While it is fairly common to see Nintendo IP plastered over a ton of things, this wasn’t always the case. In the mid 2000s, there was some merch out there, but that was not always the case. Leading up to the release of Super Mario Galaxy in North America, Nintendo teamed up with gaming giant GameStop to bring some holiday themed goodies to shelves for fans - the Super Mario Galaxy Christmas stockings and ornaments. Let’s take a look.
Background
When doing some research for some background on these items, concrete information was a little hard to come by. They might be out there somewhere, but I didn’t see any press releases from GameStop or much news coverage that is still available online. I did track down one article from Destructoid from November 1, 2007. The writing is definitely a products of its time, but it gets the point across. According to the article, GameStop began advertising these early in November and would start shipping them to customers on November 7.
So, what was exactly on offer at the time? Two Christmas stockings, one red and one black featuring Mario in two different poses - one where he is flying through the air and there other where he is propping himself up with his hand. A Christmas ornament was also available featuring the flying Mario and the Super Mario Galaxy logo. The stockings retailed for $14.99 each while the ornaments went for $9.99.
How I Got This
I was living and just started working in Japan at the time when these were announced, and somehow, I wasn’t even aware of their existence. When I went back to the US for the holidays in 2007, I came across these when I was shopping for some games in GameStop with my younger brother. I’m not exactly sure if it was before or after Christmas, but the price sticker has what appears to be a date of November 28, 2007 on the ornaments and a December 21, 2007 date on the stockings. I managed to find these at a discount, with the stockings listed at $4.99 and the ornaments also at $4.99 each. I picked up these alongside an Xbox 360. Since then, I brought these back with me to Japan where they have been a part of my Christmas decorations ever since.
Photo Gallery
Below, you can find some more photos of the items
Conclusion
The Super Mario Galaxy stockings and ornaments aren’t something that you NEED for your collection, but for me, they have been a fun novelty to have since 2007. I absolutely love the game and am glad to have some kind of physical memorabilia celebrating the game. But let’s turn things over to you. Do you have any of these Super Mario Galaxy items from 2007? Do you have any other Nintendo related Christmas goods? Sound off in the comments down below. We’d love to hear from you.
Source: Destructoid
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