I’ve always loved bright colors. I was known for my bold shirts and ties as a teacher, and I spearheaded a “wear bright colors” day in my grad school program during New England winter. They’re just so fun and joyful! Combine this with my nostalgia for the N64 era, and naturally I’m obsessed with the Funtastic series of N64 consoles and controllers. My Nintendo 64 console I’ve had since 7th grade is the original model, but I recently embarked on a quest to collect all six of the Funtastic controller colors. They must be documented! Here is a handy N64 Funtastic Controller list for your own collecting needs (or just for posterity!)
I’m also including games that I feel “thematically pair well” with each controller (because apparently I’m some sort of crazed, video game version of a sommelier). Alright, on to the list!
1. Fire Orange
This was the first of the N64 Funtastic controllers that I got! I was surprised to win an eBay auction for a very high quality one, and I’ve used it a lot since! It’s the color that, for me at least, seems the most different from the original controller line.
And as for games, how could I not include Mortal Kombat Trilogy? I mean, there’s fire on the box! And Conker is an orange squirrel, so you know…
2. Grape Purple
Purple is an underrated color! This controller is beautiful.
And a few games that somehow are thematically (or to be more accurate, literally) purple:
3. Ice Blue
This was the second one I got in my collecting quest! I found it in the middle of Texas summer when I was on an N64 collecting spree, perhaps a literal attempt to “cool down”.
The armor in Jet Force Gemini and skies of Pilotwings 64 really feel blue to me. And quick PSA: Wave Race 64 is amazing and holds up very well, even today! Go try it out if you haven’t!
4. Jungle Green
Green is actually my favorite color, so I was thrilled to add this to my collection! I remember babysitting a family down the street back in high school, and the kids had the Donkey Kong 64 Jungle green console set. It was so fun(tastic)! So it took me two decades, but I finally got one!
You know I have to include DK64 as a game pairing. I also thought the greens of Mario Golf and Marina’s hair from the underrated Mischief Makers were a perfect fit!
5. Smoke Black
This controller was the last one I needed to find, and ironically the one I was probably least excited for! Granted, now that I’ve seen it in person, it’s pretty awesome. But it just doesn’t “pop” as much as the others!
Looking again at the games I chose, it’s pretty obvious that the box art alone influenced my decision! I mean, the design of the Star Wars Racer box is almost comically dark-you can barely see Watto!
6. Watermelon Red
I am the only one who wants to take a bite out of this thing? It seriously looks like watermelon candy (also now that I’m typing it that seems like a weird statement). This is a great one for summer too!
I recently played through Diddy Kong Racing almost entirely with this controller. It really just suits the island vibe and whimsy of the game! Also, we don’t have a pink controller, so this is as close as we can get for Kirby!
Bonus Controllers!
There are two additional controllers that appear to be in the Funtastic series, but in fact are not officially part of the series. I went ahead and tracked these down too, because they’re still quite lovely and colorful!
Atomic Purple
Extreme Green
And that’s the full N64 Funtastic controller list, plus some extras! Hopefully this helps your collecting quests, or just gave you a little nostalgia. If you’re into Nintendo 64 collecting, but sure to check out my N64 Operation Card Archive too-they’re really neat relics!
Are you as enamored with the N64 Funtastic controllers as I am? Do you collect a different set of controllers, for N64 or otherwise? How badly do you want a “funtastic renaissance” with new Nintendo products? Let me know in the comments below!
Ha, I hadn’t expected to enjoy this post so much after reading the title, but that was a lot of fun!
Haha thanks! I’m obsessed with the Funtastic controllers for reasons I can’t entirely express. Glad you enjoyed it!
“Gamelier” has been coined on this blog, let it be known!
I was a very “solid color” controller kid during the n64 era but now appreciate a “louder, rad” controller. You just don’t see first party stuff like this as much now. The colorful switch joycons are the spiritual successor I think.
Not sure who did it first, but the iMac G3 “colorful” exteriors are definitely held in high regard to this day. Both Nintendo and Apple must have played off each other to some extent.
Let’s go find a pristine gold n64 controller. That’ll keep us busy.
YES I love it! Let’s see if we can get it to “word of the year” status 🙂
I was the same back in the N64 era, and completed the “solid color” set first! I absolutely think the joy-cons are a spiritual successor to the Funtastic line, and I find myself changing them out for different seasons or photos for Instagram all the time 🙂
And the quest for a gold controller is on! It’s so hard to find one that’s minty-it seems very prone to scratches!