American teddy bear maker Build-A-Bear Workshop has released a limited-edition collection featuring characters from the hugely popular Nintendo Switch game Animal Crossing: New Horizons.
The collection, which was launched online on Tuesday, featured physical versions of two of the game's characters – Tom Nook and Isabelle – as well as clothing and accessories. The two characters also come with theme music and a mix of their personal phrases, so fans can hear the sounds every time they hug them. A full collection will be in-stores in the summer.
Build-A-Bear posted a "stuffing" video featuring YouTube stars Veronica and Vanessa, popularly known as the Merrell Twins, who stuffed the Animal Crossing characters.
"[The] collection is perfect for gamers and collectors of all ages," said Jennifer Kretchmar, the chief digital and merchandising officer at Build-A-Bear Workshop.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons was launched on Nintendo Switch last year at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic and became hugely popular. While the simulator game has existed for about 20 years, it soared in popularity amid the global lockdown with many fans saying it gave the the perfect escape.
The game lets users set up an alternate life on an island populated by anthropomorphic animals. Users can take on various activities, from fishing to watering flowers, and basically build their island.
By May 2020, more than 11 million copies of Animal Crossing: New Horizons had been sold, according to SiliconEra.
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Five famous companies founded by teens
There are numerous success stories of teen businesses that were created in college dorm rooms and other modest circumstances. Below are some of the most recognisable names in the industry:
- Facebook: Mark Zuckerberg and his friends started Facebook when he was a 19-year-old Harvard undergraduate.
- Dell: When Michael Dell was an undergraduate student at Texas University in 1984, he started upgrading computers for profit. He starting working full-time on his business when he was 19. Eventually, his company became the Dell Computer Corporation and then Dell Inc.
- Subway: Fred DeLuca opened the first Subway restaurant when he was 17. In 1965, Mr DeLuca needed extra money for college, so he decided to open his own business. Peter Buck, a family friend, lent him $1,000 and together, they opened Pete’s Super Submarines. A few years later, the company was rebranded and called Subway.
- Mashable: In 2005, Pete Cashmore created Mashable in Scotland when he was a teenager. The site was then a technology blog. Over the next few decades, Mr Cashmore has turned Mashable into a global media company.
- Oculus VR: Palmer Luckey founded Oculus VR in June 2012, when he was 19. In August that year, Oculus launched its Kickstarter campaign and raised more than $1 million in three days. Facebook bought Oculus for $2 billion two years later.
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Norwich City 0 Southampton 3 (Ings 49', Armstrong 54', Redmond 79')
Countdown to Zero exhibition will show how disease can be beaten
Countdown to Zero: Defeating Disease, an international multimedia exhibition created by the American Museum of National History in collaboration with The Carter Center, will open in Abu Dhabi a month before Reaching the Last Mile.
Opening on October 15 and running until November 15, the free exhibition opens at The Galleria mall on Al Maryah Island, and has already been seen at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum in Atlanta, the American Museum of Natural History in New York, and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
