The amiibo craze has been going on since Nintendo released the tiny little plastic figures late last year.  Initially releasing just a few figures found in the Super Smash Bros Wii U and 3DS game, they offered a new way to play.  Nintendo made the decision to limit production of figures and keep them rare. Once certain characters sold out, that was all they would distribute of them in each region.  

Retailing at $12.99 in the US, amiibo flew off shelves with lesser known characters like Villager, Wii Fit Trainer, and Marth being some of the most sought after characters.  These quickly began selling for $30 to $90 each after the initial supply was gone through sites like eBay and Craigslist.  

But what makes amiibo so popular?  Why does anyone care about plastic figures similar to what you find in Disney Infinity and Skylanders?  To answer this question, I began a test.  I would offer myself up to see what this craze was all about.  Little did I know, it would take over my life.

I began small–collecting a few characters I cared about: Zelda, Link, and Mario.  Soon I found myself reading about amiibo through various websites and hearing reports of people camping out to get a new wave of amiibo released.  Silly people, I thought.  Little did I know, I would soon find myself camping out for a limited release of the Kirby franchise Meta Knight and trading amiibo with other collectors. 

I am not sure if it was an addictive personality problem or what exactly led me to the next step in collecting amiibo, but I soon found myself wanting to get the other figures.  Some like to collect amiibo sealed in their original packaging but I was content, like many others, to open them and display inside my office. I have gone from collecting just a few amiibo to trying to get my hands on all of them. 

Since I began my first initial hunt for amiibo, Nintendo has gone from releasing figures based off of Super Smash Bros to a new Super Mario Bros line that includes a very hard to find Toad amiibo that sold out almost as quickly as it was put up.  While it is unknown, at this time, if everyone who begins to gather amiibo suffers from addiction, I am wondering if Nintendo put something on the packaging that makes you crave the process of collecting.  

This is Kaleb Rutherford and these are my Morning Musings. 

By Kaleb Rutherford – 03/06/15

Screenshots for M3: My Morning Musings – amiibo craze