This week, Universal Orlando Resort has given fans a sneak peek into some of the new merchandise that’s going to be debuting at Universal’s newest theme park, Epic Universe. With five new themed lands to explore, Universal has given us a glimpse into what sort of new merchandise we can expect to see from lands like The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Ministry of Magic, the Isle of Berk, Dark Universe, and the highly-anticipated Super Nintendo World, the newest and largest iteration of Super Nintendo World yet!
With such a large and involved land, tons of new Super Nintendo merch comes along with it, so let’s dig in and see what kind of exciting new goodies fans can pick up in the Mushroom Kingdom
Let’s a-go!
Several shops will be opening with this land alongside the official launch of Epic Universe, like the 1-UP Factory and Mario Motors, where guests can pick up themed merchandise featuring their favorite Nintendo characters. Mario, Luigi, and Princess Peach can be found on the most prominent merchandise, as well as characters like Daisy, Toadstool, Yoshi, and Donkey Kong.
Most notably, the long-awaited Power-Up Bands will be sold at Universal’s Epic Universe, allowing guests to interface directly with the Super Nintendo World land.
With at least eight unique designs all modeled after some of Nintendo’s most beloved characters, these interactive bands allow guests to connect to the Universal Play experience that will soon be part of the Universal Orlando app. With the entire Super Nintendo World land being a gamified experience, guests can use these bands to trigger real-life minigames, secrets, and compete on the digital leaderboards that Universal will be implementing especially for Super Nintendo World.
By completing challenges around the land, guests can accrue points and win coins that can then be transferred into their Nintendo Games like Mario Kart via the same RFID technology that Amiibos use, allowing them to interface with Nintendo Switch gaming systems! Considered to be unique Amiibos, these Power-Up Bands are best used to experience all that Super Nintendo World has to offer – but can then be used at home to give players a little boost of coins in-game!
Completing the challenges allows guests to win digital achievements like keys, stamps, and coins, allowing guests to either experience a “casual” run of the park or go the completionist route and 100% the entire land, picking up every collectible along the way.
If you’re not into the digital rewards as much as you are physical merchandise, fear not! There’s plenty of new goodies at Super Nintendo World that you can hold in your hands as well! Check out the new character-themed hates and headbands, showing off your favorite characters like Chef Toad, Bowser Junior, Princess Peach, and more! Or, if you’re somewhere in between, and like collectible items that you can physically display, the new Super Nintendo World popcorn buckets are for you!
Like all of Universal’s collectible popcorn buckets, the ones debuting at Epic Universe are high-quality sculpts that don’t skimp on details. A bit bigger than your average display sculpture, these popcorn buckets tend to be entirely (or at least partially) hollow to fill with – you guessed it – popcorn, but that doesn’t knock any points off the quality these things are made with!
Featuring removable themed lanyards that can easily be stored in the popcorn compartment for a clean display, these are best kept for handwashing only, as many of the more recent collectibles feature light up technology you wouldn’t want to put through the dishwasher. Lightweight enough to take to the park but sturdy enough to survive it, the popcorn buckets that are sold at Universal are meant for much more than just popcorn, and are a collector’s dream!
Also available is the Super Star popcorn bucket, modeled after one of the various in-game collectibles that fans of both the classic and modern Mario games are sure to be familiar with! Also including its own themed lanyard, this popcorn bucket might not grant you invincibility in the parks, but it will certainly brighten your day – this one lights up!
As always, be sure to check with your cashier when purchasing a popcorn bucket, as many of them allow guests to get their first fill free! All you need is to grab the voucher from the cashier and present it (and your new popcorn bucket!) to the team member manning a popcorn stall!
If popcorn’s not your style but you still want in on the collectible container action, consider picking up a 1-UP Mushroom Sipper or a Super Mushroom Sipper.
On top of being absolutely adorable, these sippers come with many of the same features that the popcorn buckets do, making them excellent collectibles perfect for display or use around the parks!
Don’t forget to check out Funky’s Fly ‘n’ Buy for some tropical merch fit for a Kong – I mean, King! At this shop, guests will find never-before-seen Nintendo merchandise, like a banana-shaped fanny pack, a gigantic Donkey Kong coffee mug, and a Diddy Kong ticket holder to keep all your tickets, passes, and room keys safe and accessible! There’s going to be so much to do at Epic Universe, you don’t want to be wasting time digging through your backpack for your passes when you could just scan and go!
Without a doubt, Super Nintendo World is going to be a utopia for fans of the classic Nintendo franchises, stuffed to the gills with new merchandise and thrilling ride experiences. All of that combined with the fact that the entire land has been gamified in true Nintendo fashion makes this land highly-anticipated among many Universal Fans.
Theme Park Shark has more to cover with all the new merchandise that Epic Universe will be rolling out for its debut opening on May 22nd, 2025 – stay tuned to hear more about Dark Universe, the Isle of Berk, and Celestial Park!
