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Fan-designed LEGO Super Mario Donkey Kong sets lean into retro designs

LEGO Super Mario is getting Donkey Kong later this year and though the details have yet to be revealed, fan-designed expansions are abundant.

As revealed on MAR10 Day, Donkey Kong is coming to LEGO Super Mario in the summer of 2023. Nothing more has been revealed aside from an image of his figure, which seats Mario, Luigi or Beach on his back.

Given the existing LEGO Super Mario range, Donkey Kong seems likely to be included in a larger set rather than as a standalone figure, similar to the Poltergust accessory in 71397 Luigi’s Mansion Lab and Poltergust.

While that’s only speculation based on previous releases, Bennie Bricks has not one but two custom builds exploring how Donkey Kong could be integrated into LEGO Super Mario, from long before the official reveal.

From over a year before MAR10 Day 2023 – March 10 – their first model is based on the original arcade level with girders, ladders and rolling barrels. The second is inspired by The Super Mario Bros. Movie and was shared around three months ago, still featuring the iconic red girders but based on their appearance in the film.

As both designs are from before the reveal, they depict Donkey Kong as an enemy rather than an ally for Mario, Luigi and Peach to team up with. That assumption is fair given Donkey Kong’s history with Mario, though we now know that will not necessarily be the case in LEGO Super Mario.

However, the rest of these custom expansions present an interesting opportunity for the LEGO Super Mario design team to reference a classic aspect of the franchise – the arcade level – rather than Donkey Kong’s modern landscape of trees, bananas and minecarts.

Whatever form Donkey Kong’s potential set takes in LEGO Super Mario, the character is making his LEGO debut this summer with further details yet to be revealed. Rumours suggest that six sets are coming later this year, though these have yet to be confirmed by the LEGO Group so take them with caution.