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There is not a single person alive who hasn’t done a bad Mario impression at some point in their life, and that’s because deep down, everybody is truly a fan of Super Mario Bros. Whether it’s being a die-hard Mario Kart 8 Deluxe player on the Nintendo Switch, or playing with friends on a new Super Mario Party board, there’s always new merch coming out that any Mario fan would sell a kidney to own. Thanks to some diligent digging, we’ve rounded up 10 items you can pick up for less than a 1-Up Mushroom today!
Super Mario Piranha Plant Posable Lamp
ShareIf you had told fans of the original Super Mario Bros. that was released 38 years ago that Piranha Plant would eventually become a favorite character of so many people that it would eventually become a playable character (albeit in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate), you would have gotten wild stares back. Now, however, you would be CRAZY to not have at least one piece of Piranha Plant memorabilia, and this cute lamp is an absolute must have, especially for the gamer on the way back to college dorms. With an adjustable head and neck, this lamp would be perfect for lighting up the room on those late-night gaming binges to finish the latest Mario Maker level!
PowerA Enhanced Wireless Controller for Nintendo Switch - Mario Pop
ShareWhile the Nintendo Switch was revolutionary because of the perfection of the Wii remotes into it’s better (and much cooler) older brother, the JoyCons, some games just call for a controller with a little more Whomp than Goomba. That’s where this wireless Pro Controller comes into play, with a killer 30 hours play time before having to recharge the battery. The coolest feature of this controller decked out in the classic Mario red and blue? The two programmable buttons on the back of the controller, able to be customized to anything you need them to do in whatever game you happen to be playing. While it does lack a headphone jack for a mic and headset (the only downside to not buying name brand Nintendo gear), the controller can be used even when your Switch isn’t docked!
Yoshi Egg Storage for Nintendo Switch Games
ShareOne of the best things about owning a Nintendo Switch is collecting all of the physical game cards for the various gems to be found on the system. The biggest downside to collecting physical copies of games though is exactly what you’re going to do with all of the games and how to keep them safe and organized. This 3D printed Yoshi’s egg from Etsy is an adorable way to add a few Mario items into your collection that serve a purpose more than just for show. These particular ones went viral on TikTok, and the reviews are raving about how much people are loving theirs.
Mario Bros. Inspired Cookie Cutters
ShareThe holidays are almost here, and that means baking so many cookies that Martha Stewart would be impressed. But why go the boring route of plain, round cookies, when you could instead be the “Extra Life” of the party? These cookie cutters are adorable, and you can even choose which characters you want when ordering to make sure that you always get your favorites when you get in the kitchen. Mario, Boo, Princess Peach, Toad, and the rest of the gang make an appearance, the only thing you’ll have to brush up on is your flooding icing technique!
WarioWare: Get It Together - Nintendo Switch
ShareAny Mario fan is quite familiar with his arch enemy and constant rival, Wario, the gross and belligerent opposite of Mario who loves eating garlic and picking his nose. WarioWare is the only game this year that will have you stressing out over whether you can make two whales kiss or tweeze the hair off of Zeus’ chest fast enough. The WarioWare game series is known for being a collection of fast paced zany minigames that not only test your reflexes but also asks you just how weird you want this party to get. After being introduced first in the Gameboy game Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins, Wario has grown into his own weird but totally loveable CEO of the worst video game company of all time, and no, that isn’t a jab at Elon Musk.
LEGO Super Mario Bowser’s Airship Expansion Set Toy
ShareLEGO puts out some of the COOLEST collaborations when it comes to working with the biggest names in video games, and that continued last year when LEGO originally announced their partnership with Mario to release unique sets with LEGO pieces that hadn’t been dreamed of before. And while the base set that includes the Mario main character piece, the expansion sets of the toys have been the coolest thing in a long time, a mix between easy to build sets that include a few characters to help flesh out the Mushroom Kingdom. The Bowser Airship set is the stand out, including both Goomba and Kamek characters along with the titular airship. Other expansion sets are more than satisfactory, but nothing beats putting a pirate hat on a Goomba and zooming him around the room through the air.
Mario Pipe Planter
ShareWhat good is growing a venus fly trap and pretending it’s a piranha plant if you don’t also have a green pipe for it to grow out of? Good thing that’s an easy fix, as you can get a Mario Pipe Planter (in both a large or medium size) to grow your favorite plants (or maybe mushrooms?) in. It comes with both the green potting plant and a “brick” collection plate that goes under it, allowing for water to drain and help you from overwatering your vegetables, a lesson any player who actually beat Super Mario Bros. 2 can tell you.
Super Mario Bros for Nintendo NES 3D Shadowbox
ShareLet’s face it, a lot of Mario decorations are kind of…..kid centric. That isn’t a knock, because Mario brings out the childlike wonder in almost anybody, but sometimes you just want something “cool” to celebrate your love for Mario and the gang. Shadowboxes are a unique and fun way to show off video game art, and the pixel decorations are a perfect fit for anything Mario. This iconic scene includes both the topside first level, while also showing off the almost as iconic underground (if only for it’s impossibly catchy theme music).
Little Buddy Super Mario All Star Bowser & Bowser Jr. (Set of 2) Stuffed Plushe
ShareBowser may come off as somebody you would want to keep at arms length, for reasons other than the spikes striking out of his back. As a plush though, he seems to be a perfect fit for snuggling up with under a blanket as colder weather sets in. And to have his son, Bowser Jr., join him as well? A great deal, especially for the price of the two as a bundle. These have a great rating compared to many of the other Mario stuffed plushes, so Bowser has seemingly put himself on the top of the list of Mario characters you would want to be snuggling with.
Mario is celebrating its 36th anniversary this year, coming off the Mario rush that was 2020 with the release of Super Mario Bros. 35 and the All-Star Collection that saw Mario Galaxy, Super Mario 64, and Super Mario Sunshine all be released for modern consoles, and there is no better way to celebrate the hype than by picking up some new Mario merch for the cheap. Have a Mario item you think we missed in our run down? Share it with us, on Twitter, at @CheckpointXP