The Super Mario Bros. Wonder Talking Flower told me the "ocean tastes like tears" and yet I've grown to like this weird Nintendo toy

You read that right. This official Super Mario Bros Wonder collectible really did take it upon itself to inform me that "they say the ocean tastes like tears." While the in-game character is known for being a bit quirky and bizarre, it still was not something I expected to hear when I first took the wide-eyed piece of new Super Mario merch out of its box last week.

The $34.99 (Nintendo US) / £24.99 (Nintendo UK) Talking Flower had a notorious reputation before it dropped on my lap, don't get me wrong. My co-worker and fellow toy aficionado and fellow Super Mario fan, Benjamin Abbott, warned me before I pre-ordered the wide-eyed flower replica that it could nag me about my eating habits, among asking me if I've had eaten lunch yet during any given day. Yet, I didn't think it would be quite as strange when it finally dropped at my doorstep on March 12, 2026. Strangely, even though I felt a bit disturbed when I first turned removed it from its cardboard prison, I've grown to really like this weird and wonderful Mario toy.

Nintendo Talking Flower: $34.99 at nintendo.com

This little toy doesn't interact with the Nintendo Switch or Switch 2, and instead is purely a 13.5 x 10.2 cm plastic replica of the cheery Talking Flower from Super Mario Bros Wonder for fans to display. It can say a huge range of phrases, includes a 'music mode' which plays jingles from the Switch game, and can remind you of the time of day, and the time you should be heading to bed, if you want an extra reminder.

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The quality of the toy itself is pretty grand. It stands approximately 13.5 cms (or a little over 5 inches) tall in size, and is a nice replica of the Talking Flower as it appears in Super Mario Bros Wonder. There's no smudge of paint out of place, and besides a couple of faint seamlines on the back, this is a high-quality sculpt and official piece of merch. The yellow colors on its head pop, and it looks particularly striking when displayed on a shelf and sat in front of rows of red Switch game boxes.

The Talking Flower is sitting in a little plastic plant pot, which is textured to give it a more realistic 'earthy' look. It's here, where you can find a large oval-shaped button, which can make it talk, or enter it into music or quiet mode. The Flower is going to talk whether you press this or not, but it's at least there if you want to be reminded of the ocean's salty flavour whenever you want.

It's this plant pot which you have to twist and pop out to add its double-AA batteries, and configure the times you want to wake up, and go to sleep. That way, it knows exactly when to annoy you. On the topic of being annoyed, I need to inform you that the Flower even makes sounds at this stage.

Every menu option makes him shout "beep" or "boop" and he even sings "la" music notes when you try to adjust the volume. I ended up liking this toy quite a lot, but I can tell you that setting it up at this stage only left me wanting a word with the designer. Thankfully, as annoying as the setup was, it turned out it didn't talk as often as I feared. It's been sitting on my desk since release day, and it's only every hour or so that I get greeted with an exclamation that it's "feeling pretty great" which is actually kind of cute.

I don't think Benjamin would ever agree with me here. Yet, every time it yaps away to me, I can't help but chuckle. There have been multiple moments where I've been typing away about the best Nintendo Switch 2 accessories, and suddenly I'd get disrupted by a "ooo, so exciting" which made me laugh. Its tone of voice feels a bit satirical, which is maybe not how Nintendo hoped it would sound, but I've been enjoying its little quips every day. At one moment, it even shouted "eureaka" during a meeting with the rest of the hardware team, which made everyone burst into a fit of laughter - the exact kind of thing I think we all needed on a Friday.

My partner is definitely not a fan of this weird toy. Every hour on the hour, the Talking Flower likes to proclaim the time, and this was not something my other half appreciates. To be fair, the first time it happened, it was my fault for taking it from my desk into the livingroom and forgetting 'quiet mode' exists. But the combination of its incessant reminders of the time, and its repetition has popped in on the bottom scale of my partner's favorite Mario collectibles from my collection.

While I'm on the subject, quiet mode is pretty adorable in my eyes. You can access it by holding the big button for a few seconds, and the Flower will stop talking until you press it again. When you do, he whispers, "pssst, can I talk yet?" and I found that irresistibly adorable. If you hold the same button a bit longer, you can enter 'music mode' which plays different jingles from Super Mario Wonder, but it only plays two different tracks from the game, so it's a bit bare bones.

After having it at my desk for a few days, I think I've heard all there is from the Talking Flower, but I didn't expect a huge range of phrases for its £24.99 MSRP here in the UK. As a little display piece and replica of a character from one of my most enjoyed recent side-scrolling Mario platformers, it's still a lovely bit of Nintendo merch to own, and I'm glad I pre-ordered it among the upcoming Super Mario Wonder amiibo figures.

If you fancy one yourself, my only recommendation is to learn how to activate quiet mode and learn how to do it fast. And if you don't happen to work somewhere chill and associated with games and toys, remember to mute your microphone during meetings.

Our guide to the best Nintendo gifts is full of even more Super Mario goodies we recommend for collectors and fans alike.