"Spent 1 Million Won Without Hesitation": Hardcore Nintendo Fans Wait 3 Hours and Splurge at Pop-up Store [Report]

Nintendo Pop-up Store in Jamsil Until January 11 Next Year
Over 450 Merchandise Items from The Legend of Zelda, Animal Crossing, and More
Weekend Advance Reservations Sold Out Through Mid-December
"Mario Kart Tournament" to Be Held on Novem

"Oh my gosh, it's so cute! I'm going to spend over 100,000 won."

On the afternoon of November 19, the first floor of Lotte World Mall in Jamsil was bustling with crowds eager to visit the "Nintendo Pop-up Store" even before it opened. Visitors ranging from their 20s to 40s lined up to enter, and many people inside the store were so captivated by the merchandise that they couldn't take their eyes off the products.

Reservation queue in front of Nintendo popup store on the 19th. Photo by Jaehyun Park

Lotte and Nintendo Co., Ltd. are operating the "Nintendo Pop-up Store" at the Atrium on the first floor of Lotte World Mall in Jamsil from this day until January 11 of the following year to celebrate the year-end season. This is the second time Nintendo has opened a pop-up store, following the one held at Yongsan I'Park Mall in 2023. The number of items for sale, which was 350 to 400 two years ago, has increased to over 450 this year, and a variety of interactive events have also been prepared.

At this event, visitors can find popular intellectual property (IP) merchandise such as Super Mario, The Legend of Zelda, Animal Crossing, Splatoon, and Pikmin, which were previously sold only at official Nintendo stores in Japan. Notably, around 100 new items that were only available in Japan are being introduced exclusively in Korea for the first time.

A view of the Nintendo pop-up store on the 1st floor of Lotte World Mall in Jamsil on the 19th. Photo by Jaehyun Park

The pop-up store received an enthusiastic response even before opening. News of the Nintendo pop-up store spread across various online communities, and reservations for the opening day sold out immediately to prevent items from running out of stock. As of the morning of November 19, according to the Naver reservation system, all weekend advance reservations through mid-December were sold out, and most weekday afternoon slots were also fully booked.

The venue was filled with Nintendo game fans. The waiting line, which began forming at 8 a.m., grew to about 30 to 40 people after two hours, and by 10:30 a.m., around 40 people were waiting, with an estimated wait time of about 180 minutes. Mr. Baek (27) from Gyeonggi Province said, "I love Nintendo games, so when I heard about this from a friend, I came to buy The Legend of Zelda merchandise. As soon as reservations opened, I booked for 11 a.m., and it wasn't too difficult to secure a spot." A representative from Nintendo Korea stated, "Games like Splatoon and The Legend of Zelda are very popular, but there aren't many merchandise items available in the market. We expect that the majority of visitors to the pop-up will be core fans who love specific Nintendo games."

Zelda Key Holder Display at Nintendo Popup Store. Photo by Jae-Hyun Park

Visitors spent a long time inside the store, browsing through multiple merchandise items. Purchases were limited to two items per person for each product.

The most crowded area was the display for The Legend of Zelda key holders. Priced between 5,000 and 10,000 won, these items were relatively affordable, so many people browsed the products and filled their shopping bags. Jang Minki (20) from Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, said, "I found out about the pop-up store last week through a KakaoTalk Plus Friend notification. I enjoy various Nintendo games, but especially like The Legend of Zelda and Splatoon, so I bought about 100,000 won worth of merchandise."

Splatoon merchandise display set up inside the pop-up store. Photo by JaeHyun Park

There was also steady interest in other displays, such as Pikmin and Animal Crossing. Game creator Ronading, whom we met at the venue, was carrying a shopping bag full of purchased items in both hands. Ronading said, "I was invited to the pop-up store, and I was happy to finally buy a glass cup that I couldn't get in Japan because I was worried it might break. Plush toys are also bulky and difficult to bring back from Japan, but since I didn't have to worry here, I think I spent over 1 million won," he said with a smile.

In addition, large experiential zones were set up throughout the Lotte World Mall. On the fifth-floor connecting bridge between Lotte World Mall and World Tower, a 358-square-meter (about 110 pyeong) Super Mario character photo zone was created, attracting many visitors. On the first basement floor, there was also a photo zone featuring the iconic Super Mario pipe. There was a large experiential area where visitors could enjoy various Nintendo Switch 2 games. On the fourth floor, a Super Mario Brothers 40th Anniversary History Board was installed, drawing attention.

Customer participation events held during the pop-up period are also attracting attention. On the first weekend of the pop-up, the "Mario Kart World 2025 Fall Event Match" will take place. On November 22, a 24-person tournament open to anyone will be held at Cine Park on the 7th floor of Lotte Cinema World Tower in Jamsil. On November 23, there will also be a parent-child tournament where one elementary school student and one parent can participate as a team.

A Lotte representative stated, "This pop-up store is the culmination of Lotte's efforts to provide differentiated content that combines shopping and entertainment. Through a large-scale holiday collaboration with Super Mario, which is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, we plan to offer all visitors to Lotte World Mall in Jamsil an unforgettable year-end filled with joy and memories."