This article is long overdue and something I am excited to share with Nintendo fans and collectors.  One reason I waited to write this article is that Micro Land and World of Nintendo are both made by Jakks Pacific and so some of the challenges are similar between these two figure lines, but with Micro Land fading away and World of Nintendo still going strong, it seems timely and important to write this article.  I also have gotten into World of Nintendo later than other figures so I needed time to learn more about the figures before I could write an article like this that is as helpful as possible.  The goal of this article will be to help anybody curious about World of Nintendo figures better understand what they are, what some potential challenges of collecting are, and why World of Nintendo is worth collecting.

More Figure Options – One of the nice things about World of Nintendo is that there are different figure lines you can choose from.  If you like to have a narrow focus, you can always choose one size of figures and collect just those.  Initially, there was the 6″ inch, 4″inch, 2.5″ inch, and Micro Land.  Micro Land is covered on this site in great detail so I’ll leave that out of this article.

The 6″ inch line has a relatively small number of releases and has been cancelled by Jakks Pacific.  While some of the 6″ inch figures like Metroid and Bowser are sought after and expensive to buy online due to scalpers, Donkey Kong used to be the figure every retailer could not get rid of.  This is probably why the 6″ inch line failed more than anything else.  The 6″ inch figures were about $15 retail though most of them will cost you more than that brand new nowadays, especially online.

The 4″ inch line is probably the most exciting and versatile in World of Nintendo.  Mario, Zelda, Donkey Kong, and Star Fox are all represented here.  While there are less overall releases than the 2.5″ inch line, if you are interested in affordable Nintendo action figures with decent articulation then this line is for you.  While the accessory is often not all that practical or useful, it is nice that Jakks Pacific includes something with each release too.  The 4″ inch figures are $10 or $11 in retail.  If you’re interested in this line, there are a number of reviews available on the site including:

Tanooki Mario,  Cat Luigi,  Gold Mario,  Fox McCloud

The 2.5″ inch line is another one that is going strong in World of Nintendo and while small, they are quite affordable and represent a wide variety of Nintendo characters too.  The one thing to keep in mind is that while the figures are usually articulated, it is often very limited and it is safe to assume that what you see in the box is what you get as far as the pose goes.  Another thing that is good to know is that some figures get released in the 2.5″ inch line and then make their way to the 4″ inch line.  So you might see a 2.5″ inch figure like Cat Mario be announced and then sure enough, a 4″ inch Cat Mario figure comes along later.  There are definitely enough unique figures in this line that it is worth pursuing all on its own as well.  If you’d like to see some reviews of these figures check out the following links:

Wario,  Waluigi,  Shy Guy,  Deku Link,  Dixie Kong,  Diddy Kong

World of Nintendo Goes Obscure – One of the best parts of World of Nintendo is that there are already figures for characters that are not seen in Amiibo or even higher end action figures like Nendoroid and Figma.  Cat Mario and Cat Luigi are good examples of this, but also there are characters like Tingle, Dixie Kong, and Cranky Kong which have few to no figures in other lines.  This is definitely a strength of World of Nintendo as a whole and is not likely to change with some obscure figures like Bronze and Shadow Link being released too.

An Economic Option – One thing that drew me to World of Nintendo is that it is possible to collect all of the figures or even just pick and choose what you want on a budget.  They’re cheaper than Amiibo and for $10, you get a pretty nice figure all things considered.  World of Nintendo is available at Toys R Us and other toy retailers and also places like Walmart, Walgreens, and other large grocery stores.  This means it isn’t too hard to find places that sell World of Nintendo even it isn’t necessarily easy to find the one figure that you want.

Retailer Exclusives and Scalper Headaches – One aspect of World of Nintendo that is both controversial and causes collectors headaches is that Jakks Pacific has done some retail exclusive figures, especially rarer ones that are very difficult to find.  Some of them have a stated print run like the Star Power Mario and Golden Bullet Bill 2.5″ inch figure and others are rare and retailer exclusive which tend to be available at Walgreens or Walmart.  With Shadow and Bronze Link being at even more obscure and unlikely retailers (Spencer’s), this doesn’t seem like it will be going away anytime soon.

The other problem, which this feeds into, is that scalping is common with World of Nintendo, especially with any rare figures.  These figures are really hard to find online for their retail price and it is common to see the prices set double or triple their retail price almost immediately upon release.  Whoever the scalpers are, they’re good at what they do and make things very hard on collectors.  When you add into that the super rare figures like Golden Bullet Bill which are already really hard to get before scalping, you can see that collectors can have some real headaches when it comes to World of Nintendo figures and this is certainly a downside to be aware of as you’re starting your collection.

Murky Release Dates – Another challenge of World of Nintendo is that the release dates are never announced and it is really anyone’s best guess as to when figures will come out.  This combined with the scalping problem can make World of Nintendo more challenging and frustrating than Amiibo are to buy and collect.  You have to be persistent and get into the habit of checking retailers near you to get World of Nintendo figures for retail prices.

A Worthy Challenge – As someone who thinks Amiibos are a little too easy to get now, I have enjoyed collecting World of Nintendo figures.  There are some figures I want and have been unable to find in stores, but overall, I’ve found the hunt to be pretty exciting and worth the effort.  I have made a rule for myself not to buy from scalpers online and have stuck to that so far, but I think if you collect World of Nintendo long enough or want enough figures, there will be times where you may have to pay extra for what you want.

Setting a goal that is attainable can help you enjoy World of Nintendo figures the most and because there are so many, it is not hard to justify focusing on your favorite characters or franchises.  If you’re looking for an affordable series of Nintendo figures to collect, this is definitely the best option outside of Amiibo as well.  World of Nintendo is a lot of fun to hunt down and is one of the few ways to indulge your desire to own figures of obscure characters too.  I hope this article inspires you to check out some World of Nintendo figures and if you have any questions or comments about World of Nintendo figure collecting, let us know in the comments sections below!