The PUMA x Nintendo Future Rider Crossover is Fantastic

To celebrate the 35th anniversary  of Mario, Nintendo has been releasing a number of great themed products, ranging from exclusive products via Nintendo themselves, as well as a variety of collaborations with some of the industries biggest clothing and shoe manufacturers. This week, PUMA Canada were nice enough to sent over the Future Rider Nintendo Entertainment System™ Men’s Sneakers, which retail in Canada for $120 (#$90 for Junior). These sneakers will be available soon over on the PUMA website!

PUMA has always manufactured incredible products, although I’ve personally only ever used their sports apparel products as I’ve found the shoes too narrow for my wide feet. Apparently, I should have looked up the Future Rider shoes. Although initially tight when I tried them on, they feel about the same as most shoes I order from all major companies, which is phenomenal. While some folks would decry my decision to wear these beautiful NES shoes, I’ve always had one philosophy – if I receive a cool product, it’s because they want me to use it, not box it up and stash it away.

The NES Sneaker is so incredibly well done, from the accented Power and Reset buttons on the lower shoe near the heel, to the perfectly placed Super Mario Bros cartridge logo on the tongue, the attention to detail on this sneaker is outstanding. The black and grey – with red accents – is iconic, and even before you see the extra logos, you can tell from a far that this is modeled after a Nintendo Entertainment System.

When you dive deeper into the shoe, however, you begin to see other finer details. Despite being under your foot (when wearing the shoe), the insoles of the shoes are both unique and feature Mario fighting Bowser. Iconic. Hidden away, but yet an other important detail on these shoes that should not be overlooked.

While the Nintendo Entertainment System sneakers look amazing, and it’s tempting to pick them up, there is another Future Rider shoe available that is styled after Super Mario 64 that you might be interested in. The Power and Reset buttons on the NES shoes are replaced on these ones with breakable blocks. And while I don’t think the insoles of these shoes are nearly as cool as the NES shoes, the details on the back of the shoes are very unique. I’m also really digging the green accent on these sneakers.

If you are a huge fan of Super Mario, snagging one of these pairs of shoes is probably high on the holiday wish list of Nintendo fans. I cannot recommend picking up a pair enough – whoever that Mario fan is in your home (and may be it is you!) they will surely enjoy these sneakers.