Nintendo and Lego are now collaborating and they’ve come out to reveal new Super Mario themed Lego sets. But they’re no ordinary Legos, as these are designed to combine the traditional building of Legos, with digital technology. Essentially, they’ve created Mario in-real-life, the platformer now can be played in a physical world, making for a new kind of video game/toy experience.

The new Super Mario set is “neither a video game not a traditional Lego brick-based set”. It’s a new product line that features an interactive Lego Mario figure, who collects coins in real-life game levels made by Lego bricks. The set uses the Lego Mario figure, which has a built in LED display, and some form of NFC-type technology to interact with the some special bricks to get you through the level.

All I know is, if these were around when I was a kid, I know I would’ve pestered my parents endlessly to get me a set. I probably would’ve broken it very quickly, but it’d all be worth it (to me anyways). It’s a nice alternative if you as a parent weren’t keen on your kids playing video games endlessly, but still want them to experience Mario. I know the Super Mario games were a big hit when I was a kid, so I can understand the sentiment. The Super Mario Lego sets are set to launch later in the year, but we still don’t have details what the sets will include, or how much it’ll cost you. Assuming the added complexity of this one, it might be a higher price point. But we’ll keep you updated on when they officially announce it.