The price tag of a new, giant Donkey Kong plush might drive you bananas, as it costs exactly the same as the Switch 2.
We’ve made it no secret that we’re fans of Donkey Kong’s redesign, which debuted in the 2023 Super Mario Bros. movie but only became the new norm for the video games last year, with Mario Kart World and Donkey Kong Bananza.
It’s taken a while to filter through into merchandise though, with most of it consisting of nothing more than stickers and bookmarks. But the wheels seem to be turning properly now though, with the unveiling of a giant-sized plush of the greatest of apes.
The plush is already available in the US and while it is very well designed, it is also eye wateringly expensive.
The official X account for the Nintendo Store, which has locations in New York and San Francisco, recently announced the new plush, showing off how large it is, which is appropriate given the character.
It doesn’t mention pricing but fan Nymo, who visited one of the stores, shared a photo of a sign displaying the plush toy’s price tag, which does not compare well to the price of the Nintendo Switch 2.
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At $450, the plush costs just as much as the console, for now anyway as the Switch 2 is seeing a price rise later this year, from $449.99 to $499.99. Price hikes have been confirmed for other regions too, including here in the UK, but Nintendo hasn’t said what they are yet.
It’s unclear if the Donkey Kong plush is available in Japan yet but there’s a reasonable chance it’ll be available at the new UK Nintendo store in London at some point, although it’s quite small, and technically a part of Argos, so it’s hard to tell what it will and won’t stock.
$450 translates to about £334 here in the UK, which is still pricey but cheaper than the Switch 2 currently is at £395.99. Nintendo’s not shared how much the Switch 2 will cost post-price increase, but we estimate it will be about £430.
Nintendo has plans to offer new bundles for the Switch 2 this summer in the US, for $499.99, letting customers get the console and a digital game of their choice. The options are Mario Kart World, Donkey Kong Bananza, and Pokémon Pokopia.
It’s a good deal since it comes before the price hike and means you get a discount on whichever game you pick, but Nintendo hasn’t stated if it plans to offer these bundles in the UK.
The company has publicly apologised for the price hike and even promised ‘a robust software lineup to enhance the Switch 2 ownership value’ as compensation.
So far, the company lacks a major release for the second half of the year though it did announce a new remake of Star Fox 64 (aka Lylat Wars) last week for a summer release.
Said remake had previously been rumoured, with the same source alleging that a remake of The Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time is also planned for this year. If true, that could be Nintendo’s big Christmas release.
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