It’s hard to believe that nearly ten years have passed since the launch of amiibo on November 21, 2014. Originally released to compete with the likes of Skylanders and Disney Infinity, these little figures not only gave those brands a run for their money but also continued to thrive in the marketplace long after their competitors faded into obscurity.
To celebrate the upcoming 10th anniversary of amiibo, we’ll be taking a in-depth journey through each year of their release, highlighting some of our favorite memories and milestones along the way!
Amiibo Announcement – June 2014
At E3 2014, former Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aimé and the late, great Satoru Iwata unveiled amiibo in one of the most amazing ways possible. The reveal trailer featured an epic face-off between Link and Mario in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, giving fans their first look at how amiibo would function in the game. If you haven’t seen it yet, you’re definitely missing out on a piece of Nintendo history!
Shortly after the initial E3 presentation, Nintendo released a more detailed video featuring Bill Trinen, who showcased ten of the 12 amiibo figures set to launch alongside Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. Notably, Fox and Marth were missing from this first look. Though brief, the video gave fans a glimpse of how amiibo would function within the game, demonstrating how players could bring their figures to life and train custom AI fighters.
The video also confirmed that these figures would be compatible with other upcoming titles, including Mario Kart 8, Yoshi’s Woolly World, Hyrule Warriors, and Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker — though details on their in-game functionality were still scarce. Additionally, Nintendo provided a sneak peek at the 3DS amiibo adapter, set to release in North America in 2015, which would allow the handheld console to join in on the amiibo fun.
Shortly after the video was released, Nintendo officially confirmed the lineup for the first wave of Super Smash Bros. amiibo figures. Set to launch on November 21st, 2014, this inaugural wave included some of Nintendo’s most iconic characters:
- Mario
- Link
- Pikachu
- Donkey Kong
- Fox McCloud
- Samus Aran
- Yoshi
- Kirby
- Marth
- Villager
- Wii Fit Trainer
Amiibo Launch Day – November 21st, 2014
On November 21st, 2014, Super Smash Bros. for Wii U officially launched, accompanied by the first wave of 12 amiibo figures. Initially, most characters like Mario, Link, and Pikachu were widely available at major retailers, making it relatively easy for fans to pick up their favorite figures. However, it quickly became apparent that Marth, Villager, and Wii Fit Trainer were released in significantly lower quantities.
It’s likely that Nintendo assumed these less mainstream characters would see lower demand compared to heavy hitters like Mario and Pikachu. However, they severely underestimated the completionist mentality that early amiibo collectors had. Fans eager to collect the entire set were soon met with scarcity, as Marth, Villager, and Wii Fit Trainer vanished from shelves almost immediately.
Holy Marth! r/amiibo user Colloz snaps a shot of the Marth stock at NWS. Why am I so far away? http://t.co/Qfgu2yz6fw pic.twitter.com/FWa1BuxjdM
— Amiibo News (@AmiiboNews) May 19, 2015
Shortly after release, these three figures became known as “The Holy Amiibo Trilogy” due to their rarity and skyrocketing prices on the secondary market. Within just a few weeks, they were commanding triple-digit prices, making them must-have items for collectors willing to pay a premium. I vividly remember going on a quest to five different Target stores before finally securing the elusive trio!
Fortunately, in the months following the initial launch, Nintendo responded to the demand by re-releasing these rare amiibo figures. However, with amiibo mania in full swing, even the restocks were snatched up quickly, leaving many collectors out in the cold unless they acted fast!
Wave 2 – December 2014
After the monumental demand for the initial launch of Wave 1 amiibo, Nintendo fans went absolutely wild with the release of Wave 2 in December 2014. This wave included the following:
- Zelda
- Diddy Kong
- Luigi
- Captain Falcon
- Pit
- Little Mac
Unlike Wave 1, Wave 2 was released sporadically at retailers across North America. I vividly remember stumbling upon Little Mac, Zelda, and Diddy Kong at Toys”R”Us over a week before they were officially expected to hit stores. However, Captain Falcon and Luigi proved much more challenging for me to track down.
Wave 2 Amiibo figures out at Toys r Us. Just picked up Zelda, Little Mac, and Diddy Kong! pic.twitter.com/TT0OYG5Tfq
— Amiibo News (@AmiiboNews) December 11, 2014
At that time, I was running Amiibo News on Twitter by myself, determined to stay on top of in-stock alerts as quickly as possible. But even for me, it was a challenge to keep up with just how chaotic each new launch became. And if I thought this wave was intense, what was coming next would completely blow everything I had experienced up to that point out of the water! Come back tomorrow for all the details!
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Written by Jason Ganos
Nintendo super fan since birth, Jason is the creator of Amiibo News and editor-in-chief at Nintendo Wire. One of his life goals is to provide the latest Nintendo news to fellow gamers with his natural know-how.
