Mario Action Figures
The pudgy Italian plumber Mario has become one of the biggest, if not the biggest, video game stars. He has appeared in over 200 games of various genres, which have collectively sold over 200 million units. Mario has also appeared in a live-action/animated Saturday morning TV show, as well as a live action movie, Super Mario Brothers, in which he was played by Oscar-nominated actor Bob Hoskins. Of course, he has also appeared in a wide range of merchandise, including comic books, board games, trading cards and Mario action figures featuring Mario, his brother Luigi and other characters from the games.
One popular item for collectors of Mario action figures are those featuring Mario himself. The 4.5” Mario poseable toy is collectible because it is a variant edition that has Mario with a white cap and red M initial rather than his more familiar red one. It is made of solid PVC vinyl and features multiple points of articulation. It can be paired with the New Super Mario Brothers Green Yoshi figure. Like Mario, Yoshi stands 4.5” high and is fully poseable. You can even show Mario riding on Yoshi, just like he does on the video game, on your display shelf.
Collectors who are into miniature Mario action figures will want the Nintendo Super Mario Brothers Action Figure set from Japanese toy manufacturer Banpresto. The set features Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, Toad, Yoshi and Donkey Kong (Mario made his debut in the Donkey Kong game, where he was known as Jumpman). The set features highly detailed renderings of the characters and stand one to two inches in height. They make a perfect complement to the larger Mario figures.
Of course, no Mario toy collection would be complete without some of Mario’s antagonists. Wario is Mario’s evil counterpart from the Super Mario Land 2 game, who nearly took over Mario Land while Mario was away. The Nintendo Super Mario Brothers Wario figure stands around 5” high and features a rendering of the character in his Mario get-up but with an evil sneer on his face. But Mario’s ultimate archenemy is Bowser, aka King Koopa, who has appeared in nearly every Mario game and was also featured in the Super Mario Brothers movie. The Super Mario Brothers Koopa figure stands 4-1/2” tall. Both figures are made of PVC and feature multiple points of articulation, so you can have them team up to menace Mario and his brother Luigi.
US $.01
