{"id":535294,"date":"2026-01-22T19:36:21","date_gmt":"2026-01-22T19:36:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/535294\/"},"modified":"2026-01-22T19:36:21","modified_gmt":"2026-01-22T19:36:21","slug":"nintendos-talking-mario-wonder-flower-is-somehow-less-annoying-than-most-ai-gadgets","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/535294\/","title":{"rendered":"Nintendo’s Talking Mario Wonder Flower Is Somehow Less Annoying Than Most AI Gadgets"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you played Super Mario Bros. Wonder<\/a>, you either accepted the eponymous Talking Flowers as occasionally annoying though still lovable creatures, or you loathed the sight of these babbling, big-mouthed cretins. Nintendo first showed off its flower toy in September last year. Finally, the Mario maker will allow you to stick one of these wordy weeds in your house starting March 12 this year.<\/p>\n

The new table toy joins Alarmo <\/a>in Nintendo\u2019s quest to take over your bedroom. Before you run to put your ears between your pillow cushions, at least Nintendo\u2019s latest toy is somehow far less annoying than most of the spouting AI gadgets that have cropped up in the last few years. The Wonder Flower will be available for $35 in the New York and San Francisco Nintendo stores or online at My Nintendo Store<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Nintendo\u2019s Talking Flower is a simple concept. It includes the potted plant with its sousaphone-shaped mouth and bright eyes shining with curiosity and a hint of instability. In an overview trailer posted first to the Nintendo Today!<\/a> app, Nintendo showed how the toy includes multiple autonomous and programmable voice lines it can spout off at select times. Nintendo said the device will talk approximately twice per hour with lines such as \u201cSometimes it\u2019s nice to space out\u201d and \u201cIs it weird for flowers to talk?\u201d<\/p>\n

One exceptionally prattling plant <\/p>\n

Otherwise, the toy includes a big button your kids can use to make it speak incessantly. \u201cMake sure you\u2019re getting your veggies,\u201d it might intone. Nintendo claims the plant can sense the time of day and ambient room temperature as well. It should have voice lines for each of these scenarios, though we\u2019ll soon find out if it starts repeating itself too often.<\/p>\n

Thankfully, Nintendo included the ability to hold the button down and get it to shut up for a little while. Otherwise, you can program it to set a wake-up or sleep message. The Mario maker made a point that the plant will purposefully get this wrong occasionally, not because it doesn\u2019t know what time it is, but because the little shrub is somehow always surprised. At least, the Wonder Flower won\u2019t speak up during the night.<\/p>\n

Your children may enjoy Wonder Flower far more than you do. The device has a music mode where the plant shouts \u201cWonder\u201d before playing a song from the game. Those nearest to the plant can spam the button to get it to shout random exclamations. However, the device speaks 11 languages, so any multi-language families may use it as an ambient teacher to keep their Spanish sharp.<\/p>\n

It could be worse <\/p>\n

Despite the Wonder Flower\u2019s incessant prattling, I don\u2019t imagine it will be nearly as annoying as most other speaking gadgets we\u2019ve seen recently. At CES 2026<\/a>, there was a mountain of kid-centric toys featuring AI to talk to your children and respond to all their questions. Late last year, U.S. Public Interest Research Group Education Fund (PIRG) and NBC detailed <\/a>how these AI-centric toys would willingly talk to kids about BDSM topics like impact play (including the benefits of whips versus paddles). These toys could tell kids how to light a match or where they might find a knife.<\/p>\n

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#SuperMarioBrosWonder<\/a> \u2013 Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Meetup in Bellabel Park arrives March 26!<\/p>\n

Look forward to new boss courses with all 7 Koopalings, two new playable characters, Rosalina, and Co-Star Luma, and more!<\/p>\n

Pre-order today: https:\/\/t.co\/jflxAzIJGB<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/8AKPoiJRMc<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) January 22, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Nintendo\u2019s pre-programmed toy is far tamer by comparison. I\u2019ll admit, I\u2019m the type of person who will try to annoy his roommate by hammering the Wonder Flower\u2019s talk button. The March 12 release date coincides with a new Super Mario Wonder Bros. Wonder \u2013 Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Meetup in Bellabel Park<\/a> update coming out March 26. The paid-for upgrade pack will add more multiplayer modes to the existing game and a few other features. The flower will arrive after Nintendo launches its $100 Virtual Boy recreation<\/a> device and new purple and green Joy-Cons 2, again selling for $100.<\/p>\n

This post was updated 1\/22\/26 at 11:30 a.m. ET to include pricing on the Wonder Flower.<\/p>\n