Nintendo’s original Star Fox puppets confirmed to have been destroyed

Back when Nintendo was releasing the very first Star Fox, the company used a few puppets that are now very well-known. The thing is, it was unclear what became of the set – until today.

Time Extension did some digging to gain some clarity about the situation. After reaching out to Star Fox programmer Dylan Cuthbert and artist Takaya Imamura but not having a clear-cut answer, the outlet was able to get in touch with Japanese FX company Shirogumi and learned that the Star Fox puppets were actually destroyed.

Time Extension received the following response:

“The Fox puppets created at our company were made by gluing fur and feathers to natural rubber, so they deteriorate simply by being exposed to air. Because of that, we had to destroy them after production was finished.”

Puppets were created for Fox McCloud, Falco Lombardi, Peppy Hare, and Slippy Toad. Aside from the boxart, they were used for print ads, in-store promos, and the strategy guide. After that, they disappeared, so it’s may not be overly surprising that the dolls bit the dust.

Nintendo actually revisited the puppets concept for Star Fox Zero on Wii U. Dolls for Fox, Falco, and Peppy were a part of the game’s original reveal. You may remember the famous segment from the company’s presentation in which late Nintendo president Satoru Iwata, Shigeru Miyamoto, and former Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime turned into the puppets.

Star Fox has been dormant for a number of years now but could finally be making a return soon. It’s rumored that a new entry in the series is on the way to Nintendo Switch 2.