Gear

These Nintendo Hand Puppets Let You Recreate Your Most Epic Smash Battles

There's a ton of different options, but Waluigi unfortunately isn't one of them.

There are lots of reasons to love Nintendo. The Switch is tons of fun, particularly when you add cardboard. Its soon-to-disappear retro consoles helped millions replay their childhoods, and the Nintendo 64 is probably the greatest console ever. But what really makes the gaming giant special is its characters, multitudinous in franchises like Mario Bros., Zelda, and Pokémon. Its most popular series, from Super Smash Bros. to Mario Kart, are built around them.

That’s why we’re so excited for the new collection of Nintendo hand puppets from Hashtag Collectibles. They bring your favorites through a warp zone from the screen to real life. And while there aren’t as many choices as in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, there is a solid handful (sorry, we couldn’t resist) of options available.

From the Mario universe, you can get the man himself, along with Luigi, Yoshi, Toad, Princess Peach, Donkey Kong, Luigi, Bowser, and Bowser Jr. You can also pick up a Goomba to slip on one hand while you bop it on the head with whatever character is on the other. And rounding things out, there are regular- and gigantic-sized versions of the piranha plant, complete with green pipe.

Zelda partisans have two characters, Link and Princess Zelda, to choose from. That’s still enough for an accomplished ocarinist or, less authentically, whistler, to put on a musical puppet show complete with faithful renditions of the twelve melodies necessary to defeat Ganondorf in Ocarina of Time.

Depending on the character, the puppets are nine or 10 inches tall with movable arms and/or mouth. They’re a great way to introduce these characters to those whose hands aren’t yet big enough to grasp a controller, and you’ll have tons of fun perfecting your “Its-a-me, Mario!” voice while putting on shows for your kids.

Buy Now $20