Remember when you were a kid and you wanted all the Nintendo toys you could possibly own, but your parents wouldn’t buy them all for you? You’re now an adult, presumably with disposable income, and you are also now able to make your own purchasing decisions. Bandai Tamashi Nations knows this about you. Oh God, do they know this.
According to the Bluefin Tamashi Nations, the U.S. distributor for the popular action figure line that includes characters from Power Rangers, Mega Man, Dragonball Z, Sailor Moon, and Pretty Cure (I told ya, they’ve got that nostalgia market practically covered), S.H. Figuarts has acquired the rights to begin making fully articulated Mario action figures. So far, only Mario himself has been announced, but knowing the Figuarts line, there’ll be others down the road.
The Bandai Tamashii Nations S.H. Figuarts line is generally well known for decent quality action figures that won’t completely break the bank like the more expensive Figma might. As I’ve mentioned on our podcast in the past, I’ve been amassing the Sailor Moon series since they first began releasing them for the U.S. market under their “Bluefin” name back in October, and they do a pretty good job of turning what should be a very unstable, tiny female anime body into a solid-feeling, fully articulated 3D form. As a squat, more grounded character, Mario will probably have less of a hard time standing upright, but he still looks pretty posable judging by the promotional materials alone.
Unlike Bandai Tamashi Nation’s standard fare, it appears that Mario doesn’t come with a whole lot of interchangeable faces and hand casts. He does, however, come with an accessory set that includes a mushroom, question block, and gold coin. There’s also some bonus sets that have a bunch of giant pipes, a goomba, turtle shells, and other fun stuff, so you could conceivably create an entire SNES level’s worth of interactive dioramas for your little guy.
The above images from the Nuremberg Toy Fair first showed up on the Facebook page for Bluefin, so it’s probably a safe bet you’ll be able to buy Mario on Amazon or through other American-based toy portals rather than having to use a proxy shopping service in Japan. That makes the whole process much easier—trust me.
The toy will reportedly retail for ¥2,500 (or about $24.35), and each diorama set will be ¥2,000 ($19.48). All three are scheduled to be released in May, but it may be a month or so after that before it gets shipped to the U.S. for purchase here. I should know, I’m still waiting on a Sailor Mars figure that’s been in Japan since December, and don’t even get me started on Sailor Jupiter, because she’s not even ready for pre-order yet and—right. Hm. Yes. Mario.
(Tomopop via an anonymous tip, images via Bluefin Tamashii Nations)
- Hmm, wonder if Mario and the Twelfth Doctor would get along
- You can now buy “The Force” on eBay
- Does DC’s Nightwing trademark mean we’ll be getting figures of him, too?
