Toad & Diddy Kong

So this weekend I found a box of the K'Nex blind packed Mario Kart minifigures at Toys R' Us. I picked up a few and almost got all the ones I wanted. Mario and AJ picked up a few too. Of course after we opened everything, THAT was when we figured out that there was an identification code. On the back of every package is a series of 7 numbers. On each package a different number is underlined and that tells you what figure is inside. The only problem, the ink that is used to print these numbers rubs off pretty easily, so you might not be able to use them to find what you want. And unfortunately for me, what I thought was a Donkey Kong turned out to be a Bowser. 


Toad is pretty easy to figure out because of the giant head. I wanted to round out the Mario Bros. cast a bit, and since I'm a child of the 80's I actually think Toad is more iconic than Yoshi as a Mario Bros. character. The figure is okay. The head is great, but his arms are ridiculously long. He's literally a knuckle dragger. And  he has no leggs. His feet are stuck to the bottom of his torso, and they don't move at all. It helps the imagery of a short stout little man, but those arms are too much.

As for Diddy Kong, I could take or leave him, but since I was able to find him by feeling for his tail, I picked him up, that and because Toys R' Us was doing a buy one get one half off deal. So for half off, sure I'll get him. Actually, the tail is the only interesting bit about the figure. His design doesn't really fit in with the other Mario characters and compared to the other minifigures in this line, Diddy Kong feels a little light. Even when compared with Toad, since Toad has the giant head, Diddy just feels like he's made out of less plastic. The thin brim of his hat doesn't help. I feel like I could snap it like a cheap plastic cup.

Meanwhile I still want a Donkey Kong, but I've also seen solicitations for a K'Nex building set with DK, so I might just wait for that.