Super Mario Squishies is a new blind bag product from Jakks Pacific, the makers of World of Nintendo.  It is branded as part of World of Nintendo even though this new product is a bit different than the figure lines that you associate with World of Nintendo.  Instead of an articulated figure, this is a foam-like figure that looks like your favorite Nintendo characters.  So far anyway, it seems that these new toys are only available at Toys R Us but maybe we’ll see other places start selling them soon.  At $5 a piece and the fact that these are random, you may be wondering if these new Super Mario Squishies are worth buying.  Let’s take a closer look and find out!

Packaging – Since this is just a little plastic bag, there isn’t too much to say about it.  The design is nice but not enough to make you feel bad about opening it!  If you’re at all curious about this product, you can squeeze the bag to see how soft these squishies are.  It is also pretty easy to tell what character you might be buying.  For example, there was one I picked up before I bought this blind bag that was square and obviously a question block.  Instead I picked up one that I was pretty sure was either a Shy Guy or a Goomba which I wanted more.  So these are less random than other blind bags out there which is nice.  Here is a look at what characters are in this series.

First Impressions – So who did I get?  A Goomba!  Exactly what I was hoping for and honestly, this product is a lot better than I expected.  The paint is simple but looks good and there really aren’t any paint issues other than a small spot on his eye.  So not only does the figure look great, but it is actually pretty fun to squeeze!  I can see this as a nice stress reliever on your desk at work or hanging out in your room waiting for you to play around with it.  The only other flaw I could find with this Goomba is the “seam” that runs along the top where the foam was cut.  You can see the remainder of the foam around the edge which doesn’t look great but doesn’t ruin this either.  I wonder how the paint will hold up on the Squishies if you keep playing around with them but I haven’t seen any noticeable signs that it will crack and wear off with the Goomba so far.

Size – What is surprising is that this Goomba fits right in with other World of Nintendo figures.  It is almost the exact same height as the 4″ inch Goomba and so it looks great next to it and to the Super Mario Maker Mario figure.  Jakks was smart to make these fit in with 4″ inch World of Nintendo figures so they look great on your shelf and you can easily collect these alongside other figures.

Closing Thoughts – The only bad thing I can see with this product is that the characters in this first series have all been made into either 2.5″ or 4″ World of Nintendo figures already.  I suspect that Jakks Pacific will make a lot of repeat characters if this blind bag line thrives and that may keep more diehard World of Nintendo collectors from buying in.  For example, I like my Goomba quite a bit but I don’t know that I’m inclined to get anymore because I already have figures of the rest.  With that said, if you’d like to have a squishy version of your favorite Mario enemies, this is a no-brainer.  It is fun to play with, reasonably priced, and if you take some time to test the bag before buying, chances are good, you’ll get the exact Squishies you want!