Review: ‘Super Mario Bros. Wonder’ Talking Flower toy a joy for kids

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Since the pandemic, I’ve constantly looked for ways to improve my work-from-home space. I have added a standing desk, switched out a gaming chair for an office one and shuffled through several keyboards. That shift has also led to more items dotting my desk, like funny little speakers, a cup holder and an auxiliary screen. The latest addition to my workspace is Nintendo’s Talking Flower from “Super Mario Bros. Wonder.”

The $34.99 tchotchke brings the chatty sidekick from the video game to life. When it first arrived, my 3-year-old was immediately drawn to it. He said he needed the toy because “it tells me the time.” That’s true. When starting it up for the first time, users discover the Talking Flower has a hidden LCD panel where they can input the current time, pick a language and set up a wake-up time and a bedtime.

Once started, the toy acts essentially like a grandfather clock, which also happens to be that one co-worker who drops by your cubicle for a chat. It announces the time each hour on the hour, a nice reminder throughout the day. Occasionally, it chimes in with observations or random commentary like that chatty colleague. It’s novel at first, but after a while the Talking Flowers phrases become redundant. Thankfully, the button can mute the flower though I wish I could mute but still here the time.

In addition to the time-telling function and the chats, the device also plays music from the “Super Mario Bros.” series games. Players have to activate the Music Mode, but I wish it was integrated into the flowers routine.

Having it on my desk for more than a week, it’s clear that the device is intended for children. The Talking Flower will ask if I did my homework or discussed naps. It did make my home office a little less lonely. The constant quips sometimes brightened the mood or at least filled the quiet in the room.

In the end, I did put it in my 3-year-old’s room, and it’s a silly way for him to mark time and it’s less imposing than looming grandfather clock. The Talking Flower is also sturdy enough that it can fall off a table and onto carpeted floor without major damage. It will announce the canned phrases, and he can talk to it and pretend its listening. Thankfully, the worst topic it’ll bring up is homework, and he won’t have to deal with that yet.

Talking Flower

2 stars out of 4

Manufacturer: Nintendo

Price: $34.99