10 Times Nintendo Subtly Celebrated Its Legacy In Its Games
Long before Nintendo was an internationally known video game developer and publisher, it was a small company that specialized in playing cards. Founded in 1889, Nintendo focused on making Hanafuda card games — a specific Japanese style of card smaller than those found in the western world — until the company began to struggle in the early 1960s. In an effort to keep Nintendo afloat, it diversified its plaything options, branching out into a variety of physical toys and games, most of which were designed by a former factory lineman and maintenance tech, Gunpei Yokoi.
From the 1960s until just before his untimely death in the late 1990s, Gunpei designed and patented dozens of novel toys and games, which ultimately helped save Nintendo from financial collapse. He would eventually make his own video game, Mr. Game and Watch, mastermind the Gameboy, and produce beloved game series like Metroid and Kid Icarus. Over the years, Nintendo has paid homage to the electrical engineer many times. While fans may frequently spot tributes paid to Shigeru Miyamoto, Nintendo’s golden child, and his litany of creations, fewer recognize Gunpei and the many other brilliant minds behind Nintendo. This list contains just a few honorable mentions that may have slipped past even the most dedicated gamer.
Nintendo started out as a manufacturer of a specific style of Japanese cards known as Hanafuda. Translated to “flower cards,” the controversial playing cards were a known favorite for gamblers and other miscreants, which led to them being banned for roughly 100 years. They were decriminalized by the Meiji government in 1885, just four years before Fusajiro Yamauchi founded Nintendo as a specialty Hanafuda producer. The cards — which were sold in
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