I asked the Lego Super Mario designer Jonathan Bennink about the absence of Luigi in my interview with him the other day. His response was ‘I can’t talk about anything!’, which to me suggests there might be plans – however tentative – to add Luigi to the Lego Super Mario range at some point in the future.

Now that I’ve had a chance to play with the Lego Super Mario sets myself, I’ve realised that they’re essentially designed around competitive multiplayer, with players taking it in turns to collect coins and beat the previous high score. So it would make total sense to introduce simultaneous multiplayer, with a second person controlling an electronic Luigi.

Having two players competing to land on the most valuable coin-giving blocks would be an absolute riot, so I’m certain it must be in Lego and Nintendo’s plans. But then again, a Lego Luigi would be expensive. The Mario Starter Course is £50 yet only includes 231 pieces, so a big chunk of this price tag is made up by Mario himself. I wonder whether the companies are waiting to see whether Lego Super Mario is popular before committing to creating another expensive electronic toy.

I think there’s a good chance we’ll see an electronic Lego Luigi at some point though. Although I’m not convinced that Lego Super Mario has truly lasting appeal in its current form, adding a second player could make it much more appealing. And the sets seem to be flying off the shelves: four of the most expensive Lego Super Mario expansions, including the £90 Bowser’s Castle, are currently sold out on lego.com in the UK, just days after release. That success bodes well for the introduction of a pricey electronic Luigi at some point down the line.

---

Follow A Most Agreeable Pastime on Twitter: @MostAgreeable