Nintendo’s amiibo line has been going strong for more than a decade now, and at this point, you’d think the company would have made every character imaginable. Icons like Mario and Link have both had several amiibo designs, and deeper cut characters like Chibi-Robo and Qbby have gotten representation. On top of Nintendo’s own mascots, we’ve even seen a whole bunch of amiibo based on characters from third-party games like Street Fighter 6 and Shovel Knight. However, there’s one pretty notable character that has never had a figure before, and it’s someone that appeared in one of Nintendo’s earliest games.
As revealed today, Nintendo will be offering an amiibo next month based on Donkey Kong Bananza. The design features Donkey Kong himself, which isn’t that big a deal; after all, Donkey Kong has already seen multiple amiibo figures over the last 11 years. However, what is notable is that the character is accompanied by Pauline. For those unfamiliar with the character, Pauline was kidnapped by DK all the way back in the 1981 Donkey Kong arcade game, requiring her to be rescued by Mario. Despite having a central role in that game, Pauline has never gotten the amiibo treatment before this.
The Donkey Kong & Pauline amiibo will be released on July 17th, which is the same day as Donkey Kong Bananza. At this time, a price has not been announced, but it’s a safe bet that it will cost $29.99, which is the same price as the recently released amiibo based on The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. Those figures were originally planned to be released at a cheaper price point, but the cost went up following the tariffs instituted in the United States. We’ve yet to see what impact that price hike will have on the amiibo line, but it could make fans a little pickier about which ones they add to their collections.
Scanning the Donkey Kong & Pauline amiibo in Donkey Kong Bananza will automatically unlock Pauline’s Diva Dress, which is based on her design in Super Mario Odyssey. For those that don’t buy the amiibo, that outfit can still be unlocked in the game via standard progression. The game will also feature specific compatibility with amiibo based on the Donkey Kong franchise; those unlock explosive tiles with the letters K, O, N, and G. Any other amiibo scanned will grant Donkey Kong and Pauline giant spheres that can be thrown and used to open paths.
With Pauline finally getting an amiibo, it will be interesting to see what Nintendo does with the line from here. It’s impossible to say whether we’ll see any more amiibo figures released this year, or if we’ll be waiting until 2026. There are some Nintendo Switch 2 games that could lend themselves well to new figures, such as the recently announced Splatoon Raiders.
Are you planning to purchase the Donkey Kong & Pauline amiibo next month? Do you still regularly purchase the figures? Share your thoughts with me directly on Bluesky at @Marcdachamp, or on Instagram at @Dachampgaming!
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