As I think back on all of the great Nintendo figures we received this year, I can’t help but think about what could be next or what would Nintendo fans want next.  Greedy I know but I have always been a fan of Wario so you shouldn’t expect anything less!  In all seriousness, there is a beloved game that has not received any figure support and really deserves it.  That game is Paper Mario: Thousand Year Door.  With a charming cast and some sharp writing, it is easy to see why many Nintendo fans love this game.  While the flat, 2D design is both a blessing and a curse, the characters’ simplicity makes it easy to imagine them as figures even if it would be hard to articulate them properly.  For this reason, Amiibo may be the best hope of seeing Paper Mario figures.  Some custom artists like NBros have already made custom Amiibo (pictured below) and articulation is a non-issue that way too. So with that in mind, let’s take a look at some of the characters that I think Nintendo should make.

Mario’s Partners – While a Paper Mario and Luigi should be made and would sell well, Nintendo should also really consider their partners in Thousand Year Door.  Everyone has their favorites and because the characters are variations on existing character designs it wouldn’t be hard to “reskin” them for figures.  Koops is one of my favorites and he is a Koopa Troopa with a bandage and clothes on.  The Yoshi Kid is also really memorable and only needs a few small changes like his/her hair to be added to an existing Yoshi figure and you’d practically be there.  In many ways, the partners are the highlight of this game and nobody has made a figure for any of them so this is definitely overdue!

Shadow Princess Peach – I have been critical of Peach’s Amiibo in the past for being a little too tame so how about we go in the opposite direction with Peach’s evil design from this game?  It is a drastic change from how she usually appears and for anyone who likes this more Gothic design, they are sure to want a figure of Peach’s more sinister form!

Lord Crump/Sir Grodus – While Bowser would once again be an obvious and easy choice, Lord Crump and/or Sir Grodus is a unique choice that any fan of this game would love to see made.  While they share a similar design because of their race, these villains appear frequently throughout Thousand Year Door and give Mario all kinds of headaches.  That is the sign of a good villain and it makes them desirable as figures too.

Don Pianta – This is a surprising but clever choice because not only is Don a boss in the game but it is a fun way to work in a character design from Mario Sunshine as well.  The Piantas appeared in several Mario games around this time and have more or less faded away from Mario games.  Personally, I like their design and personality and would like to see them come back to Mario games.  Don Pianta is a funny mob/crime boss type character that has a cool design.  While it may not be a traditional Mario character, you can’t tell me you wouldn’t love to see the Don on your shelf!

I picked a mix of figures I know Nintendo fans would want and a couple of fun, “surprises” that you might not expect for this article.  There are tons of other characters that could be on this list and there is no way I could cover them all.  Let us know what character or characters you think deserve figures from this awesome game in the comments below or if you’d like to contribute your own NintendoFigures.com Most Wanted article for this or any other Nintendo games, please email me at: abercrombie_jeff@yahoo.com