Need info on 1989 Nintendo Z-bag (Mario Bros. version)

[Rubiks]

Hi guys.

I recently picked up a 1989 Nintendo Z-Bag carrying case at a local pawn shop. I had to buy another NES with it as they wouldn't separate it from the bundle. I managed to talk them down on their price so I'm happy with what I paid for it. What makes it interesting is that it has Mario and Luigi on the front.



I'm looking for information on this particular version of the bag. I've seen tons of pictures of the regular plain bag that just have the Nintendo logo on it. I checked the sold listings on ebay for "Nintendo Z bag" and "NES Carrying case", and found that out of the 30 or so Z-bags that sold, only one other has the Mario Bros. on the front. Of course the results only go back as far as September 2013. This means that although it's obvious that the Mario Bros. version is rarer than the plain one, it doesn't necessarily show an accurate picture of how many of them were made/sold compared to the plain ones.

I'm not really too interested in how much the bag is worth (assuming it's even worth anything). I'm a collector, so I'm more interested in the bag itself. I'd like to know why this version had mario and luigi and the others didn't. And also why it seems to be much harder to find than the plain blue bags. Was it a mail order thing? Was it for a special promotion? Or were they just sold normally in stores but in limited quantities.

So does anyone know about and/or have this bag?

Thanks!

[Rubiks]

50 views and no replies.

Does anyone know any veteran Nintendo collectors who might know more about this variant of the Z-bag? I've called every retro game store in my province and they've all come up short. No one seems to know where these bags were sold and why so few of them are around compared to the plain blue bags.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

[mas]

I tried to do some research on this bag for you. It looks like they made 3 models the original Nintendo logo, what you have the Mario and luigi, and the rare black and red model. I can't find out how much it's worth but you got a rare little bag. I did find a poster on it but I cant remember where I found it.

[Hobie-wan]

Maybe see if there's a thread on bags or just merchandise in general on Nintendoage.

[Rubiks]

Hobie-wan: I signed up on Nintendo age and started a thread there. No information yet, but I PMed a guy who seems to have a very extensive Nintendo merchandise collection so I'm waiting to hear back from him.

Mas: Thanks for doing some research dude! After you mentioned the black and red version, I decided to look a bit harder and I think I may have figured it out! There are actually 4 different versions of the bag I can find. I'll list them here.

Black and Red version: This version of the bag has no front pocket. The Nintendo logo is made of stitched thread as is located on the front flap. The Zbag logo is stitched onto the left side of the front flap.



Blue version 1: This version has a front pocket. The Nintendo logo is made of stitched thread and is located on the upper third part of the front pocket. The Zbag logo is stitched onto the bottom center of the front pocket.


Blue version 2: This version has a front pocket. The Nintendo logo is no longer made of thread, but is now silk screened onto the fabric of the front pocket. Probably to save money. It is also closer to the centre. The Zbag logo is also silk screened onto the bottom right of the front pocket.


Mario Bros. version: This version has a front pocket. The Nintendo logo is silk screened. The Mario Bros. have also been silk screened onto the front pocket. There is no Zbag logo anywhere on the bag.


After noticing that there was no Zbag logo anywhere on the Mario Bros version of the bag, I took a closer look at the tag on the inside. I noticed it was written in both English and French (something I don't think is required in the US). It also said it was manufactured by a company called "Luxor". This leads me to believe that the Mario Bros version might in fact be the Canadian version of the bag!

[Hobie-wan]

Random bag sighting.

http://cheezburger.com/8110133504

[CRTGAMER]

I'm looking for information on this particular version of the bag. I've seen tons of pictures of the regular plain bag that just have the Nintendo logo on it. I checked the sold listings on ebay for "Nintendo Z bag" and "NES Carrying case", and found that out of the 30 or so Z-bags that sold, only one other has the Mario Bros. on the front. Of course the results only go back as far as September 2013. This means that although it's obvious that the Mario Bros. version is rarer than the plain one, it doesn't necessarily show an accurate picture of how many of them were made/sold compared to the plain ones.

My guess is an unofficial bag made by an independent and not licensed by Nintendo, especially because of the rarity of the Mario Bros characters on the front.

[Luke]

My guess is an unofficial bag made by an independent and not licensed by Nintendo, especially because of the rarity of the Mario Bros characters on the front.

It's the same Mario and Luigi logo that's on my Nintendo toy chest. I wonder if it could have been an iron on transfer and not a silk screen.