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What was...?
What Is Nintendo?
The game is on! Get your hands on this book about one of the most influential companies in the video game industry.
Founded in 1889, Nintendo started out as a small playing card company in Japan. Though the cards sold well, Nintendo really became popular when it began creating toys in the 1960s, and then became internationally renowned after developing video games and consoles in the 1970s and '80s. After introducing the world to some of the best-known and top-selling video game franchises of all-time, such as Super Mario Bros., The Legend of Zelda, Animal Crossing, and Pokémon, it's clear to see why Nintendo is beloved by parents as a company that creates nonviolet, family-friendly entertainment for kids.
With fun black-and-white illustrations and an engaging 16-page photo insert, readers will be excited to read this latest additon to Who HQ!
Look for more Who HQ
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Founded in 1889, Nintendo started out as a small playing card company in Japan. Though the cards sold well, Nintendo really became popular when it began creating toys in the 1960s, and then became internationally renowned after developing video games and consoles in the 1970s and '80s. After introducing the world to some of the best-known and top-selling video game franchises of all-time, such as Super Mario Bros., The Legend of Zelda, Animal Crossing, and Pokémon, it's clear to see why Nintendo is beloved by parents as a company that creates nonviolet, family-friendly entertainment for kids.
With fun black-and-white illustrations and an engaging 16-page photo insert, readers will be excited to read this latest additon to Who HQ!
Look for more Who HQ
What Is LEGO?
What Is the Story of Hello Kitty?
What Is the Story of Batman?
What Is the Story of Transformers?
112 pages, Paperback
First published January 12, 2021
126 people are currently reading
283 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 66 reviews
March 13, 2021
Yes, I am giving it five stars. BUT, I have one complaint:
It is a CRIME how little this book talked about the Legend of Zelda. It briefly mentioned it twice. How unbelievably disappointing.
I did learn more about Miyamoto, though, so I’m happy about that. Miyamoto is someone I barely know, but his creations have shaped my life. The Legend of Zelda is what made me love fantasy and adventure and writing stories. I wouldn’t be writing the stories I write today if it weren’t for Miyamoto.
That may sound dramatic, but it’s the truth.
Anyway, here are some facts for you:
An engineer who worked at Nintendo, Gunpei Yokoi, rode on a train one day and saw a passenger playing with a calculator. It inspired the idea of creating a hand held arcade game.
“Nintendo” loosely means “leave luck to heaven.”
“Nintendo was founded in Kyoto, Japan all the way back in 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi. His new company made beautiful playing cards called hanafuda. The cards sold well in Japan but nowhere else.”
Years later, around the time of World War II, Hiroshi Yamauchi Took over Nintendo when he was 22 years old. Because he didn’t want people to think he favored family, he fired all his relatives. Later people went on strike because they didn’t think he had enough experience, and he fired all of them as well. However, in 1959, he made a deal with the Walt Disney Company to put their cartoon characters on the playing cards and this led to great success.
The company dealt with failures as well, though, and lost a ton of money.
Then in came Shigeru Miyamoto.
“He loved doodling, reading, and telling stories. He loved drawing manga, creating cartoon flip books, and putting on puppet shows. He would also go exploring the countryside, biking, walking, climbing trees, and fishing in a nearby stream.
“One day, while he was out exploring, he discovered the entrance to a cave. He returned the next day with a lantern so he could explore it.”
Miyamoto created both Mario and Link from the Legend of Zelda, as well as Donkey Kong. His adventures as a child especially shaped Zelda.
“If naming an ape “donkey” seems odd, it’s because Shigeru mistakenly thought that in English, “donkey” meant “stupid.”
And... I’m gonna stop there because otherwise I might as well just tell you to read the book. ;)
It is a CRIME how little this book talked about the Legend of Zelda. It briefly mentioned it twice. How unbelievably disappointing.
I did learn more about Miyamoto, though, so I’m happy about that. Miyamoto is someone I barely know, but his creations have shaped my life. The Legend of Zelda is what made me love fantasy and adventure and writing stories. I wouldn’t be writing the stories I write today if it weren’t for Miyamoto.
That may sound dramatic, but it’s the truth.
Anyway, here are some facts for you:
An engineer who worked at Nintendo, Gunpei Yokoi, rode on a train one day and saw a passenger playing with a calculator. It inspired the idea of creating a hand held arcade game.
“Nintendo” loosely means “leave luck to heaven.”
“Nintendo was founded in Kyoto, Japan all the way back in 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi. His new company made beautiful playing cards called hanafuda. The cards sold well in Japan but nowhere else.”
Years later, around the time of World War II, Hiroshi Yamauchi Took over Nintendo when he was 22 years old. Because he didn’t want people to think he favored family, he fired all his relatives. Later people went on strike because they didn’t think he had enough experience, and he fired all of them as well. However, in 1959, he made a deal with the Walt Disney Company to put their cartoon characters on the playing cards and this led to great success.
The company dealt with failures as well, though, and lost a ton of money.
Then in came Shigeru Miyamoto.
“He loved doodling, reading, and telling stories. He loved drawing manga, creating cartoon flip books, and putting on puppet shows. He would also go exploring the countryside, biking, walking, climbing trees, and fishing in a nearby stream.
“One day, while he was out exploring, he discovered the entrance to a cave. He returned the next day with a lantern so he could explore it.”
Miyamoto created both Mario and Link from the Legend of Zelda, as well as Donkey Kong. His adventures as a child especially shaped Zelda.
“If naming an ape “donkey” seems odd, it’s because Shigeru mistakenly thought that in English, “donkey” meant “stupid.”
And... I’m gonna stop there because otherwise I might as well just tell you to read the book. ;)
March 12, 2021
It was so cool learning about one of my favorite video game companies! This is a very great book to grab if you’re a fan of Nintendo and want to learn about Nintendo’s journey to where they are today.
April 3, 2023
“I loved this story because I am a big Nintendo fan.” - 5th Grader
June 28, 2023
The Nintendo switch is my first gaming console, so it was pretty nice to learn about Nintendo's history. It was kind of insane how Nintendo became the king of gaming console making compnies from just a mere card game making company. Loved reading the book. Was a fun read.
March 8, 2022
Really interesting
August 27, 2022
The book was interesting because nintendo made different type of games. I learnt new stuff like how to play the nintendo. Now I know how to play it! I'm glad I read the book before I got a nintendo because I did not know how to play it!
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July 28, 2023My boys really enjoyed learning the history of Nintendo, especially the fact that it started as a playing card company, and then a toy company.
April 29, 2022
I love Nintendo! 😍
January 17, 2021
I was pleasantly surprised. I got this from the library for the gamer boys of mine that are always asking questions about Nintendo. They started reading it, but hadn't said much about it. So out of curiosity, I decided to start reading it. Wow! So much history about the company that I never would have known. It gave the information in an easy way to read and follow. But enjoyable enough that even I loved reading it. There are illustrations that are more realistic to show who and what they are talking about. Then there are several photos included. If you are an old-school gamer, I suggest it as a fun, but educational read on a company that changed the gaming industry.
December 23, 2023
A decent 3/5 with some offness and one I found not as informative or entertaining to me as other Who HQ ones I've read (Blackbeard The Man In the Air) though I do respect I'm not the main target audience and it is likely enjoyable for its intended readership. It's another nice older elementary / younger middle grade nonfiction from Who HQ. Some of the choices or inclusions felt odd like the many extra sentences spent on very common Pokemon knowledge but I understand they gotta make the page space up and this is written for children who don’t typically scour for video game trivia and knowledge like adult fans do. So maybe the more “basic” facts are new to kids. I really enjoyed the focus on the company itself and its different eras and the impetus for new eras like changing fads, declining sales for certain things, or leadership changes.
It does feel written very quickly. It features some one-off odd word choice such as describing Mario as “stomping on mushrooms” and a picture that seems to be children playing a PC Engine with a caption instead saying “one of Nintendo’s first gaming systems.” It’s still informative and I enjoyed reading it and I think kids would be interested the evolution of Nintendo with many true facts but some of the off-ness makes me fear these are written a bit too quickly for sale. The other Who HQ book (Who Was Blackbeard) I had also seemed to have a sentence with off writing or typo (“He wore lit pieces or rope in his beard so that his face was ringed with smoke”) but not as weird as what is here in “What Was Nintendo.” I just wish the editing maybe a bit more tightened.
It does feel written very quickly. It features some one-off odd word choice such as describing Mario as “stomping on mushrooms” and a picture that seems to be children playing a PC Engine with a caption instead saying “one of Nintendo’s first gaming systems.” It’s still informative and I enjoyed reading it and I think kids would be interested the evolution of Nintendo with many true facts but some of the off-ness makes me fear these are written a bit too quickly for sale. The other Who HQ book (Who Was Blackbeard) I had also seemed to have a sentence with off writing or typo (“He wore lit pieces or rope in his beard so that his face was ringed with smoke”) but not as weird as what is here in “What Was Nintendo.” I just wish the editing maybe a bit more tightened.
August 9, 2023
- started handheld games with devices that played singular games
- Originally a playing card company. Playing cards were banned because used for gambling (illegal) but Nintendo cards didn’t have numbers so they were they only cards sold
- Heroshi fired his family to avoid claims of nepotism and fired and strike workers because they thought he wasn’t good for the job
- Had a deal with Disney. Eventually got tired of cards and tried other businesses. Only successful one was toys. Eventually added electronic elements
- Games became too expensive. Borrowed ideas off of companies in america
- Donkey Kong (thinking donkey meant stupid) is based off of popeye characters
- Mario was originally named jumpman but needed an american name. Named after landlord of American warehouse
- Created the d pad for game and watch instead of joystick
- Computers became cheaper so people stopped buying video games
- Zelda based off of exploring caves as a kid
- Nintendo power magazine had upcoming releases and current game hints
- Sega = quantity driven. Nintendo = quality driven
- Nintendo is very family driven and avoids violence
- Quick history of most handheld and home systems
- Included a list of most popular DS games. I wish there were more lists like this
- Originally a playing card company. Playing cards were banned because used for gambling (illegal) but Nintendo cards didn’t have numbers so they were they only cards sold
- Heroshi fired his family to avoid claims of nepotism and fired and strike workers because they thought he wasn’t good for the job
- Had a deal with Disney. Eventually got tired of cards and tried other businesses. Only successful one was toys. Eventually added electronic elements
- Games became too expensive. Borrowed ideas off of companies in america
- Donkey Kong (thinking donkey meant stupid) is based off of popeye characters
- Mario was originally named jumpman but needed an american name. Named after landlord of American warehouse
- Created the d pad for game and watch instead of joystick
- Computers became cheaper so people stopped buying video games
- Zelda based off of exploring caves as a kid
- Nintendo power magazine had upcoming releases and current game hints
- Sega = quantity driven. Nintendo = quality driven
- Nintendo is very family driven and avoids violence
- Quick history of most handheld and home systems
- Included a list of most popular DS games. I wish there were more lists like this
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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March 30, 2025Carter Sealey
What is nintendo
By:gina shaw
The book “What is Nintendo” is about facts for the company nintendo. Nintendo when it first started in japan it was just a card game.nintendo realized that most other game companies use screens. That's when Nintendo made its first game. Nintendo's new game blew up and made millions of dollars. Then Nintendo realized that people loved their games so they made more and more but most of them were flops, but they did not stop. Nintendo also made a lot of consoles.now today when the multibillion dollar company is still standing strong. The book “What is Nintendo" goes with this month's theme because I learned more about nintendo. I give this book a 5 out of 5 star rating because I love Nintendo already and I like shorter books. I recommend this book to someone who likes or wants to know about nintendo and short fact books
What is nintendo
By:gina shaw
The book “What is Nintendo” is about facts for the company nintendo. Nintendo when it first started in japan it was just a card game.nintendo realized that most other game companies use screens. That's when Nintendo made its first game. Nintendo's new game blew up and made millions of dollars. Then Nintendo realized that people loved their games so they made more and more but most of them were flops, but they did not stop. Nintendo also made a lot of consoles.now today when the multibillion dollar company is still standing strong. The book “What is Nintendo" goes with this month's theme because I learned more about nintendo. I give this book a 5 out of 5 star rating because I love Nintendo already and I like shorter books. I recommend this book to someone who likes or wants to know about nintendo and short fact books
July 20, 2025
Nintendo has been a large part of my life since I was around four years old, so I really enjoyed this.
I felt inspired by some things in here, especially as an artist myself.
I already liked a lot about Shigeru Miyamoto, but I appreciate him even more after reading this.
The Nintendo 64 and GameCube weren’t mentioned at all, and I feel that they could have been, especially the N64; I feel like that was pretty revolutionary and important. Maybe some things in here could have been swapped out for those. But I understand that these books are small and can only be a certain length. It was still interesting and enjoyable for what it had.
I felt inspired by some things in here, especially as an artist myself.
I already liked a lot about Shigeru Miyamoto, but I appreciate him even more after reading this.
The Nintendo 64 and GameCube weren’t mentioned at all, and I feel that they could have been, especially the N64; I feel like that was pretty revolutionary and important. Maybe some things in here could have been swapped out for those. But I understand that these books are small and can only be a certain length. It was still interesting and enjoyable for what it had.
February 14, 2022
This is a great, early reader, history of Nintendo (which is an incredibly weird thing to read about when most of the "history" happened during your childhood/teen years/early adult life, but when you're in elementary school and things that happened 20 years ago are "eons" ago clearly less weird). It was fun to read - even though my son really wanted it to tell him how to beat Mario games, not the history of all the devices we have laying around the house.
June 24, 2023
This is a good book of Nintendo to know the history and people who were involved in the beginning and how Nintendo Started and got to where its at today
Nintendo Means - Leave luck to heaven
Making a game with character and storyline
In a platform game, characters run, jump, or walk over obstacles to reach new levels.
an Obstacle prevents players from getting somewhere
Have a childlike way of looking at the world.
Nintendo Means - Leave luck to heaven
Making a game with character and storyline
In a platform game, characters run, jump, or walk over obstacles to reach new levels.
an Obstacle prevents players from getting somewhere
Have a childlike way of looking at the world.
February 5, 2021
For me, Nintendo has always been video games. But, who knew they started out as a card game making company? Not I! It has been an interesting read to see the history of how Nintendo came to be. My son really enjoyed learning about Nintendo as well. He is quite the gamer, me...not so much, but I did enjoy reading along with him.
January 12, 2023
It was the first of the "What is..." books I have ever read and I purchased it for my 8-year old boy for Christmas. Honestly, it wasn't the first one I thought he would pick, but he has been asking me every evening to read it to him. I am really enjoying it and am learning things without realizing I am learning them! I would absolutely choose to read more of them with him.
January 21, 2024
Read this one with my son. It's the first and only of these type of books that I read. It was a super inclusive history of Nintendo with a lot of fun facts and illustrations along the way. My son loved it and I learned a few things. Will definitely be picking up more of these for us to read together.
February 28, 2021
I figured I should read this to educate myself since I'm in a house of four sons and am married to the publisher of Nintendo Force magazine. This was great for me! My husband and oldest son also enjoyed it.
November 19, 2021
Another great Who HQ book. Did you know The Nintendo company was founded in 1889?? And the company originally made playing cards. Reading the book. Are we want to play Super Mario Brothers or Tetris or Mario Kart (oddly not talked about in the book).
November 16, 2022
It was very interesting to see the history of Nintendo, and how the most popular games came to be. Well, a very basic and rushed explanation, but it was done okay for a short book which went over many topics of Nintendo's history.
December 9, 2022
I read this with my son for school and it was a fun little read. I learned more about video games in the 101 pages of this book then I ever thought I would know but I actually was surprised to find out I was happy to learn it. It actually made me want to buy a Nintendo Switch :)
January 21, 2023
By far our favorite we’ve read yet! Enjoyed learning the back story of Nintendo. We also enjoyed the theme that sometimes achieving a dream means a lot of failure until your one big hit, never give up!
May 24, 2023
This was so interesting. So much I didn’t know. I would have liked like 10 more pages to explore the N64 and Came Cube problems. However, this children’s book my son wanted me to read was so very interesting to me, who grew up playing Nintendo consoles.
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August 6, 2025It's a great book to learn how Nintendo became one of the best video game companies in the world. From a kid playing with a calculator (which eventually became the idea for GAME & WATCH) to the Nintendo Switch.
January 23, 2021
Good brief summary
It’s good read to know about Nintendo and how it slowly started from arcade game to video games. Good short read.
It’s good read to know about Nintendo and how it slowly started from arcade game to video games. Good short read.
January 25, 2021
Read this to the kids. It was more interesting to me than to them.
February 17, 2021
A great book of information, What is Nintendo? is a great book because I like Nintendo. I thought it came out in the 1900s, but really, it was the 1800s!
A
A
February 17, 2021
A enjoyable and informative book about the history of Nintendo, both its successes and failures. Great for kids or older fan boys like me.
April 2, 2021
My 7 year old said it gets 5 stars - so there it is.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 66 reviews