Ever notice how merchandise that features Nintendo's beloved Super Mario all uses about the same design of the famous plumber? The days of off-model interpretations are long gone as the company has tightened up its licensing guidelines to ensure that each and every Mario product is faithful to the approved and intended design of the character. We've already seen how Nintendo handled its 1990s character manual that specified exact details for 2D illustations, but here in the twenty-first century we have 3D models to guide licensees. Here's a photo of a Mario maquette used as a master reference for toys, collectibles, and other merchandise on display as the Nintendo World Store in New York City as shared by @VGArtandTidbits on Twitter. This specific pose is used to get the character as close to perfect as possible. And yes, I know what you're thinking, but I'm 99% sure that this reference object is not also a giant amiibo. This can't be the only maquette that Nintendo has produced for its licensing needs and now I really want to see the rest of the set: Luigi, Yoshi, Kirby, Link, and the other stars from the world of Nintendo. Better yet, I want to own one of these. It looks better than any actual Mario statue I've ever seen for sale as a mass-produced item.
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