Super Mario

Back in the early 90’s McDonalds had this amazing Super Mario commercial.  It started off inside of a McDonalds restaurant, and little kids were eating when suddenly the characters from Super Mario appeared.  Then the little kids chased after then and tried to catch them.  The commercial ended with a voice saying something like, ‘Super Mario toys now available inside of Happy Meals.’  This commercial blew my mind because it was the first time I had seen Mario as a computer generated image.  Back in those days, it was so advanced and the characters looked so real.

Unfortunately I was unable to get a toy back then.  I think it was because it only released in the US, and not Canada.  Anyway, since that time I have always dreamt of owning a Super Mario toy that looked like that computer generated image.  Luckily we now live in a time when the toy industry is booming and you can find a toy from almost any subject.  So you can now imagine how excited I was when I first noticed that Super Mario toys were being made by Banpresto.  I did wait a few years to buy some because retail was $12 to $14, and I bought my Mario at $8 on sale.

Overall I am 100% impressed with the toy sculpt; it looks exactly like the Mario I have always loved.  And while the only articulation you will get from this toy is the arms, I am still satisfied because I plan on just showcasing him on a desk or table.  Unfortunately there are a few drawbacks about this toy.  The first is the paint job, it’s very hard to find a figure with even a decent paint job.  Most of them have paint going all over the place; didn’t the painters ever learn to paint within the lines?  The second drawback is that Mario’s hat isn’t painted, so over time the redness of the hat does tend to fade.  I noticed this because the first release versions of this toy, are now faded.  While these are usually reasons for me not to want to buy a toy, this being a Mario figure I still believe people should add them to their collection.  (And plan on buying some touch-up paint as well)

Nintendo:

www.nintendo.com

YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k1qfB-PcWW8