Happy early Pikmin Day! Wait. Let’s back up, since you don’t appear to be aware that today’s Pikmin Day Eve. Nintendo announced Saturday that, going forward, Nov. 1 will be known as Pikmin Day, a planned annual celebration of the now-25-year-old puzzle-strategy franchise. Nintendo designer Shigeru Miyamoto announced the news alongside a handful of updates for games like Pikmin 4 and Pikmin Bloom during a brief video dedicated to the Pikmin franchise.
In that video, Miyamoto explains that Nov. 1 was chosen as the annual Pikmin Day because the date’s appearance (i.e., 11.1) resembles the original red, yellow, and blue Pikmin standing side by side. Miyamoto also revealed a new Pikmin project called Hello! Pikmin that he’s collaborating on with Nintendo Pictures.
New Hello! Pikmin Shorts
Miyamoto showed a new short animated feature that will be part of the Hello! Pikmin series. The humorous animation shows a red Pikmin approaching a seemingly sleeping toad as the pint-sized creature attempts to steal a well-worn baseball. As the video plays out, it seems the red Pikmin’s fate is sealed; the toad isn’t asleep after all. And it’s hungry.
After the video, Miyamoto said Nintendo plans to release new animated shorts in the Hello! Pikmin series through the Nintendo Today app and other channels. He’s collaborating with the Nintendo Pictures team to make them and they plan to release one video per month in the near future.
Nintendo Pictures released a Pikmin-themed animated short titled “Close to You” one year ago to strong reception and interest. Prior to that, Miyamoto and company released a series of Pikmin animations (“The Night Juicer,” “Treasure in a Bottle,” and “Occupational Hazards”) back in 2014, reflecting what has long been a fascination for the game developer and creator of Pikmin.
Pikmin 4 + Dandori Academy news
The Nintendo Switch 2 Edition of Pikmin 4 arrives in November with the new Dandori Academy bonus content. During Saturday’s Pikmin showcase, Miyamoto walked Switch 2 owners through what’s coming and how the rerelease will stand apart from the original Nintendo Switch release of Pikmin 4.
As previously announced, Pikmin 4 – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Dandori Academy will feature Switch 2-exclusive features and challenges. Oatchi, the game’s puppy-like companion, can now be called to action with voice commands using the Switch 2’s built-in microphone. Dandori Academy mode adds new tests that will task Pikmin 4 players with optimizing their strategies. Limited-time exams will be released every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, with leaderboards so players can compete to see who’s got the best strats. Seventy-two Dandori Academy stages will be released over time.
A free demo of Pikmin 4 – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Dandori Academy will launch on Nov. 2, letting Switch 2 owners play the opening area and two Dandori Academy challenges.
Pikmin Bloom has a new ‘secret’
Nintendo’s mobile Pikmin game, Pikmin Bloom, is getting a new feature this winter called Secret Caves. The new feature will let players send their Pikmin hordes into caves to battle enemies and collect treasure. That booty will be part of a new in-game collection, giving Pikmin Bloom players new collectibles to hunt for.
Getting into Pikmin Bloom‘s Secret Cave requires maps, which can be acquired through in-game postcards as well as by playing Pikmin 4 – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition‘s Dandori Academy challenges.
Pikmin Bloom is available for free on Android and iOS devices.
Nintendo teams up with a popular Pikmin superfan
Beyond games, Miyamoto revealed he has recruited popular Japanese actor Fuka Koshiba as a spokesperson for the game franchise — specifically “to build more excitement about Pikmin going forward.” Koshiba isn’t just a successful and famous actor, she’s also known to knit Pikmin-themed headwear in her spare time.
