Here Comes Nintendo
<p><br></p><p>Nintendo was world-famous by the 1980s but the origins of the company go back a century earlier - to September 23rd, 1889, when Fusajiro Yamauchi founded Nintendo Koppai, a maker of brightly-coloured ‘Hanafuda’ cards.</p><br><p>The hand-painted playing cards, made of mulberry bark, were produced for decades and were a favourite of Yakuza gangsters for use in illegal gambling.&nbsp;</p><br><p>In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly look into the bizarre businesses with which Nintendo experimented before their pivot into video games; explain how a plastic concertina hand changed the fortunes of the company’s toy division; and reveal how the inventor of the Game Boy, Gunpei Yokoi, was on a quest for love…&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><br><p><strong>Further Reading:</strong></p><p>• ‘23 September 1889: Nintendo starts making playing cards’ (MoneyWeek, 2020): <a href="https://moneyweek.com/349214/23-september-1889-nintendo-starts-making-playing-cards" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://moneyweek.com/349214/23-september-1889-nintendo-starts-making-playing-cards</a></p><p>• ‘Nintendo's erotic playing cards’ (CNET, 2012): <a href="https://www.cnet.com/culture/nintendos-erotic-playing-cards/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.cnet.com/culture/nintendos-erotic-playing-cards/</a></p><p>• ‘Nintendo Hanafuda Playing Cards Deck Review - Let's open some packs’ (Diggo Decks, 2022): <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wI7u0_sVxTU" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wI7u0_sVxTU</a></p><br><p><strong>We'll be back on Monday - unless you join 🌴 CLUB RETROSPECTORS 🌴</strong> <strong>, where we give you ad-free listening AND a full-length Sunday episode every week! </strong></p><p>Plus, weekly bonus content, unlock over 70 bonus bits, and support our independent podcast.</p><p><strong>Join now via </strong><a href="https://apple.co/3xCWWQX" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>Apple Podcasts</strong></a><strong> or </strong><a href="https://patreon.com/Retrospectors" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>Patreon</strong></a><strong>. </strong>Thanks!</p><br><p><strong>Follow us wherever you get your podcasts:</strong><a href="https://create.acast.com/episodes/ca1f94a1-0921-446a-ae00-4d4bfd2ba3ef/podfollow.com/Retrospectors" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>&nbsp;</strong></a><a href="http://podfollow.com/Retrospectors" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>podfollow.com/Retrospectors</strong></a></p><br><p><em>The Retrospectors are Olly Mann, Rebecca Messina & Arion McNicoll, with Matt Hill.</em></p><p><em>Theme Music: Pass The Peas. Announcer: Bob Ravelli. Graphic Design: Terry Saunders. Edit Producer: Sophie King.</em></p><p><em>Copyright: Rethink Audio / Olly Mann 2022.</em>&nbsp;</p><br /><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>
Today In History with The Retrospectors
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Show Notes
Nintendo was world-famous by the 1980s but the origins of the company go back a century earlier - to September 23rd, 1889, when Fusajiro Yamauchi founded Nintendo Koppai, a maker of brightly-coloured ‘Hanafuda’ cards.
The hand-painted playing cards, made of mulberry bark, were produced for decades and were a favourite of Yakuza gangsters for use in illegal gambling.
In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly look into the bizarre businesses with which Nintendo experimented before their pivot into video games; explain how a plastic concertina hand changed the fortunes of the company’s toy division; and reveal how the inventor of the Game Boy, Gunpei Yokoi, was on a quest for love…
Further Reading:
• ‘23 September 1889: Nintendo starts making playing cards’ (MoneyWeek, 2020): https://moneyweek.com/349214/23-september-1889-nintendo-starts-making-playing-cards
• ‘Nintendo's erotic playing cards’ (CNET, 2012): https://www.cnet.com/culture/nintendos-erotic-playing-cards/
• ‘Nintendo Hanafuda Playing Cards Deck Review - Let's open some packs’ (Diggo Decks, 2022): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wI7u0_sVxTU
We'll be back on Monday - unless you join 🌴 CLUB RETROSPECTORS 🌴 , where we give you ad-free listening AND a full-length Sunday episode every week!
Plus, weekly bonus content, unlock over 70 bonus bits, and support our independent podcast.
Join now via Apple Podcasts or Patreon. Thanks!
Follow us wherever you get your podcasts: podfollow.com/Retrospectors
The Retrospectors are Olly Mann, Rebecca Messina & Arion McNicoll, with Matt Hill.
Theme Music: Pass The Peas. Announcer: Bob Ravelli. Graphic Design: Terry Saunders. Edit Producer: Sophie King.
Copyright: Rethink Audio / Olly Mann 2022.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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