We made evil flower - Nintendo

Nintendo's shouldered responsibility for the "Red Tulip problem" with Animal Crossing: Wild World on DS, US versions of which are pretty popular with us European types despite the fact the game's not out here until March 31.

Last week reports started circulating of a special letter containing a Red Tulip which, when placed indoors, could not be picked up, covered or removed. Some even called it the Red Tulip plague and speculated that maybe someone had hacked Nintendo's Wi-Fi Connection network to propagate it.

Not so, says Nintendo. It's all down to a problem with its systems at the time of the Red Tulip's upload.

"Nintendo would like to thank its numerous Animal Crossing: Wild World fans for helping identify and correct an unforeseen issue with the game. Some users of the community-simulation game for Nintendo DS noticed that receiving a letter containing a 'Red Tulip' could cause interference with gameplay," Nintendo said in an official statement issued to the press.

"We have isolated the problem and determined that there was a temporary error with the upload tool when this letter was posted. Thankfully we have been able to limit the number of people affected by removing the related file from circulation. Players who have received the letter should delete it before placing the Red Tulip anywhere in their characters' homes.

"Please note that tulips themselves are not the problem. Generally they are undisruptive and readily available in Animal Crossing: Wild World. This particular Red Tulip appears as a piece of furniture and only affects gameplay if placed indoors.

"We are investigating ways to remove the item from the homes of players who have experienced gameplay interference, and we will update the Animal Crossing: Wild World FAQ on NintendoWiFi.com when we have more information to share."

Of course around here we've always had our doubts about flowers. Evil things.