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Mario vs. Palkia in the arena of your imagination
NCSX never fails to encourage us to clutter our rooms and empty our wallets in the name of video game fandom. Today, they started taking preorders for some new Mario and Pokemon toys that we wouldn't mind having on our desks! So we can show them to people, obviously.First are the above Dialga and Palkia soft vinyl figures, which allow you to reenact the boxarts of Pokemon Diamond and Pearl. In fact, if you buy these, you can't help but reenact them, because the boxes just feature these characters standing alone. Also available for preorder are two Mario toy lines: a vinyl figure of Mario in either his normal outfit or his Fire Mario finery, and a set of plush toys that make some kind of jingling sound. All of these cost between $20 and $25 and will ship toward the end of the year.
DS Daily: Toys and tie-ins
Yesterday, we showed you some bounty from NCSX: fun little doodads, "lifestyle items," apparel, furnishings, and such with video game connections. We already know you guys are fans of video games (or Nintendogs), so we know you're the target audience for this kind of stuff. We also know that you've got the drive to collect burned into you from a decade of catching 'em all and a few years under Nook's totalitarian regime.But we also know that games are really expensive, and sometimes if you don't have a job (or, in some cases, even if you have two jobs) you can barely afford to buy games, you just have to let the Um Jammer Lammy alarm clocks go unpurchased. Is your desk decorated with game-related toys? Do you have the Famicom-shaped version of everything you can have a Famicom-shaped version of? Or do you prefer to save your game money for games?
Haberdashery for your couch
What is your poor couch to do when it wants to look jaunty for a night on the town? Nothing. That's why your couch doesn't go out. It's ashamed.If you care about your couch at all, you'll buy one of these Mario or Luigi hat cushions from NCSX. It's the least you can do, considering what you do to it all day. You know, the sitting.Alternately, you could buy one of these plush toys for decoration. That would be pretty weird, though, right? Also in today's NCSX update: awesome Bomberman t-shirts and cell phone straps, Chocobo cushions, and even more Animal Crossing toys.
More Animal Crossing stuff to fill your house with
With all the stuff coming out based on the Animal Crossing movie in Japan, you can play Animal Crossing for real-- by buying a whole bunch of adorable items and displaying them in your house! NCSX is selling new playsets, each featuring an animal, two matching pieces of furniture, and a house. There are also two special sets containing characters like Wendell and Tom Nook, and, of course, some more furniture.NCSX is also stocking some Animal Crossing plush toys and coffee mugs. We are aware that Animal Crossing strongly promotes the collector mentality in-game, so we hope we haven't just emptied any fans' wallets by pointing this stuff out.
Pokemon Diamond and Pearl: Squeezable edition
If you're in a hurry to show your friends the new Pokemon from Diamond and Pearl, you can avoid the whole "waiting for the game to come out" thing and skip right to catching them all, in toy form! Well, not all of them, more like ... five of them.NCSX is selling adorable little plush versions of Cherrim, Turtwig, Pachirisu, Happiny, and Bonsly for $10.50 each. It's your choice if you want to make 'em fight or just hug them.
Ugliest Luigi ever
Poor Luigi. The lanky plumber already has enough problems dealing with his older brother always stealing the spotlight and Princess Daisy's failure to commit to a serious relationship, but now he has to worry about embarassing photos from 20 years ago resurfacing on the internet. We all have our fair share of unflattering pictures from the 80s, but the images posted for this vintage Super Mario Bros. doll auction are downright embarassing. This 3.5'-tall toy was a promotional item from Nintendo that was never released to the general public. Head past the post break to see what the green guy looked like before he tamed his hair and trimmed his mustache. He really let himself go back then -- look at that hat![Via GameSniped]
New Super Mario Brothers plush toys are new, super, and plush
We really weren't fans of Mario's blue shell ability in New Super Mario Bros., because it tended to steer us inexorably into a lava-filled grave. But we want to hug this plush Blue Shell Mario. And then maybe toss him into lava. Play-Asia is selling these adorable NSMB toys, produced by Banpresto, for about $11 each. You have your choice of the aforementioned Mario, a Mega Mushroom, Boo, Luigi (in casino minigame regalia) and Toad. Does anyone else find it odd that Luigi still wears his green hat, even when he's in formal attire? [Via Siliconera]
Patience key to beating arcade crane games
While the American arcade has been in a slow decline for years now, the allure of being able to some cheap knock-off stuffed animal for a mere 50 cents is still a reason to seek out the odd arcade prize grab machine. For those who want to up the odds in their favor a little bit, British science show Braniac (shown in the U.S. on G4) has the goods. The key to beating the game is careful study. Apparently, these crane games are set up to only grip hard enough to win every so often, and at regular intervals. By standing nearby and counting out the number of losses between each success, you can determine just when to step in and go for the kill. Of course, you still have to have good aim and a steady hand to pick up the plush, but playing at the right time will maximize your chances and your payoff. It's unclear whether this method will work on every variety crane game or if some with more randomized settings are impervious (any arcade insiders have the scoop? Leave a comment). Regardless, your father feels that if you spent less time watching crane games and more time going out and looking for a job instead, you wouldn't have to worry about saving a few dollars on a stupid plush toy. And call your mother! She worries about you!
Nintendogs trainable plushies
Just when you thought the Nintendogs franchise had gone as far as it could go, here comes one of the most clever uses of the license yet -- trainable toy dogs based on breeds from the games. There are two types; the simpler Trick Trainer Pups come with a magnetic bone that can be used to guide them through tricks. The more elaborate, aptly-named Interactive Play puppies do just that -- they interact by wagging their tails when they're stroked, howling when you howl, and some will even snarl and growl during a game of tug-of-war. Toss in a slipper-chewing feature and it's almost like having a real dog! The plushy pups debuted last week in the UK from retailer Tomy and through Amazon UK for 9.99 (about $20 USD) for the Trick Trainers and 24.99 for for the Interactive Play Pups. Check out the commercial after the jump. We just hope you don't have to play with them every day to keep them in line ... take the dogs out of the video game and there's no telling what they'll get up to.
WTB plush totems
Alice from Wonderland linked to this guy, a homemade plush Tauren Shammy (named Proudhorn after the maker's boyfriend over on the Stonemaul server), complete with a little mace and a bark shield. I suppose someone less masculine than me might call it "adorable," but being as I play a Shammy and all, I call it awesome! Little known fact: she actually hit 300 tailoring by making this.And don't get me wrong, I'm totally impressed, but if you're taking requests, I'll take a Bloodfang UD rogue next. And hey, Slow_Rabbit, how's that Crochet set coming?
USB teddy bear holds data, scares children
Generally, when someone makes a teddy bear-themed gadget, his/her intention is to overwhelm bystanders with cuteness. But whoever created this little guy, whose head has to be removed in order to access the internal USB drive, must have watched one too many Tim Burton movies. No word on how much it holds or if there are any plans to make these available for purchase, but with your own bear, a thumb drive, some thread and a closet full of skeletons, you can probably make your own without too much effort.
