For any Nintendo fan, the Nintendo New York store is a spot that you need to put on your itinerary. Even if you are not planning to stock up on games and toys, it is still worth visiting as there is plenty to look at and take in.
Like a kid in a candy store aptly describes what it is like to step inside the Nintendo New York store.
Located within Rockefeller Center, the Nintendo New York store is there to meet the gaming needs and desires of all ages.
Visiting the Nintendo New York Store
When we arrived, there was a queue outside. This was a busy season and New York was bursting with out of town visitors.
We had to wait in line as the store was very busy and the staff needed to manage the number of people inside the store. The queue to enter the Nintendo store stretched about a quarter of the way down the block along 48th Street.
We slowly made our way forward. Finally, it was our turn to be let into the Nintendo store.
There was so much to take in within the Nintendo New York store. The store occupies two levels and is designed to make a visit an experience with life-sized versions of characters like Mario and Sonic the Hedgehog.
There are only three Nintendo stores in the world. New York is the only place with a Nintendo store outside of Japan. The other two stores can be found in Tokyo and Osaka.
With 10,000 square feet of space within the New York Nintendo store, there is a lot to see and explore.
You will find all sorts of Nintendo merchandise within the store. These range from mugs to t-shirts to hoodies and sweats to plush toys. There are even household items such as plates, kitchen towels and ceramic jars. There are so many different plush toys to choose from and from across different franchises too.
If you are a Pokemon fan, you will find plenty of different pokemon plushies for sale. Of course, the most popular one is Pikachu and you can also pick up New York exclusive Pikachu toys from the New York store.
Since it is a store devoted to gaming, of course you can pick up some Nintendo games from the store. However, foreign visitors should note that the Nintendo games sold within the New York store are only intended for use with gaming consoles in the United States of America and Canada regions.
We were excited to come across remote controlled toys cars of Mario and Yoshi. These were actually mini Mario karts that could be used for real life races. It was most definitely a fun and unusual items that you cannot find easily.
When done on the first floor, take the stairs up to the second level. There is an elevator available too.
A super sized version of Mario giving a fist pump in the air in victory as he clings on to a pole occupies the center of the stairwell.
Mini Museum Devoted to Nintendo Consoles
On the second floor, there is a display case that showcases a bevy of Nintendo game consoles. It is a mini museum devoted to Nintendo’s rise over the decades, neatly packaged within a glass cabinet.
On the top shelf, there are classic devices that date back more than a couple of decades. These included the Game & Watch handheld gaming devices. Next is a row of Game Boy handhelds and included the original Game Boy to the Game Boy Lite and Game Boy Advanced.
Also on display were the Nintendo DS devices.
It is something that any geek would definitely get excited about and more than enough reason to come into the store.
Photo Opportunities and Merchandise
For other visitors and fans, there are plenty of photo opportunities within the store. One of these photo opportunities is a life sized version of Link.
There are other photo opportunities with character likes Luigi and you imagine that you have been transported to the Mushroom Kingdom – one where there is plenty of merchandise available for sale.
Another section that caught our eye was the Animal Crossing corner. You will be able to find Tom Nook and the other characters from Animal Crossing on t-shirts, bags and other merchandise. We liked the cute plush toy versions of the characters too.
Gaming Area
If being surrounded by all the merchandise and Nintendo characters gets you feeling like doing some gaming, there is a gaming section within the Nintendo New York store.
Scratch that itch and get hands on and play. You can try out different games and play on the screens within the store.
Even if you aren’t playing, it is a great spot to watch others battling it out on the big screen.
Experiencing the Nintendo Store in New York
The Nintendo store in Manhattan, New York is a great place to get something special for yourself or to shop for a souvenir or memento to take home for a fan who may be back at home.
We like how the store featured many different Nintendo franchises. It was a place where we could find most of what we liked. From Pokemon to the Legend of Zelda to Mario and the Mushroom Kingdom, there were many different sections filled with varied merchandise and items that all looked so tempting.
What we enjoyed the most was browsing through the shelves to see if we could find anything interesting or little hidden gems to purchase. This made the visit to the Nintendo store even more fun and exciting.
We eventually left after purchasing a variety of gifts for people back home. And, of course, we were also able to pick up something for ourselves too.
For any Nintendo fan, the Nintendo store at Rockefeller Centre in New York is a must visit. It is a rare chance to view pay a visit to such a well themed store, and it also provides a chance to get hands on and play some games.
Where: 10 Rockefeller Plaza, New York, NY 10020 (On 48th Street between 5th and 6th Avenues)
How to Get There: Via Subway B, D, F, M to 47-50 Sts
Website: Nintendo New York Store
If you liked this story, you may also like reading about the Museum of Arts and Design or MAD.
