While the popularity of Nintendo’s toys-to-life products, amiibo, may have been a passing fad back in 2014, the company has made it clear that it has no intention of phasing the figures out of their product lines any time soon. From basing an entire game aroundamiibowithAnimal Crossing: amiibo Festivalon the Wii U to recently announcing new amiibo lines forMonster Hunter RiseandSuper Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury, it seems that amiibo are here to stay.
Last summer, Nintendo officially kicked offSuper Mario Bros.' 35th anniversary, and the celebrations have continued into 2021. The announcement of an enhanced port of the Wii U’sSuper Mario 3D Worldcoming to the Nintendo Switch excited many, along with the reveal ofnew Cat Mario and Cat Peach amiiboto be released alongside the game. However, it now seems that some older amiibo will be making a return forSuper Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Furyas well.
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After the premier of a brand new trailerfinally showcasingBowser’s Fury,a press release by Nintendo teased the amiibo functionality for the game, mentioning the new Cat Mario and Cat Peach amiibo will “offer in-game enhancements.” Additionally, Nintendo noted that since Bowser and Bowser Jr. play large roles inSuper Mario 3D World +Bowser’sFury, the characters' own amiibo figures will be re-released at select retailers.
Mario’s famous nemesis Bowserhas a lot of amiibo figures, and although Nintendo didn’t specify which Bowser amiibo would be getting re-released, taking a look at their customer support CPSIA Certificates of Compliance page shows that theBowser amiibo made forSuper Smash Bros. for 3DS & Wii Uback in 2015 is the one being re-released. The page also shows that Bowser Jr.‘sSmash 3DS & Wii Uamiibo is being re-released, though this is the character’s only amiibo figure. Nintendo only briefly mentioned that the figures will be returning to select retailers and “have special activations inBowser’s Fury.”
It’s worth noting that back when the originalSuper Smash Bros. for 3DS & Wii Uamiibo were released, some figures were exclusive to certain retailers, such as the Bowser Jr. amiibo, which was originally a Toys ‘R’ Us exclusive. Being that Toys ‘R’ Us closed many of its stores back in 2018 after filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, it is likely that the Bowser Jr. amiibo will be available at other retailers this time around, despite the retaileropening a couple new stores back in 2019.
This new information comes with a slew of other announcements regardingSuper Mario Bros.‘35th anniversary, including anew Mario-themed Switchreleasing the same day asSuper Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury. All in all, Nintendo has made it clear that although their famous plumbers’ anniversary took place last year, they are not ready to stop celebrating just yet.
Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Furywill launch on February 12, exclusively for the Nintendo Switch.
