Mario (Super Mario) (World of Nintendo) Review

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Mario (Super Mario) (World of Nintendo) Review

Mario (Super Mario)
World of Nintendo (Jakks Pacific)In addition to Sonic, Jakks Pacific has been putting out a good Super Mario line, with great sculpts in two different scales, and plenty of accessories. The line started off as a general "World of Nintendo" line, focusing on various series, until Jakks realized Mario was the biggest seller and prioritized that. The figures drew me and my brother in from day one, and we got a few of them in its first year or so, and we've held onto most of them.

The World of Nintendo line followed a mostly uniform motif, but with different colors and stock art for each property. Mario had a red cardback motif, but the back was the same across figures, showing off the figure and articulation, alongside the figure's height (something we don't see on post-WoN release). The figure is easy to open and out, and the accessory is contained in a question block-shaped box, meant to be a "mystery" accessory. They eventually got rid of said gimmick and left the extra visible, likely to keep from confusing people that the accessory was different with each unit.

In the ten years since releasing their first Mario, Jakks has done multiple reissues and variants, and eventually an updated sculpt, but this one still holds up very well. Mario has his commonly-seen happy expression, and even if we got a redone version of this figure, it's very accurate to the official model at the time. The eyes are a little on the small side, or at least the sculpt seems that way due to the large pupils. The head is pretty solid plastic, and there's more paint here than I'm used to seeing on Jakks figures nowadays. The work on him is pretty clean, aside from a few small marks here and there.

Mario stands 4" tall, which is the standard scale for this line. As in, the figures are usually 4" tall, with no regards to scale between characters. Put him up next to the Link we got in the first wave and you'll see what I mean; the plumber is way too big next to him. They matched Mario's squat, cartoonish proportions well, complete with his signature blue overalls. The torso seems to be cast in blue plastic, with the shirt and buttons painted on, though there's uneven edges and the plastic showing through the paint. The shoes are also painted, and the work on them is better.

The Jakks Mario was released around the same time as the S.H. Figuarts Mario, so it's not the most articulated figure of the character, but it still moves well. Mario has a ball-jointed head, swivel/hinge shoulders, ball-jointed hips, hinged elbows and knees, and swivel wrists. The head is pretty limited due to the design, but you can manage some good arm and leg poses at least. His "mystery" accessory is a Super Mushroom, and the sculpt and paint on it are good, but like Mario himself, Jakks would eventually redo it to look better. Also, since Mario's hands are closed, he can't hold the Mushroom, so all it does is just sit there.

Jakks managed to put out a strong start to their Nintendo license, with great sculpts and details for the designs, albeit in inconsistent scales. They've improved quite a bit since that first wave, but with the work they managed to put out then, it's no wonder why they still have the license. And if you didn't get this initial release, they've made sure to keep Mario on shelves, and I may have to get the newer version some time.

- 1/11/25