Nintendo Turns 137: From Playing Cards to Gaming Royalty

Happy birthday, Nintendo! Today (September 23) marks 137 years since the company was founded back in 1889, when Fusajiro Yamauchi opened up shop in Kyoto.

But here's the twist: Nintendo wasn't always about video games. In fact, the original business had nothing to do with pixels or plumbers. The company started out handcrafting and selling Japanese hanafuda playing cards, operating out of a small, old-fashioned storefront like the one in the photo.

If you grew up with Mario, The Legend of Zelda, the Wii, or the Switch, it might be wild to think that Nintendo didn't even enter the video game industry until decades after it was founded. That's right - the company spent a long, long time figuring out who it wanted to be.

Over those many years, this century-old business kept reinventing itself. It moved from playing cards to toys, and eventually made the leap into video games. That slow, steady evolution is what turned it into the globally recognized gaming giant we know today.

And through it all, one thing never changed. For more than a hundred years, Nintendo has stayed true to its core mission of "creating fun," rolling out games that have touched the hearts of countless players around the world.

So whether you're a lifelong fan or just picked up a Switch recently, today's a pretty cool day to celebrate. What's your all-time favorite Nintendo game? Drop it in the comments - we'd love to hear it!