Metroid 40th Anniversary 1986-2026 Advent Calendar

The box shows Samus Aran mid-leap with her arm cannon charged, ruined alien towers behind her and a translucent Metroid hovering in the corner. Gold lettering reads “40th Anniversary, 1986–2026”.

The box beside the full line-up of Metroid designs.

Forty Years Since Planet Zebes

Metroid first came out in Japan on 6 August 1986 for the Famicom Disk System, and on the NES the following year. It dropped players alone on a hostile planet with no map and no guide, and asked them to work out the way forward by themselves. That sense of isolation and discovery became so influential that a whole genre of games is now named after it and Castlevania: “Metroidvania”.

The first game also held one of gaming’s most famous surprises. Players who finished it quickly saw the armoured bounty hunter remove the helmet, revealing that Samus was a woman, a rare thing for a 1986 action hero. Forty years on, the series is still going: Metroid Prime 4: Beyond arrived in December 2025, giving a new generation its first look at Samus.

What Waits Behind the Windows

The 24 windows mix Samus in several of her suits with allies, bosses and creatures from across the series, plus a few familiar power-ups and emblems. Each one is a small ornament to hang. The numbered photo is just there to show the collection; the windows do not follow that order.

Samus, Ridley, a Metroid and power-ups hanging on a tree.

A Gift Across Generations of Players

Metroid fans tend to come in waves: those who mapped Zebes on graph paper in the 1980s, those who grew up with Super Metroid, and those who met Samus through the Prime games. This calendar speaks to all of them. Each morning’s opening is a small reminder of a boss fight, a hidden item or a late-night session spent finding the way out.

It is a thoughtful gift for a gaming friend, a sibling you played with as children, or a parent who handed down their old console.

Ornament Details

• Ornaments: 24 flat acrylic pieces, about 3.2 × 3.2 cm each, printed on both sides (one matte, one gloss).
• Box: a paper countdown box with perforated numbered windows and a tray inside.
• Hanging: each piece has a punched hole for a hook or ribbon.
• Before hanging: peel the protective film from both faces.

The box on a desk with a few opened designs in front.

More for Gamers

Browse every countdown in our advent calendar collection. For a toast to the anniversary, Hoop Swag House has a Metroid 40th Anniversary 1986-2026 Legacy Collector Edition Whiskey Glass.

Questions From Metroid Fans

Are the characters 3D figures?

No. Each piece is a flat printed ornament.

Which games does it cover?

The designs draw on the whole series, from the 1986 original to the Prime games.

Is it suitable for a child?

Yes for older children who play the games; the pieces are small.