REDMOND, Wash., Sept. 17, 2012 – Twenty years ago, video game fans were introduced for the first time to Nintendo's iconic Kirby™ character. Now fans can celebrate the 20th anniversary of the pink and powerful hero with Kirby's Dream Collection: Special Edition, available exclusively for the Wii™ system. This colorful collection includes six classic Kirby games on one disc, additional Challenge Stages based on 2011's Kirby's Return to Dream Land™, an interactive timeline, a CD containing favorite music from the series and a commemorative book that gives new and existing fans a fun inside look at the history of Kirby.

Since his debut in 1992's Kirby's Dream Land™ for the portable Game Boy™ system, Kirby has starred in 22 video games that have collectively sold more than 33 million units worldwide. Over the years, players of all kinds have joined him on wild adventures in Dream Land, experiencing the fun of watching Kirby fly, inhale enemies to copy their abilities or spit them out as projectiles. Kirby's Dream Collection: Special Edition includes an action-packed array of fan-favorite Kirby games, music and commemorative content:

• Kirby's Dream Land (originally released for Game Boy in 1992)
• Kirby's Adventure™ (originally released for NES™ in 1993)
• Kirby's Dream Land™ 2 (originally released for Game Boy in 1995)
• Kirby's Super Star (originally released for Super NES™ in 1996)
• Kirby's Dream Land™ 3 (originally released for Super NES in 1997)
• Kirby 64™: The Crystal Shards (originally released for the Nintendo 64™ system in 2000)
• "New Challenge Stages," a new set of Challenge Stages in the style of those found in Kirby's Return to Dream Land (originally released for the Wii system in 2011)
• Kirby's History, an interactive timeline that players can use to browse classic box art, game footage and milestones from throughout Kirby's 20-year career — all with the ability to jump straight from the timeline into a game
• A special audio CD containing 45 memorable tracks (more than an hour's worth of music) from across Kirby's career, including alternate versions of three classic Kirby themes
• Kirby's 20th Anniversary Celebration Book, which contains fascinating character information and illustrations, including early Kirby concept artwork

Kirby's Dream Collection: Special Edition is available at a suggested retail price of $39.99.

"Kirby is recognized around the world as a character that embodies imaginative family fun," said Scott Moffitt, Nintendo of America's executive vice president of Sales & Marketing. "This special collection is a fitting way to commemorate his first 20 years as a true gaming hero. With nearly 40 million Wii systems sold in the United States alone, players of all experience levels can join in the celebration by checking out Kirby's Dream Collection: Special Edition."

Now through Oct. 31, consumers in the U.S. also can enter for the chance to win a set of collectible Kirby Round Playing Cards that pay tribute to the spherical pink superstar. Information is available at http://kirby.nintendo.com/clubnintendo.

In yet another display of Kirby-themed excitement, Nintendo fans at the annual PAX Prime conference in Seattle recently found an extra-special way to celebrate Kirby's anniversary by setting a new Guinness World Records® mark for the most people blowing a chewing gum bubble simultaneously. On Sept. 1, Nintendo rallied 536 participants to chew bubblegum and blow bubbles that resembled the round, pink Kirby character, creating an eye-popping spectacle.

Remember that Wii features parental controls that let adults manage the content their children can access. For more information about this and other features, visit http://www.nintendo.com/wii.

For more information about Kirby's Dream Collection: Special Edition, visit http://kirby.nintendo.com/dreamcollection.

Submitted By: E. Thomas