Jakks Pacific World of Nintendo Jakks Giants Mario Action Figure Jakks Pacific, 2015
Day #1,369: February 2, 2016
World of Nintendo Jakks Giants Mario Action Figure The First Giant for Nintendo
World of Nintendo 20-inch Scale Action Figures
Item No.: No. 78254 Manufacturer:Jakks Pacific Includes:n/a Action Feature:n/a Retail:$29.99 Availability:???? 2014 Other:From... take your pick
With their oversized figure format and Nintendo license, the Jakks Giants Mario was a given as where that license started - we've also seen Link in circulation. A Fire Mario repaint is also available (I've not seen it in person yet) and I'm hoping we see more of the big guys. The giants like this trade articulation (as seem on the smaller figures) for size at a pretty decent price trade-off. $10 for a 4-inch, super-articulated figure or $30 for a 20-inch, somewhat articulated figure... obviously you don't need both but there's something to be said for a cheap monument.
Mario is pretty bulky thanks to his considerable heft and portly proportions. His packaging comes in taking much more shelf space than other similarly tall Jakks toys, which is maybe why I don't seem to see as many around these days - it seemed to come and go rather quickly. Once removed from the tray he stands rather easily thanks to big feet and a mostly hollow build. You'll notice screws on the back of the fairly underdetailed arms, but it's worth the shoulders rotate and move laterally - so you can have him "wave" if you like. His wrists swivel, too, which is pretty decent for a big, cheap figure.
There aren't many other moving parts - the hips rotate a tiny bit, but mostly just enough to keep him standing upright. He won't be doing much sitting. The neck also rotates, but that's sort of normal on any decent action figure. He's unable to look up, but I assume stability and cost were more important than bringing you Figma-style joints on something that would probably have been a priceless store fixture were this still the 1980s. Now they cost a few bucks and you can get a ton of them - heck, I'm still chasing a giant LEGO Minifigure as I keep getting thwarted every time a store goes out of business and they sell they'll let me have it, but I digress.
The actual sculpting of the figure, as well as the deco, are quite similar to the smaller figure I looked at last year. The colors, proportions, pose, and everything are pretty much the same - it's just size and articulation. As you can see, the smaller figure is just knee-high to his larger counterpart - it's pretty ridiculous that the little Mario isn't even as massive as part of the big figure's lower leg.
This format is something of an oddity - it's succeeding because it's big, cheap, and driven to kids while I can't imagine it's a ton of fun for them. As a collector, this figure - and indeed this line - is utterly fantastic. I don't have everything, but that's OK - what's out there is pretty awesome and a semi-complete set is better than the nothing we've had for the past 30ish years. This jumbo figure does make me want a few more, but not too many - space is a concern, and my main concern with toys tends to be space. Hopefully they'll turn to Metroid or a StarFox Arwing vehicle would be pretty fantastic. If you need a fixture in your home or office, this Mario is a can't-miss addition for the price - it looks better than those giant off-model statues we've seen in the malls for years, and it's cheaper. As an action figure, it's not a ton of fun unless you just want something big to carry around and smash into other figures.
Unless there's another version you'd prefer, if you want a giant Mario, go ahead and get this one. And then cross your fingers that they might do a jumbo Luigi's Mansion version of his brother next.
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