Nintendo has seemingly gone all out for Mario’s 35th anniversary with games like theSuper Mario 3D All-Starscollection, crossover events inSplatoon 2andAnimal Crossing: New Horizons, as well as merchandise like Mario LEGO sets being outlined inlast week’sSuper Mario35th Anniversary Direct. One product that made an appearance in the Direct was a pair ofSuper Mario 64-themed PUMA RS-Dreamer sneakers, but it seems those were not the only ones in development.
TheSuper Mario 64PUMA sneakers were leaked by an Australian Foot Lockerlisting prior to their announcement, and the same appears to be happening for pairs of shoes based on the other two games in the3D All-Starscollection:Super Mario GalaxyandSuper Mario Sunshine. News site Nintendo Wire received a tip about star-patternedGalaxyshoes being up for sale on eBay, and then discovered an official listing for those as well as ocean-patternedSunshineshoes on Kuwait’s Foot Locker website.
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Both pairs are listed at 47.000 Kuwaiti Dinar (KWD), which translates to about $154 U.S. This would make them around $30 more expensive than theSonic the HedgehogPUMA sneaker collectionreleased in February to tie in with that character’s official live-action movie. However, shoe enthusiasts and Mario fans alike will probably find the investment reasonable.
Sneakers are not the only pieces of apparel being created to celebrate Mario’s 35th anniversary. During last week’s Direct,Nintendo announced aSuper Marioclothing line by BlackMilkthat will be releasing in October, and prior to that another collaboration between Nintendo and Levi’s set up a host of denim goods to celebrate the anniversary of the popular developer’s mascot.
All of these announcements have seemingly energizedSuper Mariofans, and Nintendo fans, after it was believed the company had little going for its end-of-year schedule. Despite controversies surrounding the 3D Mario collection due to its limited availability and high price for an apparent lack of improvements,Super Mario 3D All-Starsis skyrocketing up Amazon’s best sellers' listthrough pre-orders alone.
However, the ongoing coronavirus pandemic seems to have had a big effect on what the long-time developer was able to do, despite its best intentions. Reports have suggested thatNintendo planned to make itsSuper Marioanniversary announcements earlierthis year. On the bright side they were not cancelled all together, so fans can still get their hands on new Mario games and Mario-themed sneakers.
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