Nintendo goes to the dogs, Spokesdog to be precise

No really, we didn’t make this up.

Jessica Mauboy, Michael Klim, Beyonce, Olivia Newton John and even the Queen have all been promotional figureheads for Nintendo in the past, but this time they’ve gone to the dogs. Literally.

Nintendo Of America is appointing the dog Uggie, famous for his role in The Artist to headline and help during Responsible Pet Owners Month. This of course means that Nintendo is promoting Nintendogs+Cats for this. Nintendo Australia have teamed up with the RSCPA here in Australia to spread the good word about treating animals right as well. The dog-pun filled press release is below.

[quote]In a move that’s got tails wagging from Hollywood to Manhattan, Nintendo of America is teaming up with Uggie, the talented Jack Russell terrier known to moviegoers as the canine co-star of The Artist. Starting today, Uggie will sink his teeth into a memorable new role as Nintendo’s first-ever “spokesdog,” spreading the word about the interactive fun of nintendogs™ + cats for the Nintendo 3DS™ hand-held system.

To help celebrate February as Responsible Pet Owners Month, Uggie will lend a paw by showing how the game includes valuable tips on how people can maintain happy, healthy relationships with their furry friends in real life. Though he previously announced plans to retire after this year’s awards season, the chance to team up with Nintendo was too doggone good for Uggie to resist.

Uggie is no stranger to the spotlight, having appeared in numerous television commercials and films during the last decade. As Nintendo’s spokesdog, he’ll appear alongside his owner Omar Von Muller to promote nintendogs + cats and the Pearl Pink Nintendo 3DS system, which offers a wide range of wireless features and entertainment experiences that can be enjoyed in 3D without the need for special glasses. In particular, Uggie and his owner will show consumers how nintendogs + cats can not only provide players with an adorable, customizable companion but also teach them skills that can translate to real-world dog or cat ownership. With February as Responsible Pet Owners Month, it’s the perfect time for this partnership.

“Uggie didn’t have to sit up and beg for his role as Nintendo’s spokesdog,” said Scott Moffitt, Nintendo of America’s executive vice president of Sales & Marketing. “It’s truly our pleasure to work with a star of Uggie’s magnitude, especially to help animal lovers and portable gaming fans discover the fun of nintendogs + cats.”

With nintendogs + cats, players can use the Nintendo 3DS system’s built-in touch screen, camera and microphone to interact with their dog or cat in amazing ways to form a lasting friendship. Players can feed, train and care for their choice of more than 27 breeds of puppies, and can also care for a variety of lovable kittens. If they take their Nintendo 3DS systems when going out, players can exchange Mii™ characters, puppies, kittens and presents with other nearby players via a wireless connection using the StreetPass™ feature. Nintendo will soon be adding a free playable demo of nintendogs + cats to the Nintendo eShop, so players can download the game and check it out at no cost.

Remember that Nintendo 3DS 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/3ds.

For more information about nintendogs + cats, visit http://nintendogspluscats.nintendo.com.[/quote]