Why Nintendo thinks electric toothbrushes are a key to its future

Fewer children are getting their first introduction to video games through Nintendo devices, and the publisher is turning to some interesting alternatives to fight that trend.

Nintendo is preparing to release its first smartphone app next month as part of a major effort to increase its revenues and keep its properties in front of a wider audience, and those are the same reasons the company wants its characters on household items like electric toothbrushes. In a question-and-answer session with investors, Nintendo president Tatsumi Kimishima explained that one of his goals is to expand its licensing deals with other products in an effort to raise the profile of characters like Mario and Princess Peach among consumers. Previously, the company could rely on parents to introduce Nintendo properties as a child’s first gaming experience. But with more kids getting tablets and hand-me-down smartphones as their first game devices, Nintendo must modify this strategy.