Nintendo’s Mysterious ‘Close to You’ Animation Unmasks Its Secret Pikmin Twist

2 days ago, Nintendo dropped a cryptic animated short called ‘Close to You’ that had fans buzzing with theories. Today, the company revealed its secret: the cute, seemingly magical animation is powered by Pikmin, the tiny plant creatures from its beloved strategy games.

If you caught the original version, you saw a baby in a bedroom with its mother. After she leaves, the baby’s toys, blocks, rattle, and even the pacifier, start moving “on their own.” The action peaks as the pacifier floats around the room, leading the baby on a playful chase before the mother returns, surprised and overjoyed to catch her child’s first steps.

Pikmin Are the Hidden Movers Behind the Magic

Now, Nintendo has quietly posted a second version of the video (right now, it’s only on the Nintendo Today app), and it blows the lid off the mystery. The sequence is identical, except now you see that Pikmin, in their iconic reds, yellows, and blues, are the ones behind all the strange happenings. They’re lifting the rattle, nudging blocks, and carrying that mischievous pacifier through the air, invisible to both baby and mother.

There’s a charming payoff, too. When the mother hugs the baby in celebration at the end, you see all the Pikmin’s flowers burst into bloom, a hidden reward for their secret help. It’s a tiny, heartwarming detail that ties the whole thing back to series lore.

Nintendo Is Playing Coy, But Fans Want Answers

After the reveal, the fanbase is left guessing. The video showed up suddenly and still hasn’t hit Nintendo’s main social channels. Nintendo hasn’t said if this is a teaser for a new Pikmin game, a movie, or an animated series, or if it’s simply a one-off animation with no grander plan. The ambiguity is classic Nintendo: an irresistible mystery with just enough to get you speculating.

There’s precedent for this invisibility trick, too. In the Pikmin Bloom mobile game, Pikmin are canonically unseen by humans. On your phone, they’re everywhere, but in real life, they’re all hiding in plain sight. The animation leans all the way into this, showing how Pikmin would create gentle chaos, from the shadows, without ever being noticed.

Nothing in the video flat-out confirms future plans, but the meticulous reveal, two edits, hidden details, and a nod to established Pikmin lore have the community hoping this is only the beginning. Given the series’ recent momentum, especially with Pikmin 4 drawing in new players, any sign of more Pikmin is enough to get fans theorising.

For now, the secret world of Pikmin is alive and well, tugging pacifiers and pushing blocks just out of sight. Whether this is a standalone treat or the first hint of something bigger, Nintendo’s clever rollout has made sure fans are watching closely, and looking twice at their own living rooms.