The Playing Card Company That Created Nintendo

Long before Mario, Zelda and the Nintendo Switch, Nintendo was a small Japanese company making playing cards. In 1889, Fusajiro Yamauchi began manufacturing Hanafuda playing cards in Kyoto, Japan. At the time, there was nothing to suggest that this small card business would eventually become one of the world's most recognizable entertainment companies. Nintendo's early history was surprisingly focused on cards. The company later expanded into Western-style playing cards and, in 1953, became the first company in Japan to successfully mass-produce plastic playing cards. In 1959, Nintendo also began producing cards featuring Disney characters, opening a new market for children's playing cards. But the biggest transformation was still ahead. In 1963, Nintendo changed its name to Nintendo Co., Ltd. and began manufacturing games in addition to playing cards. During the following decades, the company experimented with toys, electronic products, arcade games and home video games before eventually becoming a major force in the video-game industry. How did a company built around traditional Japanese playing cards reinvent itself so many times? And how did those early cards eventually lead to the Nintendo millions of people know today? This is the fascinating story of Nintendo's forgotten beginning—from Hanafuda cards in 1889 to one of the biggest names in gaming. Subscribe to Rise & Empire for more true stories about legendary companies, forgotten beginnings, ambitious founders, unexpected transformations and the decisions that changed business history. #Nintendo #NintendoHistory #Hanafuda #GamingHistory #BusinessDocumentary #CompanyHistory #BusinessHistory #RiseAndEmpire