It has been requested that this article be rewritten. Reason: Better organization

Concept artwork for amiibo

amiibo is a brand of "Toys to Life" products[1] consisting of near field communication-based figurines that can have data read and written on them, used as add-ons to games with amiibo compatibility. Originally referred to internally under the working title "Nintendo Figure Platform" ("NFP") in development[1], the first line of amiibo, based upon Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U, launched on the same day as Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, the first amiibo-compatible game, and there are amiibo lines based upon various games and franchises[2], such as the Super Mario and Yoshi's Woolly World lines.

Features [ edit ]

amiibo can be used with Wii U software by placing a figure on the near-field communicator built into the Wii U GamePad under the D-pad; the console must also be updated to at least version 5.3.0. A peripheral for the Nintendo 3DS has also been released in the fall of 2015 that wirelessly connects to the 3DS to send and receive data[3]; the New Nintendo 3DS, however, features a built in near-field communicator on the bottom touch-screen. amiibo can also be used on the Nintendo Switch by holding them to the joystick on a Joy-Con (R) or the logo on a Pro Controller. amiibo come with data already on them, but data can also be written on them by the hardware. Several figures will be compatible with multiple games; for example, the Super Smash Bros. line Mario figure can also be used in Mario Party 10.[4] Multiple games can read an amiibo's data, while only one game's data can be written to the figure at a time.[5]

In addition to figurines, a card format is also available.[6] Additionally, an app released for the Wii U, amiibo tap: Nintendo's Greatest Bits, allows players to unlock demos of certain NES and SNES titles by scanning amiibo.[7]

Mario-related games compatible with amiibo [ edit ]

Non-Mario games compatible with Mario-related amiibo [ edit ]

amiibo tap: Nintendo's Greatest Bits [ edit ]

amiibo tap: Nintendo's Greatest Bits is a free-to-play game in which tapping amiibo figures on the GamePad unlocks demos of classic games. These demos are randomly chosen and assigned to the amiibo, and will allow the player 3 minutes to traverse through "gameplay highlights." By tapping the amiibo during the demo, the player can change the scene and also reset the timer.

Super Mario amiibo line [ edit ]

Region Wave Release dates North America Wave 1

Wave 2

Wave 3

Wave 4

Wave 5

Wave 6 March 19-20, 2015

May 29, 2015

November 4, 2016

October 6, 2017

October 27, 2017

February 12, 2021 Europe Wave 1

Wave 2

Wave 3

Wave 4

Wave 5

Wave 6 March 20, 2015

October 7, 2016

November 4, 2016

October 6, 2017

October 27, 2017

February 12, 2021 Japan Wave 1

Wave 2

Wave 3

Wave 4

Wave 5

Wave 6 March 12, 2015

December 17, 2015

October 20, 2016

October 5, 2017

October 27, 2017

February 12, 2021 Oceania Wave 1

Wave 2

Wave 3

Wave 4

Wave 5

Wave 6

Wave 7 March 21, 2015

May 30, 2015[16] - June 25, 2015[17]

October 8, 2016

November 5, 2016

October 7, 2017

October 27, 2017

February 12, 2021 Mainland China Wave 1

Wave 2 December 10, 2019

May 1-25, 2020

Figure list [ edit ]

- The character is recognized as a generic amiibo.

- Exclusively at Walmart at launch in United States.

- Exclusively at Target at launch in Australia.

- Exclusively at EB Games at launch in Australia.

- Recognized by character name by Uncle amiibo.

- Glows in the dark.

- Same functionality can be obtained through in-game means.

- Does not give a costume.



Other Mario related amiibo lines [ edit ]

Super Smash Bros. [ edit ]

Region Wave Release dates North America Wave 1

Wave 2

Wave 3

Wave 4

Wave 5

Wave 6

Wave 7

Wave 8

Wave 9

Wave 10

Wave 11

Wave 12

Wave 13

Wave 14

Wave 15

Wave 16

Wave 17

Wave 18

Wave 19

November 21, 2014

December 14, 2014

February 1, 2015

May 29, 2015[19]

July 31, 2015[19]

September 11, 2015[19]

September 25, 2015

November 1, 2015

November 13 , 2015

November 20, 2015

January 22, 2016

March 16, 2016

July 21, 2017

December 7, 2018

February 15, 2019

April 12, 2019

July 26, 2019

September 20, 2019

November 15, 2019

Europe Wave 1

Wave 2

Wave 3

Wave 4

Wave 5

Wave 6

Wave 7

Wave 8

Wave 9

Wave 10

Wave 11

Wave 12

Wave 13

Wave 14

Wave 15

Wave 16

Wave 17

Wave 18

Wave 19

Wave 20

November 28, 2014

December 19, 2014

January 23, 2015

February 20, 2015

April 24, 2015

May 29, 2015

June 26, 2015

July 17, 2015

September 25, 2015

October 23, 2015

November 20, 2015

January 29, 2016

March 18, 2016

July 21, 2017

December 7, 2018

February 15, 2019

April 12, 2019

July 19, 2019

September 20, 2019

November 15, 2019

Japan Wave 1

Wave 2

Wave 3

Wave 4

Wave 5

Wave 6

Wave 7

Wave 8

Wave 9

Wave 10

Wave 11

Wave 12

Wave 13

Wave 14

Wave 15

Wave 16

Wave 17

Wave 18

Wave 19

December 6, 2014

January 22, 2015

February 19,2015

April 29, 2015

May 28, 2015

June 11, 2015

July 30, 2015[20]

September 10, 2015[21]

October 29, 2015

November 5, 2015

December 17, 2015

April 28, 2016

July 21, 2017

December 7, 2018

February 15, 2019

April 12, 2019

July 19, 2019

September 20, 2019

November 15, 2019

Oceania Wave 1

Wave 2

Wave 3

Wave 4

Wave 5

Wave 6

Wave 7

Wave 8

Wave 9

Wave 10

Wave 11

Wave 12

Wave 13

Wave 14

Wave 15

Wave 16

Wave 17

Wave 18

Wave 19

November 22, 2014

December 12, 2014

January 29, 2015

April 25, 2015

May 30, 2015

July 4, 2015

July 23, 2015

September 26, 2015

October 24, 2015

November 21, 2015

January 30, 2016

March 19, 2016

July 21, 2017[22]

December 7, 2018

February 15, 2019

April 12, 2019

July 19, 2019

September 20, 2019

November 15, 2019



Figure list [ edit ]

- The character is recognized as a generic amiibo.

- Exclusively at Toys "R" Us at launch in North America.

- Exclusively at Best Buy at launch in North America.

- Exclusively at Target (Walmart in Canada for Jigglypuff and Dr. Mario) at launch in the United States; in the case of Rosalina, while originally planned to be exclusive in Canada, it was instead distributed in limited quantities to several retailers at launch after several stores were closed.

- Recognized by character name by Uncle amiibo.

- Exclusively at GameStop (EBGames in Canada) at launch in North America.

- Exclusively on Amazon at launch in North America.

- Available in four different poses, which can be detached from the amiibo stand.

- Available in two color schemes: The red R.O.B. (based on the Famicom) was Japan-exclusive, while the gray R.O.B. (based on the NES) was released overseas. The red R.O.B. was later released outside of Japan.

- Recognized as a generic amiibo in many modes.



Unlike other amiibo, the Yoshi's Woolly World amiibo are made of yarn rather than plastic, with an NFC chip and scan point in the underside rather than having a base with the chip in it. The Mega Yarn Yoshi, however, has the NFC chip underneath its left foot instead of its underside.

Region Wave Release dates North America Wave 1

Wave 2

Wave 3 October 16, 2015

November 15, 2015[23]

February 3, 2017 Europe Wave 1

Wave 2

Wave 3 June 26, 2015

November 27, 2015[24]

February 3, 2017 Japan Wave 1

Wave 2

Wave 3 July 16, 2015

December 10, 2015

January 19, 2017 Oceania Wave 1

Wave 2

Wave 3 June 25, 2015

November 21, 2015

February 4, 2017

Figure list [ edit ]

- The character is recognized as a generic amiibo.

- Exclusively at Toys "R" Us at launch in North America.

- Recognized by character name by Uncle amiibo.



30th Anniversary [ edit ]

Region Wave Release dates North America Wave 1 September 11, 2015[19] Europe Wave 1

Wave 2 September 11, 2015[25]

October 23, 2015[25] Japan Wave 1 September 10, 2015[26] Oceania Wave 1

Wave 2 September 12, 2015[27]

October 24, 2015

Figure list [ edit ]

- The character is recognized as a generic amiibo.

Skylanders: SuperChargers [ edit ]

While they are primarily meant to be Skylanders figures, the bases of these figures act as a switch that, when twisted, switches between the Skylander mode, and an amiibo mode which allows the figures to be used in amiibo-compatible games compatible with other versions of the figure. These figures are included with the Skylanders: SuperChargers starter packs for Nintendo consoles; Turbo Charge Donkey Kong comes with the Wii U version, while Hammer Slam Bowser comes with the Wii and Nintendo 3DS versions; each figure also comes with a personal vehicle.[28] The standard versions were later released separately alongside their vehicles.

The figures are later compatible with the Wii U and Switch versions of Skylanders: Imaginators.

Region Release dates North America September 20, 2015 (With Game)

January 9, 2016 (Separately) Europe September 25, 2015 Oceania September 26, 2015

Figure list [ edit ]

- The character is recognized as a generic amiibo.

- Same functionality can be obtained through in game means.

- Recognized as a generic amiibo in some modes.



Mario Sports Superstars [ edit ]

Mario Sports Superstars A set of cards from

Region Release dates North America March 24, 2017 Europe March 10, 2017 Japan March 30, 2017 Oceania March 11, 2017 South Korea July 13, 2017

Card list [ edit ]

Main article: List of Mario Sports Superstars amiibo cards

There are a total of 90 amiibo cards in this series. Each of the eighteen playable characters receive one card for each of the five sports. Unlike the Animal Crossing series cards, these are considered as separate characters and only supported specifically for Mario Sports Superstars, thus do not work or recognized as a generic amiibo in all other games.

Controversy [ edit ]

The availability of certain amiibo has been subject to criticism. For example, the Target exclusive shipments of the Rosalina & Luma amiibo have been stated to be ceased permanently, limiting the availability of the amiibo in the U.S. until a restock at Target.com came mid-July 2015.[29] Immediately following the preorder release of the Wave 4 amiibo, GameStop servers experienced a major overload and shut down temporarily for nearly an hour. The incident has been met with intense criticism and frustration by fans who wished to purchase the amiibo.[30] John Vignocchi, the executive producer of Disney Infinity, another game that uses NFC figures, has stated "[An intentional shortage] is irresponsible and rude to your hardcore fans," referring to the amiibo shortages.[31] Satoru Iwata has noticed the issue and has apologized for it; he has promised that more will be manufactured to meet the demand in the future.[32] The amiibo cards, a card form of amiibo, were released with the intention to address the amiibo figurine shortages.[33]

Gallery [ edit ]

For this subject's image gallery, see Gallery:Amiibo.

An amiibo scanning on the Wii U GamePad

Pre-release versions of Super Smash Bros. amiibo

The Mario Kart 8 -compatible amiibo and Mii suits

Super Mario series amiibo

Trivia [ edit ]

Mario Party: Star Rush The Bowser Jr. amiibo in

The word "new" in the new Nintendo 3DS logo is stylized similarly to the amiibo logo.

In Mario Party: Star Rush, Bowser Jr. has a model of a Super Mario series amiibo in Mario Shuffle mode when being played (based on his artwork for Mario Party 9), though no physical version of it has released yet.