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1. Nintendo first started as a playing cards company in 1889.
2. Donkey Kong, Mario, and Princess Peach are based on characters from the cartoon series Popeye. Nintendo created them after they failed to obtain a license to make a Popeye video game.
3. The Wii sensor bar doesn't communicate with the console — it just provides infrared light to the Wiimotes. You could easily substitute an alternate light source, such as a candle.
4. In 2007, a radio station in Sacramento, Calif., had a contest called "Hold Your Pee for a Wii," which challenged listeners to drink as much water as possible without using the bathroom. One woman died from alleged water intoxication.
5. Duck Hunt and its iconic zapper pistol are part of the NES legend, but the NES version was based on a different game from 1973 called the Laser Clay Shooting System. Not quite as catchy as "Duck Hunt," but probably just as addictive.
6. Nintendo mean "Leave luck to heaven" in Japanese.
7. Nintendo´s top 3 franchises are: #1 Mario (240m games sold), #2 Pokemón (200m games sold), #3 Zelda (94m games sold)
8. The best-selling Nintendo System is the Wii with 67.46m consoles sold.
9. Nintendo is a larger company than Sony, Panasonic, Nike, Lowe´s, Yahoo, and Target.
10. The most expensive Amiibo ever sold was a legless Peach, which was sold on eBay for $25,100.
11. Game Boy was the first video game console to be played in space. The player? Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Serebrov. The game? Tetris.
12. LEGO is as iconic as it gets, but Nintendo gave their own interlocking block system a try. It clearly didn't sour any feelings, as myriad LEGO games now exist on Nintendo systems. Bricks can't get in the way of good business.
13. Wario actually gets his name from a portmanteau of “Mario” and the Japanese word “warui,” which means bad. His name essentially translates to “Bad Mario.”
13.1. The same goes from Waluigi. In fact, his portmanteau works even better in Japan, where his name is pronounced “Waruigi.”
14. The handbook for Super Mario Kart actually encourages players to look at their opponents’ screens, which most gamers consider a form of cheating these days.
15. Nintendo really thought about making a phone. Instead of an iPhone or Android, you could have had a, um, Donkey Kong Mobile in your pocket. The idea was a Game Boy merged with a smartphone, which is basically every phone on the market these days.
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