The saddest part of the 3DS and Wii U eShop shutting down is the fact we'll never see the little shopping bag mascot again

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They're off to the eShop in the sky

Nintendo 3DS Wii U eShop mascot
(Image credit: Nintendo)

The Nintendo 3DS and Wii U eShops are closing down today, meaning it'll be the last time we'll get to see the store's little shopping bag mascot.

After it was announced last year, the day has finally come for the Nintendo 3DS and Nintendo Wii U eShop to close down. There's been a lot of disappointing news surrounding this decision, particularly when it comes to game preservation and the fact that 75% of Pokemon games will disappear, as Nintendo currently doesn't have plans to save those 3DS and Wii U exclusive titles. 

One part of the store shut downs that's been overlooked though is the fact that we'll no longer be able to see the cute little shopping bag mascot that greets customers on the older Nintendo eShops - and we're not alone in thinking that. Several Twitter users have also shared their sadness (as well as joked) about the passing of the little orange mascot.

"The Wii U & 3DS eShop closes tomorrow. Which means this guy is passing away!" One user wrote with an image of our small orange friend. "Last day of Nintendo eShop for 3DS & Wii U…" another user shared along with images of the shopping bag waving to other Nintendo mascots such as Nikki from Swapnote. 

The best goodbye we've seen so far though is from Twitter user @ScottofAstora who shared that scene from Toy Story 3 where Woody, Buzz, and the rest of the gang wave Andy off towards the end of the film, except instead of Andy, it's the 3DS, Wii U, and the eShop mascot. 

There is one bit of good news to come out of this situation though. Although unrelated to the eShop mascot, another iconic part of the handheld's history is being revived as a globe-spanning Nintendo 3DS meetup aims to keep StreetPass alive. From March 31 to April 2, StreetPass Revival 2023 will see 3DS users meet up across various locations to enjoy one of the console's best features again. 

Want to remember the good ol' days? Take a look at our best 3DS games and best Wii U games lists for a trip down memory lane. 

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Hope Bellingham
Hope Bellingham
News Writer

After studying Film Studies and Creative Writing at university, I was lucky enough to land a job as an intern at Player Two PR where I helped to release a number of indie titles. I then got even luckier when I became a Trainee News Writer at GamesRadar+ before being promoted to a fully-fledged News Writer after a year and a half of training.  My expertise lies in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, cozy indies, and The Last of Us, but especially in the Kingdom Hearts series. I'm also known to write about the odd Korean drama for the Entertainment team every now and then.  

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