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From creating Japanese playing cards in 1889 to becoming one of the most iconic video game companies in history, see how Nintendo has evolved

Mar 18, 2019, 23:37 IST

In 1889, Fusajiro Yamauchi began manufacturing Hanafuda cards, a type of Japanese playing card, in Kyoto, Japan, for his company, Nintendo Koppai.

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In 1950, Yamauchi's great grandson, Hiroshi Yamauchi, took over the business, trying new business tactics like manufacturing cards with Disney characters on them.

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In the '60s, Yamauchi took Nintendo into new ventures altogether, including the taxi and the food industries.

Among the company's many new ventures, Nintendo began manufacturing games. In the '70s, it started selling electronic toys like its popular Beam Guns.

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In 1975, Nintendo bought the distribution rights for the world's first-ever video game device, beginning its iconic run in the industry.

Among Nintendo's first enterprising games was "Donkey Kong," an arcade game the company released in 1981.

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Jumpman would eventually be renamed Mario.

Nintendo began experimenting with and selling home gaming systems, landing on the Nintendo Entertainment System, which it began selling worldwide in 1985.

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The real superstar of the Nintendo Entertainment System, of course, was Mario, who got his own game in 1985.

"Studies at the time showed that children were as or more familiar with Mario as they were with Mickey Mouse and Bugs Bunny," Nintendo's website claims.

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"Legend of Zelda" came out a year after "Super Mario Bros.," in 1986.

Nintendo's next big video game hit came in 1989, with its release of the handheld Game Boy.

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The game that made Game Boy skyrocket: "Tetris."

In 1991, Nintendo released Super Nintendo (SNES), which, despite steep competition from companies like SEGA, still swept the world.

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In 1992, Nintendo released its most popular game to-date, "Super Mario Kart."

By 1994, Nintendo celebrated the sale of 1 billion game cartridges.

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In 1996, Nintendo released its Nintendo 64 system, named for its even more advanced 64-bit technology.

Among the first games sold for the console, of course, was "Super Mario 64."

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Nintendo's worldwide phenomenon game "Pokémon" was released in Japan in 1995 and in the US in 1998.

A more advanced version of the Game Boy was released in 1998, the Game Boy Color.

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In 2006, Nintendo took the world by storm once again, this time with its Nintendo Wii system.

Though sales have fluctuated in the last decade, Nintendo remains one of the most iconic video game brands in the world.

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