World of Nintendo figures can be a pain to find and whenever it is hard to find something, that means the price can go up.  There are a few figures in particular that are really hard to find and have become valuable.  One of the goals of this site has been to bring new people into the hobby and to empower those who already collect.  With that in mind, I thought I would write a short guide on which figures are expensive in World of Nintendo currently.  If you’d like to see what World of Nintendo Figures were expensive in 2016, check out the guide I wrote last year.  The figures are in no particular order since all of these are rare to varying degrees.  You might notice that almost all of the expensive figures are exclusive to one retailer or another as well.  That seems to be a good indicator of rarity with World of Nintendo.  I hope you find this guide interesting and helpful.

For those who read last year’s edition of this article, the following figures have been removed from this list due to lack of activity on Ebay or declining price: 8-Bit Modern Mario 2.5″ Figure, Metroid 6″ Figure.

Gold Bullet Bill 2.5″ Figure – This is a prototypical example of what is often called a “variant figure.”  This is when a toy company takes an existing figure and adds new paint or maybe a couple of new accessories (both of which are cheap and easy for them to do) and makes it rare and the demand and value goes up.  This figure was released quite a while ago and the supply is dwindling online.  Gold Bullet Bill goes for as much as $60-70.

Star Power Mario 2.5″ Figure – The oldest Walmart Exclusive is also the most expensive.  While it has a pretty simple color scheme and design, the star power-up is iconic now in Mario and that surely is one reason why this figure is sought after.  Star Power Mario goes for $50-70 when last seen on Ebay though that was over a year ago now.

6″ Inch Figure Line – While the line has been discontinued for quite some time as far as we know, the 6″ figures have become one of the more sought after figures in World of Nintendo within the last year.  Unsurprisingly, the one that everyone wants is Bowser.  I would imagine it is because if you have 4″ Mario figures, the best way to compliment them is with an awesome looking oversized Bowser!  If you don’t mind buying on eBay, he is going for around $50 currently.  Surprisingly, even Donkey Kong seems to be going up in price so he is worth keeping an eye out for.  The one exception is Ganon who has not gone up in price and I’ve seen him in multiple Toys R Us near me recently.  While it was the most desirable for quite a long time, Metroid has not drastically gone up or down in value and is still desirable if you can find it.  Perhaps the high demand will lead Jakks Pacific to bring back this figure line one day!

Tingle – While it might be a surprise to see him on this list, Tingle has always been very rare at release.  I’ve never had the pleasure of seeing one in person and I hunt World of Nintendo figures quite often.  The fact that Tingle is a “quirky” character that some people love and there are no figures made of Tingle that I am aware of, make it very desirable.  Tingle is going for $50-60 which is nearly ten times its original retail price!

Trophy and Prototype Figures – The other figures that have made a splash since the last time I wrote this guide are the Trophy and Prototype series.  There are a number of releases in both series so it is hard to say a particular figure is most desirable or is worth a certain amount.  We don’t know a lot about the rarity of these figures either, but Jakks Pacific has always made them out to be fairly rare.  I have a feeling that the collectors who are going for these figures are willing to pay a high price for them so don’t be surprised to see variation in the prices.  On eBay, there are many selling in the $40-50 though I suspect you can buy one for a better price if you’re patient and keep bidding.

Europe Exclusive 2.5″ Figure 5-Packs – While these may be cheaper and readily available in Europe, they are pricey here in the US and appeal to the hardcore collector and completionist.  The packaging and display is nice, but all of the figures in both packs have been released on their on in the United States.  That doesn’t make this any less sought after however.  The Figure 5-Packs goes for $50-$60 online on Ebay.

Those are all of the rare and expensive figures in 2017.  There are a number of figures that may eventually be added to this guide, but for now, these are the main ones to keep an eye out for that you might see in stores or online.  I hope this helps you when hunting for World of Nintendo figures.  If there are any figures that you think should be added, please let me know in the comments below.  Also, let us know which of these figures you have!  Did you get them in-store or end up buying them online?