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Nintendo has admitted that the popularity of its Amiibo range took the platform holder by surprise.

The toys-to-life products are sold out at most UK retailers, with pre-orders of new models being snapped up in minutes.

Some retailers have even raised the price of the models to capitalise on their popularity.

Right from the outset we hoped that Amiibo would be strong, but even our expectations have been smashed,” said James Honeywell, head of consumer marketing at Nintendo UK. With a unique line-up of iconic characters that are loved by so many people, it really has been unprecedented.

We hope to do a better job of satisfying these needs in the future with more stock, and, while there are always going to be some times when we can’t on certain characters, I suspect that is also part of the appeal.

What we hadn’t anticipated was the number of collectors wanting to get them all – this has seen demand exceed supply in some areas. Although, if you search around, you can still find some of the more hard-to-find Amiibo sitting on shelves.”

Nintendo now hopes to win over a larger number of younger fans with Amiibo. For more from Honeywell, check out our in-depth look at the toys-to-life market.