 It's finally happening. After years of discussion and speculation, the LEGO group and Nintendo are teaming up to provide the world with Super Mario LEGO, the Get Super Smash Brothers. This right here is the most difficult, improbable crossover in gaming history. With Nintendo LEGO, it's not hard to figure out why this crossover is happening. It's Nintendo LEGO. It's wonderfully obvious. Instead, what's more fascinating is why we didn't get Mario LEGO sooner. This tale stretches back decades, to a time before Nintendo even made computer games, and a healthy bit of copyright infringement that set the two companies at odds. First off, let's address the simple question. Why has there not been any Mario LEGO before? We already have Sonic the Hedgehog LEGO. There's Minecraft LEGO, Overwatch LEGO, even Portal LEGO. Surely Nintendo LEGO would make a lot of sense. And yet, there have been several extenuating circumstances stopping this collaboration from happening. In 2012, LEGO introduced what would eventually be known as LEGO Ideas, an online community where fans can propose and support new ideas for LEGO sets. If a proposal gets over 10,000 supporters, LEGO will consider releasing it as an official set. The first fan set to be made was a licensed Back to the Future DeLorean, and licensed sets have been common on the site ever since. Several times, LEGO fans have proposed Nintendo licensed sets. Every time LEGO has given an excuse for why these can't be made. In 2012, Mingles suggested a set based on the Legend of Zelda, which would feature custom Link, Zelda and Ganondorf minifigures. The set got over 10,000 supporters, so it seemed like it would be made, but LEGO shut it down. There were too many new moulded pieces, LEGO claimed. The set would be too costly to produce. Not to be deterred, Mingles set up his own online store 3D printing the pieces people would need to build his set. You can buy a LEGO Master Sword from him, and while it's a bit pricey, there's no denying, it's amazing. Over the past few years, many other Zelda LEGO Ideas have earned over 10,000 supporters, but LEGO has shut them down each time. Nevertheless, with every rejection, LEGO has encouraged fans to keep submitting additional ideas for Zelda sets. Indeed, one set based on Breath of the Wild, currently under review from LEGO, received a staff pick on the LEGO Ideas website, which does bode well. It's clear that at least someone at LEGO wants to make a Zelda set happen, even if fan creations keep getting rejected. The same is not true of Pokemon and Mario LEGO sets. LEGO has, in the past, flat out refused to allow fans to submit sets based on these brands. In 2014, a LEGO set called Pikachu's Pokemon Centre Visit was removed from active voting after earning just over a thousand supporters. In an official response, LEGO made it clear that this set was legally impossible. The official comment said, We've looked into the possibility of producing a set based on this licensed property, Pokemon. Since the property is owned by a competitor, we've decided it's neither a brand fit nor a strategic fit for the LEGO Group to pursue a license, and so we will not consider Pokemon projects on LEGO Ideas further. We are sorry to be the bearers of this disappointing news. The problem here appears to be that the license for Pokemon toys belongs to LEGO's competitor, which produces the dreaded Mega Blocks range of LEGO knock-off bricks. If there's one thing that LEGO hates, it's unofficial bricks that are compatible with their own products. LEGO typically sues anyone who, like Mega Blocks, creates fake LEGO. What's really funny is that LEGO almost always loses these lawsuits. At present, many elements of the LEGO brick design are considered to be within the public domain, so get ready for the plot twist. These companies that have made fake LEGO bricks? One of them is Nintendo. Back in 1968, before Nintendo had even made a video game, the company was experimenting in the toy market. This led to the creation of the Nintendo NMB Blocks. These were compatible with LEGO, but notably came in circular designs, so that children could make curved creations like spaceships without them looking too blocky. A TV commercial for NMB Blocks even poked fun at LEGO, as Nintendo claimed that their blocks were superior. These fake LEGO blocks were available across Japan until 1972, at which point the toy range disappeared entirely. The anecdotal sources claim that LEGO sued Nintendo to force them to stop, but I've not been able to find any concrete evidence of this, so take that with a grain of salt. Nevertheless, it wouldn't be surprising, considering how protective LEGO is of their iconic toy design. Regardless, LEGO and Nintendo have clearly patched up their relationship in the decades that followed. LEGO games routinely release on Nintendo platforms, including the impressive Toys To Life title LEGO Dimensions, which allows Sonic the Hedgehog to go to Hogwarts. He does that a lot in our house, the fanfic you never knew you needed in your life. All of this leads us to Super Mario LEGO, which is apparently now a thing. It hasn't been for a long time. All the way back in 2012, even before LEGO rejected Mingle's Zelda idea, the company had banned discussion of Mario LEGO. LEGO fan Rageroo posted a design for a Super Mario Brothers themed LEGO set online, and it managed to get 1,185 supporters before LEGO took it down. The company's explanation? As we are huge Super Mario fans, it pains us to say we've looked into the licensing potential and another company has the construction toy license. We will not consider Super Mario Brothers further. The challenge with allowing IP-related projects is that there is the potential of such a conflict, either with an existing license or with a competitive licensor. Still, it's our view that it is better to be open and allow for possibilities, knowing there will be no answers along the way, than shut out the potential of IP-based products altogether. As with Pokemon, Nintendo had already licensed Mario to one of LEGO's competitors. The branding question appears to be Kinex, which is, let's be honest, a bit rubbish. Apparently now LEGO and Nintendo have found a way to make a brand deal work out, and the company's mascot will finally debut in block form. Considering that LEGO is planning a lot of different Mario sets, this is likely a partnership that's going to be around for a long time to come. We could even finally see LEGO Zelda in the near future too. The moral of the story is simple. Collaborations can be fun. Everything is better if we stick together. Everything is cool when you're part of a team. With Mario LEGO on the horizon? Everything is awesome!