30th Anniversary Nendoroid Kirby has some real good faces

On the road again

I may not buy much merch from Good Smile Company these days, but showing up to see which video game characters have been immortalized as stylish figures is a fun pastime. How will they be represented in Nendoroid form, and what are the accessories? I like to poke around. In the case of this 30th Anniversary Nendoroid Kirby, it’s all about the faces.

After three decades of powerful pink puff action, there’s this cutie (via Siliconera):

https://twitter.com/GoodSmile_US/status/1531474322514186240

Nendoroid Kirby: 30th Anniversary Edition comes with accessories like a bindle (the lore of the Kirby series never ceases to amaze me), a sweet potato, a heart, and a Star Rod.

You can do a face-off, too — Kirby’s starry-eyed look is a fine default, but there’s also “spiral eyes,” “a flustered face,” and my favorite, the “retro face.” Kirby looks so determined! Much like plump Pikachu, it’s fun to reflect on how character designs have shifted over the years. Come to think of it, Kirby’s retro face smile reminds me of a Mii.

The 30th anniversary Nendoroid Kirby costs $47.99 with an estimated ship date of February 2023, so consider this a present to your future self — how surprised will you be when you bust open the box next year? Pre-orders are open today through July 13, 2022.

Another goodie caught my eye on Good Smile’s shop page: a “nap pillow” plush of Waddle Dee that’s shaped like a loaf of bread. “I have no mouth, and I must scream,” indeed.

30 years of pleasant platforming

In August, the Kirby series will continue its celebration with an anniversary concert at Tokyo Garden Theater. It’s been a long and generally pleasant journey, hasn’t it?

1996’s mind-blowing Kirby Super Star and this year’s Kirby and the Forgotten Land are at the top of my list. (Granted, I’ve missed a lot, but it’s hard to imagine anything else resonating with me on this level; both games were a “right place, right time” sorta deal.)