New LEGO Super Mario reveal might belong in a different theme

The latest addition to the LEGO Super Mario theme might have more features in common with a completely different theme.

In a surprise reveal, the LEGO Group just officially launched LEGO Super Mario 71426 Piranha Plant – a brick-built replica of the carnivorous plants that are always trying to chow down on Mario and the gang. While it has very clearly come straight out of a Super Mario gang, we can’t help but spot more similarities with a very different theme: the Botanical Collection.

Not only is 71426 Piranha Plant an 18+ set (for reasons we can’t quite work out other than it’s a display-focused model, unless there’s some tricky building techniques hidden in the pot), but the price of £57.99 / $59.99 / €64.99 is also in line with what we’ve come to expect from the Botanical Collection sets. The most expensive set from the sub-theme is 10289 Bird of Paradise at £89.99 / $99.99 / €99.99, but most in the theme sit around the £54.99 / $59.99 / €59.99 – much like 71426 Piranha Plant.

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What’s more, 71426 Piranha Plant offers limited play functionality, with only small posable options and no interaction with other sets from the LEGO Super Mario theme. This makes it a rarity among its own theme; even 71411 The Mighty Bowser is compatible with the Starter Courses and Expansion Sets from LEGO Super Mario.

Instead, 71426 Piranha Plant’s main appeal appears to be largely aesthetic. While you can slot coins into the pot (piggybank possibilities?), the focus of the set is clearly for display, being compact, colourful, and ideal to perch on a shelf – perhaps as a slightly nerdy companion to other LEGO Botanical sets.

With every current LEGO Super Mario set retiring in 2024, this could mark a new beginning for the theme. Rumours for 2024 releases certainly suggest that there are changes on the way, so if the LEGO Group is starting as they mean to go on, perhaps 71426 Piranha Plant could be the first in a line of mid-range collectible display sets, much like the LEGO Star Wars and Marvel helmet sets.

Of course, that’s all speculation for now; we’ll have to wait for official confirmation from the LEGO Group to know what’s in store for LEGO Super Mario. For now, we’ll get back to watering our brick-built plants in preparation for the new addition, coming on November 6.

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