The North American Club Nintendo program recently unveiled its first set of annual gifts available only to Gold and Platinum members. If you managed to cash in enough registration codes in the past year, you’ve earned the possibility of picking up one of a few free items.

Gold members will receive a Nintendo-themed calendar. Hopefully Birdo is not Miss November.

Platinum members, however, receive a choice. Option A is a WiiWare Punch-Out!! (do not accept one -or three- exclamation pointed imitations!) stand-alone bonus in which you get to fight coach Doc Louis (although I personally think it would’ve been cooler to take on The World).

A small game doesn’t sound bad, but I’m going with Option B: a “true-to-life” real Mario cap! I’m in the camp of people who enjoy receiving real, tangible, collectible items as opposed to something digital, and from what I’ve seen in terms of responses, I’m not the only one. There are going to be a bunch of happy Nintendo fans later this year when they receive a package in the mail and, upon, opening it, find a replica of one of gaming’s greatest icons in wearable form! Many of these fans will immediately rush into their homes, take a few gloriously nerdy poses in the mirror with the hat on, and then proudly… tuck the hat somewhere out of the way, or maybe hide it entirely.

It’s the eternal struggle of the game products vs. What We Know to be Actually Cool. Pre-orders and bundles throughout gaming history have come with T-shirts and trinkets that we absolutely must have when we see them — only to bring them home and realize most of these things we will likely ever bring out only to select company.

I’m not saying a lot of these things aren’t still cool when approached with the right kind of appreciation, but the appeal isn’t widespread. There are a lot of people who won’t understand, and you probably know some. These are the people who would mock you if they ever saw the Pokémon Pikachu you still keep in your desk, yet strangely have no qualms over being seen in public thrashing rainbow-colored buttons on a toy guitar.

But that’s just how it goes. Time and trends have a way of shaping what junk you can get away with displaying and what will make you a laughingstock. And the tides change for us individually as well, as eBay and garage sales are full of must-have miscellaneous that filled GameStop’s registers with $5 pre-orders. Is it a curse? Heck yeah, but as long as you still enjoy the stuff you have or want — even if it’s all hidden away in a dark, geeky recess of your life — there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that.

But seriously, don’t wear the Mario hat to anything but a convention. I might just have to beat you up myself.