario figure itself has LCD screens in his eyes, mouth and belly to display a wide variety of instant reactions to movement, colour and action bricks. Also included is a speaker that plays iconic sounds and music from the video game series.

“Super Mario has continued to appear, always in a form adapted to the current hardware of the time.” said Takashi Tezuka, executive officer and game producer of Nintendo. “I am thankful that in this project with the LEGO Group, Mario is jumping out of the digital world of game consoles and smart devices, and we are able to bring him into the world with a new, physical type of Mario play.

“It’s very exciting to think of LEGO Mario becoming a real friend to children and to picture them playing in their very own Mario world that they imagined themselves.”

Kids aged six and upwards can build levels and play their own way, with challenges having lots of creative fun in an interactive experience. LEGO Mario is used to collect virtual coins as he runs and jumps from the Start Pipe to the Goal Pole via LEGO bricks, cloud platform, and clashes with the Goomba figure and Bowser Jr. figure.

The Starter Course can be combined with LEGO Super Mario Expansion Sets, which each unlock unique challenges and characters to play with and against friends.

The first Expansion Sets, also revealed today, include the Piranha Plant Power Slide Expansion Set and the Bowser’s Castle Boss Battle Expansion Set. The products all include modular builds, meaning that fans are in charge of creating exactly the LEGO level course they want to see Mario come to life in.

The launch also comes with a free LEGO Super Mario app by the LEGO Group, a supporting feature to further enhance the physical play experience. It keeps track of scores to encourage continuous rebuilding, as well as it provides digital building instructions with zoom and rotate viewing tools to make building easier, suggests other creative ways to build and play, and is a safe forum to share ideas with friends.

“We were thrilled to see the global reaction to news of LEGO Super Mario,” said Jonathan Bennink, digital design lead on LEGO Super Mario, the LEGO Group. “Fans have been keen to learn more, so I am pleased that today we were able to reveal more details about this exciting new collaboration that has led to a re-imagination of the LEGO building experience and an entirely new way to play inspired by the beloved video game icon, Super Mario. We can’t wait to see fans get creative and challenge each other with this highly engaging and social play experience.”

The full LEGO Super Mario assortment will launch Aug. 1st 2020, but fans can now pre-order the LEGO Super Mario Adventures with Mario Starter Course from today.

The recommended retail price for the Starter Course is £49.99, while the recommended retail price for the two expansion sets will be £24.99 for the Piranha Plant Power Slide Expansion Set and £89.99 for the Bowser’s Castle Boss Battle Expansion Set.

Universal Brand Development and LEGO unveil first Fast and Furious LEGO set

The LEGO Group and Universal Brand Development have unveiled the first LEGO set to be inspired by the global blockbuster franchise, Fast & Furious with the LEGO Technic Dom’s Dodge Charger.

The new build is a 1,077-piece replica of the film franchise’s fearless street racer Dominic Toretto’s 1970 Dodge Charger R/T, which promises to provide a new building challenge as fans gear up for the latest instalment in the Fast saga – F9, scheduled to hit theatres around the world beginning in April 2021.

Once the build is complete, fans can try out Dom’s cool stunts and recreate the daring high-speed chases from the Fast & Furious movies with the model. And when the streets need a rest, the model can be displayed in its famous wheel-stand position.

The authentic replica of Dom’s all-time favourite car is packed with the same realistic details seen in the films. Just like the full-size version, the hood of the LEGO Technic Dom’s Dodge Charger pops open to reveal the iconic V8 engine. Fans can fixing up the project as they build moving pistons, double wishbone suspension, a wheelie bar to show off the car’s best moves and (of course) put the nitro bottles in the trunk.

Inspired by the action-packed scenes from the Fast saga, the 1:13 scale LEGO Technic Dom’s Dodge Charger is designed for builders aged 10 and upwards. The set will be available to pre-order from 30 March from LEGO.com and to buy globally from 27 April 2020.

Samuel Tacchi, designer of LEGO Technic Dom’s Dodge Charger, said: “The high-octane action of the Fast & Furious franchise has captured the hearts and imaginations of petrol-heads the world over. We want to inspire people of all ages to explore their creativity through building whatever their passion is, and we know fans of LEGO Technic and the blockbuster franchise love cool cars and adrenaline-fuelled fun.

“Brought together by that same passion, we worked really closely with the Universal team to bring Dom’s Dodge Charger to life in the most minute detail to inspire Fast & Furious fans and LEGO Technic builders around the world.”

LEGO launches #letsbuildtogether and donates $50m to children in need in fight against coronavirus

The LEGO Group and LEGO Foundation have joined forces to address the critical needs of children as the globe continues to battle the COVID-19 pandemic, including a $50m donation to kids most in need and the launch of the #letsbuildtogether campaign.

The initiatives have been established to aid all children, from the most vulnerable in refugee camps and war-torn countries, to those currently waiting out a community quarantine.

The LEGO Foundation has donated $50m to support children in need and ensure they have access to learning through play. The donation will be split between three groups of partners, including Education Cannot Wait – a charity that provides education for children caught in emergencies; a selection of existing LEGO Foundation partners whose work is under pressure from COVID-19; and charity partners serving communities where the LEGO Group has a significant presence.

Niels B Christiansen, CEO, the LEGO Group, said: “We know it is difficult that children are away from their classrooms and their regular learning environments. We want to help parents and families do their best and we know that when children play, they learn.

“They learn life-long skills such as collaboration, communication and problem solving. We’re committed to continuing to support, develop and inspire children through this tumultuous time.”

John Goodwin, CEO, the LEGO Foundation, added: “We cannot let COVID-19 setback a generation of children. Research shows that while learning through play is vital for children’s psychological, emotional and cognitive health and development, it also hones the resilience they need to overcome adversity and build their futures.

“We must support all children, including the most vulnerable in society, to ensure they continue to have access to education and develop skills critical for them to thrive in a constantly changing world. We are honoured to be able to collaborate and support Education Cannot Wait and our other partners who are working extremely hard in unforgiving circumstances to bring education, hope and a future to the most vulnerable children.”

This latest donation adds to the $212 million in grants the LEGO Foundation has made during the past 18 months to bring learning through play to children affected by crises. This includes a US$100 million grant awarded to International Rescue Committee and its consortium of partners in December 2019; a $12.5 million grant awarded to Education Cannot Wait in September 2019 and US$100 million grant awarded to Sesame Workshop in December 2018.

Yasmine Sherif, Education Cannot Wait Director, said: “We are grateful that the LEGO Foundation has stepped forward as the first private sector partner to contribute to our COVID-19 response. This generous donation will allow Education Cannot Wait to scale up its support of a coordinated response among governments, UN agencies and civil society organisations to bring a glimmer of hope to children of all ages in the most crisis-affected countries in the world.

“Learning must continue in the midst of the pandemic. The LEGO Foundation’s commitment to learning through play is a shining example of what’s possible and we encourage more philanthropic, private sector and government donor partners to come forward.”

Meanwhile, LEGO has established a second initiative, inspired by the impact of the crisis on children’s education and following estimates from UNESCO that over 160 countries have implemented nationwide school closures during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Figures suggest that more than 1.5bn school-aged children are currently out of school.

To address this, LEGO has assembled its designers, STEM gurus, creatives, and play experts to come up with new ways to provide play-based learning ideas to children and parents. The firm hopes to alleviate some of the strain and stress for families while keeping children engaged and curious.

As a result, LEGO has developed its www.LEGO.com/letsbuildtogether and launched #letsbuildtogether across its social channels as a way to share building ideas, daily challenges set by LEGO designers, retro builds, and live build-a-longs with fans everywhere.

Play experts from the LEGO Foundation will also share ways to inspire learning through all types of play which will help children develop life-long skills such as critical thinking, creativity, and problem solving while out of school.

The hope is that while communities may not be able to meet physically, they can connect, share their creativity and inspire each other.

Julia Goldin, chief marketing officer, the LEGO Group, said: “We’ve been amazed by the creativity shown by children and adults around the world while they stay at home. We’re grateful for the calls, emails and messages from fans who say LEGO play is helping to comfort them.

“It’s more important than ever that we find ways to stay connected, supported and inspired in order to safeguard our health and wellbeing. Play is a great way to do this, and we want to support LEGO fans of all ages to build and play.

“The amazing team at the LEGO Group came up with the idea for #letsbuildtogether as a way to offer support and inspiration to parents as they face the challenge of keeping children engaged and educated at home while juggling their own work and wellbeing.” 

David Pallash, LEGO Play Agent, concluded: “With many parents worried about juggling work with childcare and schooling, play could be one of the easiest, and most fun ways of supporting a child’s education and development. Children say they learn best when activities feel like play, while nine in 10 parents feel that play helps their child develop key skills such as resilience, collaboration, creativity and communication.

“Not only is play essential to a child’s development, but it benefits the whole family too. Parents say that playing with their child is good for their own wellbeing and happiness and importantly in tough times, it also helps them relax and connect with their children.”

Nintendo helps LEGO reinvent its traditional building system with LEGO Super Mario

The LEGO Group and Nintendo have shed light on the teased partnership that got the rumour mills spinning at the start of this week with the reveal of a new building system that brings Super Mario into the physical LEGO world.

Neither a video game nor a traditional LEGO brick-based set, LEGO Super Mario is a new product line that features an interactive LEGO Mario figure who collects coins in real life game levels created with LEGO bricks, in a launch that ‘will allow kids to experience the world of Super Mario like never before.’

A press release from LEGO went on to explain that both LEGO and Nintendo “share a passion for innovation and play, and the collaboration has led to a re-imagination of the LEGO building experience.”

Super Mario will be brought to life in the physical LEGO world and new levels of challenge and styles of play will be part of the iconic LEGO experience enjoyed by generations.

The news was also shared in a video posted by the LEGO Group and Nintendo earlier today.

The video, which hints at what fans can expect when LEGO Super Mario launches later this year, shows a player using an interactive Mario figure to collect coins in a real-life game level that has been created with LEGO bricks.

“We are very excited to bring Mario into the physical world through interactive and social LEGO play,” said Julia Goldin, chief marketing officer, EVP of the LEGO Group. “With this experience we will help millions of kids with love for Mario to engage and play in a completely new way, where they are in control of creating and playing games with their favourite character. By seamlessly incorporating the latest digital technology, LEGO Super Mario is a highly social, interactive and collaborative experience for kids.”

Takashi Tezuka, executive officer and game producer of Nintendo Co, added: “I have always liked LEGO products and how they help children use their imagination to play. The new product we created together with the LEGO Group seeks to combine two different styles of play – one where you freely build the world of Mario and the other where you play with Mario in the very world that you have created.”

LEGO Super Mario will launch later this year, and more information will be made available in the future.

LEGO and PAW Patrol launch new audio content across Spotify, Amazon Music and more

LEGO is launching a library of new audio content across the biggest music and audio streaming platforms of today, including Spotify, Amazon Music, Audible, Apple music, and Deezer.

The new content will take the form of a series of audio plays set within LEGO’s worlds of LEGO Ninjago, LEGO Friends, and LEGO City. Each will give children the chance to listen to exciting new adventures based on the popular toy lines.

The LEGO content will be joined by a series of audio plays based on the hit PAW Patrol series.

The audio plays are aimed at children aged four to ten and allow the listener to enjoy the stories of the TV-episodes with the original voices, but with the added benefit of a narrator guiding the child through each scene.

‘The audio plays are a great incentive to encourage parents to have the headphones at the ready to reduce screen time but still keep the family entertained,’ read a statement from the firm behind the development of the audio plays, Universum Film, GmbH.

‘The captivating audio plays follow the missions of PAW Patrol six heroic puppies and their leader Ryder, the colourful adventures in Heartlake City with LEGO Friends, the exciting world of LEGO Ninjago, and the modern metropolis of LEGO City; perfect for school runs, play dates, family trips and bedtime.’

The launch arrives following studies that, according to Universum, reveal that comprehension, vocabulary, reading speed, and motivation are all positively impacted by audio content.