Welcome to Nintendo Zone, a new monthly column at GameZone that takes a deeper look at the world of all things Nintendo. In my debut entry, I’ll examine the world of Nintendo collectibles – from figures, key chains and a Christmas ornament to imported goodies, Club Nintendo bonuses, and stuff you’ve probably never seen before. First up, an import that will make every Mario fan drool:
Known as PVC figures, these awesome collectibles re-create the beauty of the original Super Mario Bros. The dimensional detail is incredible; it makes me wish that Nintendo would develop a Mario game with a similar appearance. Imagine the thrill of having 2D gameplay combined with pseudo-3D visuals and popped-out pixels (similar to 3D Dot Game Heroes).
My name (Louis) is Luigi in Italian, and I went to school with a guy named Mario. In film class, we asked a pretty girl to star in one of our shorts, and she was a real Peach about the whole thing.
Next up: an amazing collectible from USAopoly:
Yes! A Mario chess set!
Even if you don’t like chess, how can you not love this version? The detail is unbelievable.
Bowser just loves to be surrounded by his pawns. In chess, his pawns are coins, which he also loves. Basically, he’s having the best day ever.
No, this isn’t how the game is played, but I thought it looked really cool.
Ever since Bowser hit the chess scene, Goomba violence has increased 100%.
“We are gathered here today to unite this man and this woman in holy matrimony…”
I think he’s outnumbered.
Baby Bowser: too cool for school or a bad replacement for Bowser’s whiny kids? You decide.
The Mario chess set was released domestically last fall in limited supply. You should still be able to find it on Amazon, but don’t bother with GameStop; for some crazy reason the world’s biggest video game retailer neglected to sell it online or in store.
This next item, however, might not be as easy to find:
Offered to Club Nintendo members as a bonus for reaching Platinum status, this Mario hat is not a Club Nintendo exclusive. But I don’t know of any retailers that carry it.
For those who earn and are willing to part with a whopping 800 coins, Club Nintendo members can also purchase a Hanafuda card set:
This set is based on the playing cards that Nintendo used to make before it became a video game publisher and developer. Yes, gamers, Nintendo used to be in the business of card manufacturing! FYI: Sega has an equally unlikely past. The company used to make toys (such as helicopters and other things that appealed to young boys) that could be stuffed into plastic cards that were about a half an inch thick. But none of Sega’s trinkets can compare to these:
Oh no! Not more instructions! I hate instruction booklets!
The Club Nintendo logo is the new seal of quality.
Beautiful, aren’t they?
Three mushrooms walk into a bar and the 1up says… (Domestic item.)
These stockings are great stocking stuffers! No, seriously. They’re small. (Domestic item.)
Once a Japanese-exclusive, this Toad and Peach Christmas ornament made its way to America last fall. Sadly, the Mario ornament (he’s wearing a Santa hat and sitting in a pipe!) is MIA.
Mario makes anything cool – even key chains. (Note: The mushroom and NES controller key chains were released domestically, but the question mark block is supposedly an import.)
That’s it for this month’s Nintendo Zone. For more collectibles and all things Nintendo, stay tuned to GameZone.com for future installments.
And for those of you wondering what the 1up mushroom told the bartender, he said, “Get a life!”
All photos by Louis Bedigian.
