Lego and Nintendo have announced a joint product named Lego Super Mario, which combines the toy maker’s playsets with the gameplay of the Mario platformers. Although Lego has collaborated with other video game franchises in the past, such as Sonic the Hedgehog, this is the first time Mario has appeared in Lego form. Lego Super Mario is being described as a product line rather than one-off. The Lego Super Mario sets seem to be aimed at a younger crowd, of around five- to nine-year-olds. Lego is betting big on physical stores despite falling demand in the wider toy market. It plans to open 150 branded shops around the world in 2020, having opened the same amount last year. Lego's chief executive, Niels Christiansen, told the BBC that he "wanted people to get their hands on bricks and be a part of the brand". The company estimates that the global toy market shrank by 3% in 2019.
