Super Mario 2020 - Rumors & Discussion

[Modeltrainman]

42 minutes ago, Lego-Freak said:

I think that depends heavily on what 71380 actually is  If it's a Luigi starter pack, then I would assume that at least one of the power-ups will be for him 

Wouldn't they all be for Luigi? But, then, wouldn't it more or less be the same as what we got? Is Luigi that different, playstyle-wise?

 

[BigGuy4U]

14 minutes ago, Modeltrainman said:

Wouldn't they all be for Luigi? But, then, wouldn't it more or less be the same as what we got? Is Luigi that different, playstyle-wise?

In the games Luigi usually has higher jumps and poorer traction compared to Mario, though of course for Lego Super Mario that's irrelevant. Cosmetically, the power-ups we already have wouldn't match Luigi though. If he is coming and the power-ups are for him, it'll either have to be new versions of the old power-ups for him, or new power-ups that consequently won't match Mario instead. Of course, there's also the possibility that we aren't getting Luigi at all this wave, or we get him but the power-ups all match Mario anyway.

[danth]

This theme seems to be an absolute disaster.

The sets are warming the shelves in all the stores around me. Nobody wants them.

Except for the ones that actually have the figures, which are nowhere to be found.

This, of course, should surprise nobody. I wouldn't want to be the exec responsible for this. I'm sure this was a giant money loser.

Like, how do you sell themed sets without the main characters that everyone loves? It's mindbogglingly stupid.

[BrickBob Studpants]

1 hour ago, danth said:

This theme seems to be an absolute disaster.

The sets are warming the shelves in all the stores around me. Nobody wants them.

Except for the ones that actually have the figures, which are nowhere to be found.

This, of course, should surprise nobody. I wouldn't want to be the exec responsible for this. I'm sure this was a giant money loser.

Like, how do you sell themed sets without the main characters that everyone loves? It's mindbogglingly stupid.

Declaring a theme a failure after less than two months  (and before Christmas) based on the vast dataset of N=1... There's extrapolation, and then there's this  Hm, it's almost as if you desperately want this theme to fail 

[danth]

2 minutes ago, Lego-Freak said:

Declaring a theme a failure after less than two months  (and before Christmas) based on the vast dataset of N=1... There's extrapolation, and then there's this  Hm, it's almost as if you desperately want this theme to fail 

I mean, I could have predicted this before seeing the store shelves had I known that most sets wouldn't even have Mario or another main character in them. I mean, they literally show a "ghost" Mario on the box! Like, "Yeah, we know Mario should be in this set, but he's not, so here's what it should look like. Deal with it!"

I don't want the theme to fail, I just refuse to give a pass to the abject lunacy of trying to sell a character based property without the characters.

Can you imagine if Lego tried to sell Marvel sets, but without the minifigures? Instead just a "ghost" picture of the intended minifigs on the box? And then you can't even find the minifigs in stores?

[PenPlays]

2 hours ago, danth said:

This theme seems to be an absolute disaster.

The sets are warming the shelves in all the stores around me. Nobody wants them.

Except for the ones that actually have the figures, which are nowhere to be found.

This, of course, should surprise nobody. I wouldn't want to be the exec responsible for this. I'm sure this was a giant money loser.

Like, how do you sell themed sets without the main characters that everyone loves? It's mindbogglingly stupid.

Where do you live lol?

Stock is being restocked and constantly changing everywhere I regularly shop. Lest we forget that more than half the line is out of stock with no return date on LEGO's website (which is good for LEGO, but bad for consumers who are demanding).

[Flak Maniak]

So wait, if the actual Mario-bearing set is constantly out of stock... That's a good omen for the theme. It means there IS this high demand, and Lego's failing to meet it. (Either by underestimating the demand for Mario himself, or by COVID-related manufacturing disruption...)

[danth]

9 hours ago, Flak Maniak said:

So wait, if the actual Mario-bearing set is constantly out of stock... That's a good omen for the theme. It means there IS this high demand, and Lego's failing to meet it. (Either by underestimating the demand for Mario himself, or by COVID-related manufacturing disruption...)

Oh I'm sure there is high demand for Mario himself, and other main characters. But he's only in one set.

It's all the accessory and big location sets that are warming the shelves. Like, who's going to buy any of that stuff if they can't get Mario? Or can't afford the big set he's in?

[Fenghuang0296]

Ooh! Everyone, Toad’s Special Hideaway finally leaked and it is gorgeous! Do we know anything about availability? I want this one!

[BrickBob Studpants]

14 minutes ago, Fenghuang0296 said:

Ooh! Everyone, Toad’s Special Hideaway finally leaked and it is gorgeous! Do we know anything about availability? I want this one!

I want it too, but this is going to be an expensive one I'm afraid...  IIRC, it was supposed to be a SDCC exclusive, so it was probably produced in limited capacity only (plus it says 'limited edition' right on the box). 

[jonwil]

I think you can look to the Bespin Duel star wars set as a guide to what is likely to happen with the Toad's Special Hideaway set.

Both are limited edition sets produced for a con of some sort and it seems that both will be available in limited quantities.

It also appears from the pictures that (like the Bespin Duel) there are no parts in the set that are exclusive to it

 

 

[Borex]

Yeah, i don’t like those exclusive sets. Even though you can get the parts from different sets (or from only one other set). It’s a cheaper way to get Toad, if you only want him, so it’s an unfair method for customers. 
I, myself would like the Toad and Toadette set, but i just don’t like that some parts of the world are more privileged in buying exclusive sets. 
The Bespin set felt even worse, because of the good figures in an affordable price-range, and a great build.

Also i was at a Lego Store a few months ago where i couldn’t get the exclusive instore set that was given for free with the starters set (which i of course already had). They wouldn’t give it to me even if i wanted to pay for it, or if i bought a more expensive set. 

[Lyichir]

The Toad's Hideaway set is cute! Doesn't seem to have any legitimately exclusive contents, making it not too big a deal to miss out on, but it does vary its contents a little from the other sets, for instance by adding a small fence for scenery and adding a chimney to the Toad house, which are some great ideas that could also be applied to custom courses.

On 9/27/2020 at 6:24 AM, Borex said:

Yeah, i don’t like those exclusive sets. Even though you can get the parts from different sets (or from only one other set). It’s a cheaper way to get Toad, if you only want him, so it’s an unfair method for customers. 
I, myself would like the Toad and Toadette set, but i just don’t like that some parts of the world are more privileged in buying exclusive sets. 
The Bespin set felt even worse, because of the good figures in an affordable price-range, and a great build.

Also i was at a Lego Store a few months ago where i couldn’t get the exclusive instore set that was given for free with the starters set (which i of course already had). They wouldn’t give it to me even if i wanted to pay for it, or if i bought a more expensive set. 

Convention exclusives are in a weird place in this year when all major conventions have been cancelled, but I don't really see the merit in complaining about a set like this with no exclusive contents just because it isn't "fair" that fewer people can get it. The thing about a set like this is that if it hadn't been produced as a limited series for a convention, it probably wouldn't have been produced at all. Cutting a limited-edition set wouldn't and couldn't magically free up resources to produce the same thing in a much greater quantity, and the fact that this set doesn't have any exclusive contents would probably mean that producing and selling it on a wider scale would mostly only serve to cannibalize sales of the larger Toad's Treasure Hunt set. Nobody would be better off by this set not existing, there'd just be one less option for people who do get the chance to obtain it.
 

[Azani]

On 9/25/2020 at 3:08 PM, Lego-Freak said:

Declaring a theme a failure after less than two months  (and before Christmas) based on the vast dataset of N=1... There's extrapolation, and then there's this  Hm, it's almost as if you desperately want this theme to fail 

On point, particularly in light of the illuminating statistical insinuation; as I like to state here on EB and on a handful of other fan and hobbyist-oriented forums; anecdotal "evidence" is not evidence.

I understand from the folks who I have discussed this with that LEGO Super Mario has been selling at a level that is vaguely in line with the expectations that TLG had going into the experiment, to canvass with the analogy that many used when we first learned, unequivocally, as to what the mysterious big project known as "Leaf" would be at mass market. Now, in my opinion, the line does suffer from a litany of inherent flaws, and I haben't personally bought any of the sets fir my own enjoyment, but certain family members seem to be enjoying them quite a bit, even before the holidays. One more anecdote for the discourse at hand.

Were the line a serious monetary investment for an individual, it would be easier to declare it a failure out of hand... but it isn't, particularly if you are a seven-year-old with the application. I doubt that many parents or persons in analogous positions are buying multiple "expansion sets" or "power-up packs", and that's probably perfectly alright from a TLG exec's perspective, after considering the profit margin on 71360.

The conjecture that 71380 is an "Adventures with Luigi Starter Course" is almost a given, unless there's a novel environment for Mario that is visually and kinetically distinct enough to warrant purchase; perhaps a colorful spin on a classic "Super Mario" venue such as Bowser's lair or Peach's castle could bring in new buyers. At $59.99, the visuals and functions, both Technic and SYSTEM based, should be more impressive than those on the little 71360 that had myriad selling points to "prop it up".

 

 

[Fuppylodders]

I'll be honest, I'm glad it's doing ok, apparantly. Because while i give zero care for anything out at the moment, I'm just hoping to dear god they bring out minifigure stuff otherwise it just feels like a kick in the balls

[nintendude64]

The Toad's Secret Hideaway set is now available on the U.S. website for $19.99.

It's a decent little set, but not sure I am going to buy it personally.

[BrickWild]

71374 is still 'Temporarily Out Of Stock at the Australian SAH.

https://www.lego.com/en-au/product/nintendo-entertainment-system-71374

Edited October 2, 2020 by BrickWild

[jonwil]

If you are lucky enough to live here in Sunny Queensland and can get there, the Robina Town Centre LEGO shore has plenty of stock of the NES (or did as of yesterday at least :)

 

[Lyichir]

Finally picked up the Starter Pack and multiple other sets yesterday. I built the starter pack and am quite impressed so far, though it did reinforce my need to tidy up a little more—you really do need a big open space to play with these, an issue that I suspect will only get more apparent once I build more of the sets and link them together. The little TV tray that I was building on sufficed for the build itself but was disastrous when I tried to play a round, since the toppling tower fell off the side and its segments and Bowser Jr. fell far out of reach.

Having more of them in hand, I still adore the brick-built enemies and the new molds that enable them, which seem wonderfully versatile. Can't wait to see what they come up with for next year!

[Dragunov2]

On 9/27/2020 at 12:58 AM, Fenghuang0296 said:

Ooh! Everyone, Toad’s Special Hideaway finally leaked and it is gorgeous! Do we know anything about availability? I want this one!

Figure is jus the same, same with the tile, so if u bought the other box, then u can just add the new set to the app by scanning the tile and buy all the pieces yourself, there is nothing new about this set...

[JintaiZ]

On 9/25/2020 at 3:23 PM, danth said:

This theme seems to be an absolute disaster.

The sets are warming the shelves in all the stores around me. Nobody wants them.

Except for the ones that actually have the figures, which are nowhere to be found.

This, of course, should surprise nobody. I wouldn't want to be the exec responsible for this. I'm sure this was a giant money loser.

Like, how do you sell themed sets without the main characters that everyone loves? It's mindbogglingly stupid.

Well... I figured that TLG had enough stock this time...

[jonwil]

Where I am here in Brisbane, QLD, there seems to be reasonable stock levels in store of the entire line including the starter pack.

 

[Lyichir]

Since nobody's mentioned it here yet... the Lego Super Mario app recently updated, with a Halloween-themed firmware update for Lego Mario: https://ramblingbrick.com/2020/10/17/lego-super-mario-halloween-haunting/

The new update allows you to play a different "game mode" by scanning a ghost figure like Boo, King Boo, and Peepa directly before scanning the start tile. The new mode functions sort of like the playground game "red light, green light", with a Boo appearing on-screen that will occasionally reveal its face and look at the player. If Mario moves while the Boo is watching, he gets penalized by not being able to collect coins temporarily, but if you keep him still until Boo turns away again he gets a coin bonus. While this is the first mode to utilize the phone screen while playing, you don't have to watch the screen—when Boo turns to face you Mario's music stops, his face displays a concerned expression, and an exclamation point appears on his chest.

It's a neat little change of pace from the regular gameplay, and I kind of hope the "shy-faced Boo" from the app screen appears in a set at some point! It also raises the possibility of similar seasonally-themed updates being released in the future.

Edited October 18, 2020 by Lyichir

[The_Fiery_Rooster]

Another thing about the update, you don't need a ghost to do it, you can activate in the app instead! I like that, as it doesn't shut out everyone who doesn't have those sets, but also allows for some extra interactivity with existing parts and enemies. Also, the app says there are more challenges in the future, I'm glad they can try more creative things with this technology. I wonder if something like this will be used for two-player with Luigi?

[BrickWild]

I finally got 71374 this week!

And I've made a few improvements, including AV cables and a few extra pieces on the top part of the TV screen section to prevent 'snagging' of the scrolling background!