It’s time to jump into a miniature kart and grab a tiny red shell as we check out the best Mario Kart Hot Wheels Toys!
When Super Mario Kart launched back in 1992, no one expected it to be such a long lasting phenomenon.
Yet here we are, just over 30 years later – and the series is arguably more popular than ever.
The current main series entry – Mario Kart 8 Deluxe – has sold a frankly astonishing 48 million units, making it the highest selling Switch game ever and (as of the time of writing) the seventh best selling game of all time, period.
Could Mario Kart 9 even be on the way this year? It’s long overdue!
There are now multiple ways to play Mario Kart beyond consoles too, with mobile entry Mario Kart Tour, the clever augmented reality toy/game Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit and even without a screen at all, with a Mario Kart Monopoly board game, Scalextric-style slot car racing sets and the brilliant Hot Wheels Mario Kart toys too.
Released in 2019, the Hot Wheels Mario Kart toys are a great way to take the racing action into your living room – and there are numerous vehicles and sets available.
Which are the best though?
Let’s find out, as we check out the best Mario Kart Hot Wheels toys!
10. Hot Wheels Mario Kart – 8 Kart Pack
If you’ve decided you want to get in on the Hot Wheels Mario Kart action, a great place to start is with a pack of 8 karts.
Featuring 8 of the most popular and well known characters in each pack, these give collectors an instant starting line up, without having to chase down packs of individual karts!
Just like in the games themselves, there’s a huge number of different karts to collect too.
An eight pack contains a mixture of karts and gliders too, allowing you to really bring that Mario Kart 8 Deluxe feel to the living room!
It’s a no brainer in terms of having a way to kick off your Hot Wheel Mario Kart roster – your collection will be off to a real turbo start if you grab yourself an 8 kart pack!
9. Hot Wheels Mario Kart Bullet Bill Playset
Do you remember seeing the huge Bullet Bills in a Mario game for the first time?
For me, it was in Super Mario World for the SNES.
Though easily avoided as long as you got to the little ditch in time, seeing that enormous sprite being shot directly at your plucky little plumber was a panic inducing moment!
Naturally, Bullet Bills made their way into Mario Kart too; in fact, one power up transforms you into a very fast, devastating Bullet Bill that hurtles past and knocks out any opponents unlucky enough to be in your path!
Which is precisely what this awesome Hot Wheels playset recreates.
You can launch your kart – using the mushroom button, of course – into the giant Bullet Bill, which then hurtles at high speed towards other karts.
Or maybe your cat.
Either way, it’s a clever reconstruction of the in-game Bullet Bill transformation – the only thing that places this playset so low is that there’s no way of incorporating this into a Hot Wheels Mario Kart race and track set up, which is a shame.
8. Hot Wheels Mario Kart Thwomp Ruins Track Set
Just as Bullet Bills became massive and anxiety-inducing in Super Mario World, so too did Thwomps increase in size and impact in Mario’s first 16-bit game – though they debuted in Mario’s last NES adventure, Super Mario Bros 3.
They’ve also featured in the Mario Kart games ever since the very first SNES entry in the series; in Mario Kart 8 (on Wii U) and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe on the Switch, they have made a home in their very own track: Thwomp Ruins!
It’s that course that this small set is based on – the objective being to launch your kart (Luigi is included!) past a deadly Thwomp without getting crushed.
Just like in the video game!
In a neat touch, this small, looping track can be added to the Mario Kart Circuit Track Set for an extra challenge!
7. Hot Wheels Mario Kart Piranha Plant Slide Track Set
Another classic Mario enemy, Piranha Plants are one of the oldest antagonists in the little plumber’s rogues gallery!
Not only do they appear in the very first Super Mario Bros game, but they also make their presence known in the original Super Mario Kart SNES title too.
As stalwart bad guys, Piranha Plants are a natural choice for a Hot Wheels Mario Kart set – and this is a really cool small obstacle course with a brilliant Piranha Plant as its centrepiece.
In this set, you’ll launch your kart – Yoshi is included, but of course any Mario (or even non-Mario!) Hot Wheels car can be used – down a steep slide, attempting to dodge the Piranha Plant, which drops down to attack the vehicle as it speeds past!
This is another set that can be added onto the excellent Hot Wheels Mario Kart Circuit Track – so Mario Kart enthusiasts can build the obstacle-ridden Mario Kart track of their dreams right in their living room!
6. Hot Wheels Mario Kart Chain Chomp Track Set
Chain Chomps have been a staple of Mario games since Super Mario Bros 3, but didn’t pop up in the Mario Kart games until Mario Kart 64 – and you can check out our ‘who is the best character in Mario Kart 64‘ article here – though they were missing one vital ingredient in that title: their chains!
This set includes Donkey Kong – and has a small loop with a gap, which the kart must leap over without getting chomped.
The metallic track, swinging Chain Chomp and even the gap section gives this set a unique look and feel.
Just like the Thwomp Ruins and Piranha Plant sets, the Chain Chomp Track Set can be added to the Mario Kart Circuit Track Set too.
Who could resist adding in one of the most iconic villains and a jumping stunt to their Hot Wheels Mario Kart set up?
5. Hot Wheels Mario Kart Boo’s Spooky Sprint Track Set
Bashful ghost Boo – who will only chase you when your back is turned – first appeared in Super Mario Bros 3, an incredibly inventive game that truly pushed the NES (and the Mario series) to new heights.
Not only did Boos appear in the first Super Mario Kart as items – in two player mode only; making a player transparent and stealing their opponent’s item when used – but they also appeared in the background too.
They’ve returned in plenty of other Mario Kart games over the years, with King Boo even being a playable character as of Mario Kart: Double Dash!! and several of the following titles in the series (including the current Mario Kart 8 Deluxe on Switch).
So of course, it’s no surprise to see a Hot Wheels set themed around the Boos!
Complete with a Shy Guy kart, this is a race through a library haunted by Boos – and once again, this is a track that can be used as an addition to the Mario Kart Circuit Track Set, just in case you don’t have enough to deal with on that particular course!
Does Shy Guy feature on our list of the best Mario Kart characters? Check it out and see who made the cut!
4. Hot Wheels Mario Kart Circuit Lite Track Set
So here we are with the first of the ‘big’ track sets on our best Mario Kart Hot Wheels toys list!
However, this is most definitely the smallest of the bunch – but the good news is that you can still attach all of the single stunt sets to this one.
Which means that if you want to throw together a track featuring Thwomp Ruins, a Piranha Plant obstacle, a spinning Chain Chomp and even the haunted library of the Boos, you can go ahead and do so!
The Lite variation of the Mario Kart Circuit doesn’t feature battery powered launchers and is a bit shorter than the full size version, but it does still have two lanes – which means you can pit two karts against each other in actual races, which is pretty cool!
Bafflingly, it does only come packaged with a single Mario Kart, however – so if you do intend to make full use of this track, you’ll have to pick up at least one other competitor to pit Mario against!
3. Hot Wheels Mario Kart Bowser’s Castle Chaos Track Set
Not as feature packed as the full Circuit Track set (as you’ll see in the next entry on this list!), the Bowser’s Castle Chaos set nonetheless has a fantastic Bowser centrepiece – and is also expandable in the same way as both the Circuit and Circuit Lite sets.
Bowser is wound up and then his fists swing dangerously as karts try to pass him, in order to get through the translucent orange loops he’s guarding.
Players launch their karts by slamming the mushroom buttons, in the same way that the Circuit Lite launchers work too.
Just as with the other circuit tracks, Bowser’s Castle Chaos also has flags that cleverly count laps as they’re passed – complete five laps of the deadly castle track and you win!
It’s another excellent, video game accurate Mario Kart Hot Wheels toy – though there’s still a few to go on this list that we think top Bowser’s Castle Chaos for sheer enjoyment.
2. Hot Wheels Mario Kart Circuit Track Set
So here we are with the full sized Mario Kart Circuit!
You’d be forgiven for mistaking it for the Lite version at first glance – there’s numerous features carried over, such as the ability to race upside down if you go fast enough on one section of track, along with elements such as the lap counting flags in each lane and the coins that spin as you pass them, for just a few notable examples – but there are definitely differences.
The aforementioned, battery powered and motorized power booster is a brilliant step up from the Lite track set.
There are also specific sections in which to add those extra stunt sections – Piranha Plants, Chain Chomps and Thwomp Ruins – so as not to adjust the main configuration of the track.
Plus – and this is a pretty big plus, even though it’s only a small addition – the fact that the set is bundled with Mario and Yoshi really helps, because you can start racing with two characters straight out of the box!
All of that and we haven’t even mentioned the feature that we at Retro Dodo can’t get enough of: the Green Shell button!
That’s right: this Circuit Track set even provides a Green Shell button for each player – time your shell attack right and you’ll send your opponent hurtling into the pit lane, costing them valuable seconds in the race.
It’s almost as close as you can get to the real thing – that is, unless you’ve tried out Bowser’s Castle Chaos – or the top entry on our best Mario Kart Hot Wheels toys list!
1. Hot Wheels Mario Kart Rainbow Road Track Set
Is there any Mario Kart track more instantly iconic, nostalgic or visually stunning as Rainbow Road?
Since the very first Mario Kart, the stunning polychromatic aesthetic of Rainbow Road has wowed players everywhere.
It’s even been included in games outside the Mario Kart series, having made appearances in games such as Super Mario Galaxy 2, Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS, Paper Mario: Color Splash and even, somewhat unexpectedly, in basketball game Mario Hoops 3-on-3.
You’ll even see Rainbow Road in the upcoming Super Mario Bros Movie, as revealed in its second trailer!
Though lacking in the stunt features and obstacles of other sets, the length and scale of Rainbow Road can’t be beaten; it’s a thrilling race that enables you to race five karts against each other, with lights and sounds to signal the start of the race too!
That comes courtesy of the brilliant Lakitu figure, who holds the lights over the start line just as he does in the video games.
Despite the overall lack of gimmicks, there are ‘item boxes’ that pop up during the race – these can either help or hinder the racers; again, bringing the feel of the video game to life.
Lastly, there’s also a finish gate which displays the winner – so any close finishes are immediately settled by the track itself!
The Rainboww Road track set is also bundled with an exclusive King Boo kart, as well as a Mario – though you’ll need to provide the other three racers yourself, you can at least get going immediately with the two included vehicles.
This eight foot long track set is absolutely stunning – and is without a doubt the very best of the Mario Kart Hot Wheels toys!
Jason – who lives in the UK – has had a lifelong interest in video games, which all started when he discovered Space Invaders in the early 80s. The first game he ever completed was Wonder Boy in Monster Land on the Sega Master System – which remains one of his proudest gaming achievements. Jason is a passionate writer – and has been writing about gaming since the late 90s. He currently runs pop culture blog midlifegamergeek.com, which he updates on a daily basis (and has written more than 700 articles on the blog alone!).
Outside of video games, Jason is a keen tabletop gamer, film buff and comic book fan.
