Nintendo’s latest novelty is equal parts desk buddy and cheerful interruption. The company is opening preorders for a Talking Flower gadget inspired by the chatty character from Super Mario Bros. Wonder, a device that pipes up on its own schedule to announce the time, riff on the weather, and deliver game-inspired quips. It’s priced at $34.99, with broader retail availability slated for March.
What the Talking Flower Actually Does Each Day
In a product overview shared by Nintendo, the flower speaks roughly twice per hour when active. You can also tap its button to prompt a line on demand, or press and hold to hush it if the chatter gets old. It reacts to the time of day and the ambient temperature, drawing from a built-in clock and a temperature sensor to tailor its comments. In true Wonder fashion, the gag continues even when it announces the time—it can occasionally get it comically wrong.
The cadence matters. At “about twice per hour,” a fully active unit could chime in dozens of times during a workday, landing closer to ambient décor than a traditional toy. Late-night quiet hours are built in, so you won’t be startled awake by an overeager bloom.
Why This Character Makes Sense for a Standalone Gadget
The Talking Flower became a breakout personality in Super Mario Bros. Wonder, popping up throughout levels to react to player antics with earnest, sometimes snarky asides. Nintendo reported Wonder as a record-setting Mario launch, with internal figures showing more than 4 million copies sold in its first two weeks and nearly 12 million by the end of the holiday quarter, making the character a surprisingly recognizable pick for a standalone gadget.
That popularity gives Nintendo a ready-made hook. The physical flower doesn’t hand out gameplay hints or coordinate with software, but it translates the character’s constant commentary into real life, turning your shelf into a stage for punchlines and small talk.
Price, Availability, and the Basics You Should Know
Preorders are live at $34.99, with general availability set for March. The device runs on an internal clock rather than a network connection; Nintendo’s marketing doesn’t detail any pairing or app controls. There’s a temperature sensor onboard for environmental chatter, a single button for interaction, and a long-press to mute. It’s a simple formula: no calendars, no smart home integration, just whimsical voice lines in a plastic pot.
Where It Fits in Nintendo’s Gadget Push and Strategy
The Talking Flower follows a string of Nintendo-branded electronics that live adjacent to, but not inside, the console ecosystem. Recent examples include Alarmo, a stylized alarm clock with game-inspired animations, and earlier peripherals like the Ring Fit Adventure ring and the Pokémon Go Plus+ that blended play with everyday routines. None are meant to replace a phone or smart speaker; they’re charming, single-purpose devices that deliver a smile more than utility.
That positioning also sidesteps privacy anxieties common to always-listening assistants. There’s no indication of microphones that upload data or any Wi‑Fi/Bluetooth pairing, and the behavior is consistent with a preprogrammed, offline toy. For collectors and families, the low-tech approach can be a selling point as much as the price.
Early Take: Should You Buy the Talking Flower Now?
If you loved Wonder’s commentary and want a playful desk companion, the Talking Flower is a faithful physical spin on the bit. Expect light function—time checks that lean into comedy, temperature-aware remarks, and frequent chatter—rather than productivity features. For parents, the built-in quiet hours and one-button mute are welcome safeguards; for collectors, it’s an affordable character piece that taps into one of Mario’s freshest hits.
For everyone else, consider your tolerance for periodic interjections. Nintendo designed this to be endearingly noisy, and the charm hinges on whether you find an animated flower’s energy delightful or distracting. Either way, it’s a rare example of a video game character breaking the fourth wall of your living room—by talking to you, on its own, all day long.
