Nintendo Introduces ‘My Mario’ Toy Line In Japan

There have been Mario toys almost as long as there has been Mario. The first were likenesses of his proto long-mustache form from the original Donkey Kong, and his graduation into main character and mascot led to thousands more. But now Nintendo is prepping a product line of a new kind…the kind with a specific brand, “My Mario.”

My Mario will cover all sorts of things, for all sorts of ages. The brand will release plastic tableware, a board book, a backpack, a plushie Mario, baby and toddler clothes, and more, as well as wooden figures of the Mario cast. The figures will be available individually, or in a complete set that also includes mushrooms, Fire Flowers and other extras.

My Mario will be a multimedia experience. There’ll be a smartphone app of the same name, also available on Switch, that will let youngsters play with the plumber’s head a la the Mario 64 title screen. There will be one-minute My Mario claymation shorts on YouTube….we don’t know who’s doing the animating, or when they’ll show up, but it will be a whole thing.

The interesting detail is that the aforementioned wooden figures will work as amiibo with compatible Switch games. You’ve no doubt noticed that amiibo have become ridiculously expensive. That makes us wonder if these wooden figures are a response to that — to provide a way for children to interact with amiibo-compatible games without needing something that’s become predominantly an adult collector item in an era of high inflation.

For now, My Mario will be a line exclusive to Japan, but Nintendo is making plans to introduce it to the US. It’ll be weird if it coincides with the release of Universal’s next animated Mario movie, also set for 2026 with a merch line of its own.