Nintendo!

And the Mario phenomenon

This year Nintendo is 125 years old. For the last 30 years Nintendo and its most famous character, Mario, have dominated the video game industry. Here is their story...

Mario the star
Mario is the most famous video game character in the world. He has appeared in more than 200 different video games. He is so popular that a survey found that American children recognized Mario more than Mickey Mouse.

Donkey Kong and the creation of Mario
Mario first appeared in the 1981 arcade game Donkey Kong, but he was called Jumpman. And he wasn't a plumber, he was a carpenter! It was a fun game where a man with a moustache had to jump over obstacles to save a princess. The game was Nintendo's first big video game success.

Nintendo is 125 years old!
Nintendo was created in 1889 in Japan. For 70 years the company made only one thing: playing cards! In the 1960s, it tested new business ideas - from taxis to toys. Finally in the 1970s, it found success when it started making video games.

The Nintendo revolution
In 1984, the new Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) revolutionized video games. The console had new games like Super Mario Bros., where Mario had to run and jump through a mushroom kingdom. Players could now control how high Mario jumped and how fast he ran. And there were different levels, so they could play the game for longer. It was voted the most important game in video game history.

Game boy and the DS
In the 1990s, Nintendo created a new concept, the Game Boy. Kids everywhere wanted to have one. This portable console was the first to have cartridges, so it could play many games, including mario, Pokemon and Tetris, an addictive puzzle game. Then in the 2000s, a better version of the Game Boy was invented: the DS. It was the first portable console with dual screens.

The Wii
In 2006, the Wii changed the video game experience. For the first time, the whole family could play together and have fun controlling the game with phyisical gestures. Sometimes poeple have accidents and break furniture when playing the game! The most popular Wii games are Wii sports, like table tennis, canoeing, golf and bowling. This summer Mario Kart 8 was a best selling game for Wii U.