Can I Get Fries With That? –
Capitalizing on the success of Mario Kart 8, Nintendo has partnered with McDonald’s to produce some pretty sweet kart racing figures. The hardest part, however, will be collecting’em all.
All in all, there are total of 8 toys to collect: Mario, Luigi, Bowser, Toad, Peach, DK, Yoshi, and a Mario “M” visor. Yoshi and Peach are on motorcycles whereas everyone else is riding a 4-wheeled kart.
Each toy comes with DIY stickers to pimp out each racer. While putting these stickers on is not rocket science, there is a very easy to read picture-only instruction sheet that spells out where to put each sticker just in case you couldn’t figure it out. Yoshi, for example, only needs one sticker, a picture of an egg, on his front headlight area whereas Mario and DK can be outfitted with a few different stickers on the sides and front of the kart. Each set of stickers also come with a few extra decals too which is a nice touch.
Before you can play with each toy you will have to open the clear plastic bag. This bag is actually pretty hard to open without scissors but bundles the toy, instruction sheet, and sticker sheet easily.
Surprisingly, the wheels on each racer will roll. I mention this because Mario’s kart, for example, is in anti-gravity mode where the wheels turn sideways and doesn’t seem like it would actually roll on a flat surface. Even the Yoshi toy will stand straight up even though he is on a motorcycle; no need for a stand to keep it upright. Each racer is approximately the same size, about half the length of a pen.
Obtaining these little collectables has actually been rather challenging. I first attempted to buy all these figures by going through the drive-through. That was a mistake. After telling the cashier that I wanted one of each toy, I was rung up for only two and was given duplicate Mario toys. Unfortunately, I didn’t fully realize this mistake until I left the restaurant since I went through the busy drive-through.
Not happy with only having a couple of Mario toys, I went to a different McDonalds but went inside instead of going through the drive through. As I stay away from McDonald’s food at all costs, this was the first time I was actually inside of a McDonalds in many years. But my dedication to Nintendo paid off as the cashier was willing to help me out, selling me one of each figure that was available – Yoshi, Luigi, and DK. Apparently Peach, Bowser and the visor are going to be released sometime soon.
Maybe not as in-demand as the original Burger King Pokemon figures, these Mario Kart karts are actually well put together all things considered and any video game fan should appreciate.
The way I see it, these toys were the one and only reason for me to go near a McDonalds so that must say something. Sure, it is super awkward for a grown man to order just the toy from a Happy Meal but, you know, I had to go through with it because this blog wasn’t going to write itself without it. The things I do for the gaming community… Hopefully I can find the last remaining three I am missing.
Not As Good As: the Mario Kart full size kart
Also Try: Nintendo K’nex
Wait For It: Pokemon Happy Meal Toys
By: Zachary Gasiorowski, Editor in Chief myGamer.com
Twitter: @ZackGaz
0