Wahoo! After years of being able to buy Mario-themed LEGO sets, the LEGO company is finally offering something even better: the LEGO Mario Kart While a Lego-themed Mario Kart game has not yet been released, Lego is offering the opportunity to build a Mario Kart circuit and race with the characters from the game

Lego announced six Mario Kart sets at Gamescom and confirmed that they will hit store shelves on January 1, 2025 Prices range from $15 to $80, and each set comes with at least one character and vehicle from the Mario Kart series

Unfortunately, the adult versions of Mario and Luigi will not come with these sets, but the two existing Lego versions (and Princess Peach) are compatible with the new carts On top of that, Baby Mario, Baby Luigi, and Baby Peach will also be added For those who have played “Yoshi's Island” for too long, though, this may be a drawback Thankfully, this plastic version doesn't cry incessantly

The Lego Mario and crew figures are pretty blocky, but Lego promises this will add audio and visual effects to the race Hopefully, they will also be able to use classic sound effects from the game Because it wouldn't be real Mario Kart without the classic start countdown and the wave of anxiety when you realize the blue shell is coming straight at you

The idea is that you can customize your own cart and course, just like the Super Mario set This is something that can't be done in a Mario Kart video game, and probably won't be done until Nintendo releases a Mario Kart-centric version of Mario Maker

The cheapest set is the $15 Yoshi Bike, which features a Blue Yoshi figure on a bike and various track accessories like a red shell The regular cart set costs $20 and includes the mechanic Toad Toad does not appear to be able to drive, and based on its size, this cart seems to be intended for the adult Mario-like crowd

Donkey Kong and DK Jumbo are $35, and Baby Mario vs Baby Luigi is $30 Toad's Garage is $40 and allows you to officially assemble and customize your cart like a real mechanic The set includes two more toads, but again, they are not meant to be driven At this point, one has to wonder what the toads did to be relegated to the sidelines in this way

Finally, there is the $80 Baby Peach & Grand Prix set, which includes the official starting line for Lego Mario Kart Adventure It also comes with two more karts, a motorcycle, Remy the Koopa, Baby Peach, and another toad Apparently, this is the only resident of the Mushroom Kingdom who still has a valid driver's license

It's a shame that LEGO Mario Kart won't be available in time for the holiday season, but at least now we can start the New Year with a flourish Especially when a green cannonball knocks his brother's cart off the track and into the endless void below