• Skip to main content
  • Skip to header right navigation
  • Skip to site footer
  • About
  • Shop
  • Press
  • Media Kit
  • Contact
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Instagram
  • YouTube

teach mama logo

teach mama

helps families connect & build bridges between home & school, by amy mascott

  • early literacy
    • alphabet
    • beginning sounds
    • phonics
    • phonological awareness
    • read-aloud learning
    • rhyming
    • sight words
  • reading
    • books
    • comprehension
      • activating schema
      • connecting
      • inferring
      • predicting
      • questioning
      • retelling / summarizing
      • visualizing
    • concepts of print
    • environmental print
    • fluency
    • non-fiction
    • spelling
    • word building
    • word consciousness
    • vocabulary
  • writing
    • creative writing
    • grammar
    • informative writing
    • tripod grip
  • math
    • computation
    • counting
    • numbers
  • science
    • animals
    • plants
    • science experiments for kids
  • Activities
    • birthdays
    • cooking
      • new for us foods
    • crafts
    • foundations
      • colors
      • critical thinking
      • fine arts
      • listening
      • pretend play
      • sorting
      • speaking
    • holidays
      • new year’s
      • valentine’s day
      • president’s day
      • st. patrick’s day
      • april fool’s day
      • easter
      • mother’s day
      • teacher appreciation
      • father’s day
      • july 4th
      • halloween
      • thanksgiving
      • christmas
    • family life
      • family fun
      • giving back
      • lunchbox love notes
      • school
    • indoor activities
    • outdoor activities
  • digital literacy
    • computer time
    • iPad for learning
  • early literacy
    • alphabet
    • beginning sounds
    • phonics
    • phonological awareness
    • read-aloud learning
    • rhyming
    • sight words
  • reading
    • books
    • comprehension
      • activating schema
      • connecting
      • inferring
      • predicting
      • questioning
      • retelling / summarizing
      • visualizing
    • concepts of print
    • environmental print
    • fluency
    • non-fiction
    • spelling
    • word building
    • word consciousness
    • vocabulary
  • writing
    • creative writing
    • grammar
    • informative writing
    • tripod grip
  • math
    • computation
    • counting
    • numbers
  • science
    • animals
    • plants
    • science experiments for kids
  • Activities
    • birthdays
    • cooking
      • new for us foods
    • crafts
    • foundations
      • colors
      • critical thinking
      • fine arts
      • listening
      • pretend play
      • sorting
      • speaking
    • holidays
      • new year’s
      • valentine’s day
      • president’s day
      • st. patrick’s day
      • april fool’s day
      • easter
      • mother’s day
      • teacher appreciation
      • father’s day
      • july 4th
      • halloween
      • thanksgiving
      • christmas
    • family life
      • family fun
      • giving back
      • lunchbox love notes
      • school
    • indoor activities
    • outdoor activities
  • digital literacy
    • computer time
    • iPad for learning
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

our visit to nintendo us headquarters: 5 cool surprises #nintendoamerica

home / Best Of Teach Mama / our visit to nintendo us headquarters: 5 cool surprises #nintendoamerica
20 shares
  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Email
  • Print

We visited Nintendo US Headquarters in Seattle, Washington last week.

Nintendo. Headquarters.

Nintendo HQ.

You guys, it was awesome.

nintendo headquarters | 5 surprises | teachmama.com

Our family was invited by the great people at Nintendo to check out the HQ and to learn about what Nintendo has in store for the upcoming holiday season.

Actually, even though I really, truly enjoyed the experience, I think I may have scored some really huge mom-points with Maddy and Owen. And as they move quickly into their teen years, I will take those points wherever I can get ’em.

Every little thing we learned throughout the adventure is too extensive to lay out here, so I’m sharing five of the coolest surprises we learned.

 

nintendo headquarters visit | teachmama.com

1. There’s a Trophy Room that’s totally off-limits to visitors and even cameras.

The Trophy Room is kind of in the middle of the first floor of the HQ, across from the gift shop. On the outside is a huge timeline of some of the main characters in Nintendo games and history, like Mario, Zelda, Donkey Kong, and Samus.

nintendo headquarters visit | teachmama.com

nintendo headquarters visit | teachmama.com

I took a picture of the wall but then was almost immediately asked to delete it. *SOB! I swear I didn’t know I wasn’t supposed to take a picture!*

Once inside, each of the 4 or 5 walls of this open-ceiling room were covered in Nintendo memorabilia. I mean covered.

nintendo headquarters visit | teachmama.com

Some of the cool things we saw in this museum-type room were:

  • early gaming sets
  • the first set of playing cards (Did you know that Nintendo began as a card game company 100 years ago?!)
  • the story of Nintendo evolution
  • photographs of creators and designers
  • every, single Nintendo console and some games

It was super cool. I wanted to video it all.

But I couldn’t.

It was like a walk through history–and my childhood. So many memories. It was crazy.

2. There are awesome, new games in time for the holiday season, and we got to play them all on our new Nintendo SWITCH.

The Nintendo SWITCH came out last spring, but honestly, this is the first time I heard about it. Maddy and Owen heard about it from some friends this summer.

nintendo headquarters visit | teachmama.com

nintendo headquarters visit | teachmama.com

nintendo headquarters visit | teachmama.com

This system is essentially one that you can take anywhere. You can play at home, orย  you can play on the go.

You can play it as a handheld by yourself. You can disconnect the joy-cons (the tiny, little controller/joystick things on the side), and you can play with a friend.

You can even add extra joy-cons to the set and play with more than just one pal–you can actually link up to eight sets together.

nintendo headquarters visit | teachmama.com

Take a look at our unboxing of our new Nintendo SWITCH system:

Check out the Nintendo site for more details and even some videos and specs of this system, but here’s a quick list of our fave new games for this platform:

  • Super Mario Odyssey

  • Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

  • Splatoon 2

  • ARMS

Owen’s fave? Hands down it’s a tie between Rocket League and Pokemon Tournament.

Check out his happy face when he won Pokemon Tournament!

nintendo headquarters visit | teachmama.com

nintendo headquarters visit | teachmama.com

nintendo headquarters visit | teachmama.com

3. We learned the truth about Mario’s name.

One smart super-fan asked the million-dollar question, and I will now share the answer with you.

nintendo headquarters visit | teachmama.com

nintendo headquarters visit | teachmama.com

Question: If Mario and Luigi are the Mario Bros, does that mean that Mario’s last name and first name are both “Mario”?

Answer:ย  Yes. Pretty much.

So? It’s Mario Mario and Luigi Mario.

Who. Knew?

4. We met (and interviewed!) Kit and Krysta.ย 

FOR REAL.

nintendo headquarters visit | teachmama.com

nintendo headquarters visit | teachmama.com

Take a look at Maddy and Owen interviewing these two Nintendo STAHS:

Kit and Krysta are the hosts of the amazing Nintendo Minute show. They’ve got millions and millions of subscribers, and they are super cool.

Video’s coming, friends. but until then, here’s a glimpse at the crew:

5. We experienced the new and improved Nintendo 2DSXL.

nintendo headquarters visit | teachmama.com

nintendo headquarters visit | teachmama.com

Why do we love the Nintendo 2DSXL?

  • It’s small and easy to use and transport.
  • It’s less expensive than most gaming systems.
  • It has a huge library of games to download and purchase.
  • You can use games from a number of other systems with it–you can use games from 3DS in 2D. They also play nearly all Nintendo DS and Nintendo DSi games.
  • It comes in multiple colors and designs.
  • You can play Minecraft together.

nintendo headquarters visit | teachmama.com

nintendo headquarters visit | teachmama.com

nintendo headquarters visit | teachmama.com

 


Overall, the experience was a total blast. More to come later, especially on Nintendo SWITCH and the games we’re trying and games we love.

A million thanks to the great folks at Nintendo for inviting us to see the latest and greatest and for treating us with smiles and open arms. We are crossing our fingers for a return visit soon–especially so we can bring Cora and Brent!

Have any questions? I’d love to hear them and to see if I can answer them–especially if they’re about Nintendo SWITCH or the Nintendo 2DS XL systems.

Cheers–and happy family game playing!

fyi: I was invited to visit Nintendo America Headquarters and received some Nintendo products to try and write about as part of our partnership. However, as always, the opinions here are all my own, influenced only by my experience as a parent and educator.

fyi: Some of the links in the post above are โ€œaffiliate links.โ€ This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Forever and always I recommend only products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commissionโ€™s 16 CFR, Part 255: โ€œGuides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.โ€ ย For more information, please see teachmama media, llc. disclosure policy.ย 

You May Also Like...

  • Navigating Education in a Time of Uncertainty: A Virtual Summit for Educators
    Navigating Education in a Time of Uncertainty: A Virtual Summit for Educators
  • Virtual Summit for Educators: Navigating the Online Classroom & Beyond
    Virtual Summit for Educators: Navigating the Online Classroom & Beyond
  • photo books for kids and family: 15 best, coolest, most clever and creative
    photo books for kids and family: 15 best, coolest, most clever and creative

About amy mascott

teacher, mother, dreamer. lover of literacy, fun learning, good food, and three crazy-cool kids. finder of four-leaf clovers | dc metro ยท http://about.me/amymascott
tweet with me: @teachmama

Previous Post:our favorite thanksgiving printables for BIG kidsour favorite thanksgiving printables for BIG kids!
Next Post:advent activity calendar for kids and family: 2017advent activity calendar 2017 teachmama.com_

Sidebar

amy mascott profile blog

join the coolest club around:

  • About
  • Contact
  • disclaimer
  • terms of use
  • privacy policy
  • Site-Map

Instagram


our books

setting the stage for rock-star readers
raise a reader

Find Us On Social Media

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Instagram
  • YouTube

Helpful Links

  • About
  • Contact
  • Press
  • Media Kit
  • Disclaimer
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy

Follow Us On Instagram

View
Open
UMD Womenโ€™s Basketball ROCKS!! โค๏ธ๐Ÿ’›๐Ÿ–ค๐Ÿ€

We absolutely love watching you play, @terpswbb !

We love watching you perform, @marylandcheer !

And @mightysoundofmd we love your music and your hilarious signs! ๐Ÿ˜ฌ๐Ÿ˜ณ

See you in Greenville! 

#terpsbasketball #terpswbb #umd #familyfun #marylandcheer #umdfamily
View
Open
Tomorrow is St. Patrickโ€™s Day!

Are you ready? 

https://shop.teachmama.com/

#saintpatricksfun #stpaddysforkids #familyfun #classroomactivities #teachmamashop
View
Open
This is how we use the St. Patrickโ€™s Day Brain Teaser Scavenger Hunt! ๐Ÿ€

Super easyโ€”and makes kids work a little for their golden chocolates! ๐Ÿ˜‰

Grab them here: https://shop.teachmama.com/product/st-patricks-day-scavenger-hunt-4-pack/

<< Tag a pal who needs to know about this and would LOVE to use it with kids or students! >>

#stpatricksdayfun #saintpaddysday #stpaddysforkids #stpatsfun #linkinbio
View
Open
and then there were six
๐Ÿฑ๐Ÿฆ๐ŸฆŠ๐Ÿฆ„๐Ÿฏ๐Ÿฐ

thank you @thewoobles for giving my mind, heart, and hands something fun to do during a really challenging few months. 

#crochet #thewoobles #brainbreak #teachersanitysaver #shescrafty
View
Open
With great sadness, I'm writing to share that my brother-in-law, Jeff Mascott passed away from pancreatic cancer earlier this week--at home, surrounded by family and friends. 

The family is very grateful for the community's immeasurable help, encouragement, and prayers over the past several months since Jeff's diagnosis. 

Jeff's obituary will run this weekend in the Post: 
https://www.collinsfuneralhome.com/obituaries/Jeff-Mascott?obId=27420280&fbclid=IwAR2YTRooCyaLTikfjLeqF4gM-GaB1amZI2OmVl1VtKLUOjWj3Wo4URD8lC8#/obituaryInfo
View
Open
Flowers and a basket of @traderjoes faves are salve for a tired and weepy soul. ๐ŸŒท

Thankful for great, longtime friends ๐Ÿ’š๐Ÿ’›๐Ÿ’š๐Ÿ’›

#itshardtobeahuman #thankfulheart #wlhs4evah #teacherbffs
View
Open
Almost 30 years of friendship!! I love these smart, beautiful, strong and creative women who walked with me through my early days of teaching. 

๐Ÿ’›๐Ÿ’š๐Ÿ’›๐Ÿ’š

Thank you, Wilde Lake High School, for bringing us together way back when. 

๐Ÿ’š๐Ÿ’›๐Ÿ’š๐Ÿ’›

Missed you, jigofjoy ๐Ÿ’›๐Ÿ’š

#weareteachers #andoneprincipal #wildelake #wlhs4evah #teacherbffs #wildelakehs #teachersofinstagram #celebratewewill
View
Open
Today marks the 4th time in 3 weeks that I have had to hang new Kindness Reminders Tear-off Sheets! 

Makes my heart ๐Ÿฅฐ!! 

Some kids come by every day and give one to a new person. Others take a bunch for the week. One 2nd grade girl comes by evey morning to tell me who she gave hers to the day before. 

Every little bit helps, friend. And every interaction matters!

#kindnessrocks #adoormadeforme #teachersofinstagram #makeadifference
View
Open
Best crew for one of the best @terpswbb games weโ€™ve seen all season! 

And of course super job by @marylandcheer and @mightysoundofmd too! 

#terpswbb #terpsbasketball #familyfun #marylandcheer

Copyright © 2023 · teach mama media, llc · All Rights Reserved

  • 8
20 shares