Nintendo is known for utilizing their beloved licensed characters to churn out more revenue and this time they are partnering with Mattel to make Mario characters into toy cars.
Mattel is the company behind the hugely successful hot wheels series. Most kids who grew up in the 90s should be familiar with the huge race tracks and stylish small cars they created. While their products are still some of the most popular ones in the market, it is time to revamp their collection with something new.
Nintendo’s CEO Tatsumi Kimishima said that it is important to license deals so that their intellectual property would reach places and bring in more customers. True to his claim, Kimishima has agreed to a partnership with Mattel. The cars simply look adorable and it is going to be the top sellers this holiday season. They are usually inexpensive making it a must buy for Mario fans across the world. Nintendo has provided six different characters which has been turned into toy cars to enthrall the young ones.
The licensed characters include Mario, Peach, Yoshi, Luigi, Bowser and Toad. One of the important characters they missed is Wario and Waluigi. It wouldn’t have hurt to make six into eight different cars and people would have rushed to have them all in their collector’s box. Mattel confirmed that these Hot Wheels collection are headed to stores right now and people should be able to buy them as long as stocks last.
Nintendo’s boss commented that people not only enjoy their properties through games but there are Mario toothbrushes that sell. The company decided to focus on this whole new segment where they have never ventured before. They also like to make sure the game developer’s popular characters are introduced to young and new customers in time so that the franchises continue to grow as they did in the past two decades.
“We are aware of the fact that our young customers are not introduced to your IP, be it Mario or Zelda through our games. They see it in other forms like the officially licensed toothbrushes. Our long term strategy would work only if we introduce our content to potential buyers at an early age. It will lead to significant growth of your gaming business in future and help Nintendo game systems reach them,” said Kimishima.
Nintendo is working on a theme park with Universal pictures and movies based on their popular characters is a strong possibility.