Bizzare Facts

To most of the world, **Nintendo** is synonymous with modern electronic entertainment: Mario, Pokémon, and the Wii. Yet, this titan of the video game industry is actually older than both plastic and stainless steel. The company was founded on **September 23, 1889**, in Kyoto, Japan, by **Fusajiro Yamauchi**—a time when Thomas Edison was still perfecting the light bulb.

The original business was not electronics, but highly specialized, **handmade playing cards** known as *Hanafuda* ('flower cards'). These beautifully illustrated cards were legal alternatives to standard gambling cards and became instantly popular. Nintendo's longevity is a result of constantly adapting to market changes, which led them down bizarre paths.

Throughout the 20th century, the company dabbled in wildly disparate ventures, including a taxi company, 'love hotels' (hourly rental hotels), and even a line of instant rice. It wasn't until the 1970s that they found their destiny in electronic toys and video games, finally transforming from a 19th-century card maker into the technological powerhouse that would define modern pop culture.