These fire Animal Crossing Puma sneakers are releasing next month

Animal Crossing Puma
(Image credit: Puma/Nintendo (via SneakerFreaker))

These Animal Crossing: New Horizons-themed Puma sneakers are cooler than they have any right to be, and they're launching on Saturday, September 18 as part of a collaboration between Nintendo and the German apparel company.

Every once in a while, a piece of video game apparel ascends beyond its status as such and into Cool Cat territory. There are a few different tiers of video game clothes before you reach that level: there's the stiff, boxy N64 t-shirts from Walmart whose logos peel off after one go at the laundromat, then there's the slightly more stylish retro-themed stuff you might find at places like Target, and finally, you've got truly high-quality, good-looking video game merch from specialty stores.

As revealed in a first look from SneakerFreaker, these Animal Crossing Puma sneakers are in another category altogether, right alongside the Super Mario Bros. x Levi's collaboration from last year. The pastel hues are carried over wonderfully from the Animal Crossing New Horizons special-edition Switch; the Animal Crossing branding, like the leaf on the tongue and the little character faces on the sides, are implemented tastefully; and the shoes look like they'd work with almost any casual attire.

The Animal Crossing x PUMA collection isn't limited to just sneakers and will include items designed for both adults and kids. With the September release date confirmed, there's only a matter of time before you can rock with K.K. Slider.

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Jordan Gerblick

After scoring a degree in English from ASU, I worked as a copy editor while freelancing for places like SFX Magazine, Screen Rant, Game Revolution, and MMORPG on the side. Now, as GamesRadar's west coast Staff Writer, I'm responsible for managing the site's western regional executive branch, AKA my apartment, and writing about whatever horror game I'm too afraid to finish.