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Explorer Outfit Mario

World of Nintendo
by yo go re

Tally-ho!

In Super Mario Odyssey's Wooded Kingdom, Mario can get a special Explorer's Outfit. It's tailor-made for exploring the Deep Woods.

Other than when he's dressing in one of his many full-body fursuits, Mario's various costumes generally just go on over his normal clothes. Raccoon Mario is still wearing his overalls, he's just got a tail coming out the back of them now; Hammer Mario is wearing his overalls under his shell; to find an instance of him actually wearing something different, you have to go to 1990's Dr. Mario, where the ex-plumber's work in the virus research lab of the Mushroom Kingdom Hospital required something a little different. Super Mario Odyssey really upped the wardrobe, though, adding dozens of new outfits that completely change his look - including the Explorer's Outfit.

Mario is looking totally jungle-ready in this beige linen suit. It's a long-sleeved shirt, long pants, and thick boots - after all, don't want to leave any skin uncovered for the exotic foreign bugs to get at! He's wearing his usual white gloves, and there's a glimpse of red undershirt or handkercheif at his neck. There are two pockes on his chest, a dark brown belt around his waist, and a single golden button holding the shirt shut. His boots are detailed with laces and stitching.

The face is classic Mario - brown hair, black mustache, a nose as big as his eyes, etc. But instead of his usual red cap, he's wearing a pith helmet to match his suit. Based on the traditional Filipino salakot, a pith helmet is made from cork or other lightweight materials, then covered in cloth. Mario's is the full "Bombay Bowler" style, with a wide brim all the way around instead of just in the front and back (better for preventing sunburnt ears). It's non-removable, but not many Mario toys' hats are.

Permanently attached to the figure's back is a big, ornate backpack. It's the same brown as his boots, with a tan bedroll tied on top and a coil of rope hanging from the left side. Like we said, none of it can be removed any more than a Koopa's shell could, but it does look pretty awesome and addds to the overall presentation of the figure. The backpack and all its gear (including the straps molded on the chest to make it look like they're looped around his shoulders) are sculpted with a smooth texture, while the clothes have a fine pattern to make them look like actual cloth.

The articulation is slightly less than usual: he still has all the joints (hinged knees, swivel/hinge hips, swivel wrists, hinged elbows, swivel/hinge shoulders, and a neck joint of some sort), but the lower edge of his shirt is designed as part of a solid body, rather than a loose lower edge, so it does a wonderful job of almost totally blocking off the hips, preventing them from doing anything more than swiveling.

The thing you collect in Super Mario Odyssey in order to unlock the door to the next world is Power Moons. They're all the same shape, but differ in colors - for the Wooded Kingdom, the moons are blue, so that's what we get here for the set's sole accessory.

Many of Mario's "new" outfits in Super Mario Odyssey are actually references to the character's history, both from his own games and from his appearance as a glorified mascot in other titles. For instance, the white "Mechanic Outfit" originated in 1988's Famicom Grand Prix II: 3D Hot Rally, a game most people have never even heard of. The Explorer Outfit, meanwhile, comes from Mario's Picross, a 1995 nonogram game that sold so poorly in the US and Europe that the sequels were never released outside Japan. It's not the deepest cut in the costume closet, but it makes for a cool-looking figure, and an undeniably unique Mario toy!

-- 11/24/21


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