Ten years of Before Mario book memories

Last October (2024), I posted this image on social media, announcing that the Before Mario book was officially sold out. All stock had been depleted, and there were no current plans for another print run.

Originally published a little over a decade ago, I thought this would be a good moment to reflect on the journey of the book and share some memories from that time.

How it started

I have always been a collector first and foremost, with a growing passion for vintage Nintendo items.

The Before Mario collection back in 2007

In 2011, I started this blog, thinking it would be fun to share stories and information about my collection and Nintendo’s early history. 

At the time, there was very little information available online about this period of Nintendo, and the blog quickly found an engaged and growing audience.

The first review of the blog, in Edge magazine

Over the next three years, I covered a lot of ground, publishing 180 blog posts. Then, in January 2014, I received a proposal from Nintendo historian and publisher Florent Gorges, founder of Omaké Books, to turn part of the blog into a book.

I loved the idea and quickly reached an agreement with Florent to move forward with the project.

Getting to work

Although the original plan was to reuse content from the blog, I decided to reshoot all the photography specifically for the book to ensure the best possible print quality.

A Treasure in Kyoto: Rediscovering Nintendo’s First Ad from 1894

Discovering a Rare Find—Twice!

A few weeks ago, on October 2nd, I was in Kyoto, Japan, to visit the newly opened Nintendo Museum.

The day before my museum visit, I was lucky to view a historic document recently uncovered by a fellow researcher: Nintendo’s earliest known advertisement, an astonishing 130 years old.

And a day after the museum visit, the discovery of a second copy of that document was truly remarkable.

The earliest known advertisement by Nintendo, 130 years old

I was visiting Japan with fellow Nintendo historians and enthusiasts Florent Gorges and Fabrice Heilig. The night before the museum opening, we stayed at a special location in Kyoto: Hotel Marufukuro.

This was Nintendo's first stone-built headquarters, now renovated and remodeled as a hotel. On the second floor is a room called the "dNa Library," which houses books and artifacts that tell the story of Nintendo’s history. We are honored to have our books—one by Florent and one by me, with contributions from Fabrice—displayed in this library.

Earlier that day, Fabrice had picked an old book from a Kyoto-based antiquarian bookshop.

The shop owner had contacted Fabrice, who lives in France, a year earlier about this book in his collection but, in the end, wasn’t comfortable selling it over such a distance.

Now that Fabrice was in Kyoto for the museum opening, he seized the opportunity to acquire it in person.

As the proud new owner of this historic find, he shared it with us in the library. There could be no better place for this unveiling than Nintendo's former headquarters, located on the very site where the company was founded back in 1889. Florent recorded a video of this moment, which you can find at the bottom of this post.

While visiting the Nintendo Museum the next day, I spoke with Japanese playing card aficionado Marcus Richert, who knew of a Kyoto bookseller offering a second copy of this rare book.

Barely believing our luck, Florent and I set off the following day to investigate. Finding even one copy was a rare stroke of fortune—but discovering two seemed almost unbelievable.

Former Nintendo HQ opens as Marufukuro hotel (and beforemario is present, in book form)

A few months ago, on April 1st 2022 to be exact, the former headquarters of Nintendo at Shomen-Dori in Kyoto opened as the Marufukuro Hotel, after extensive restoration and remodelling.

Recently, there was a nice surprise for me personally, which I will keep for the end of this post.

This building has played an important part in Nintendo's history. Although it wasn't the first building occupied by Nintendo, it is located on the spot where the company started, and served as headquarters for around a quarter of a century; from the moment it was erected in 1933 to the late 1950s. It also was the home for the Yamauchi family during this period.

The building was modern for its time, well designed and crafty built, with many nice details; signalling a company on the rise. It was commissioned by Sekiryo Yamauchi, Nintendo's second president. Hiroshi Yamauchi, Sekiryo's very successful successor and third president, also conduced his business from here during the first ten years of his reign.

The Marufukuro Hotel in 2022

After Nintendo's center of power moved to newer offices in other areas of Kyoto, and the building was no longer used in any form in the company's daily operation, it was kept more or less in the state from its period of prominence.

During the last twenty years or so, it become a spot to visit, a place of pilgrimage of sorts, for Nintendo enthusiasts from across the world.

Back in 2015 I took a picture there with my just released Before Mario book, in front of the door that remained largely closed for decades. [More on that visit here.]

At the former Nintendo HQ in 2015

When comparing the current 2022 version of the building with its former state, a few things stand out.

Two large circular 'Marufuku' logos have been placed on the top of the front and side facade. Although they look like they have been there from the start, they are new additions. A clock was added above the front door, and sun screens above the windows.

At the former Nintendo HQ in 2015

The middle section has been build more high up. Originally this only contained some smaller, single-story rooms and a court yard.

At the former Nintendo HQ in 2015

Most prominently, a whole section was added to the left of the building. Originally housing a wooden structure from the early days of the company, this had remained a vacant lot since that structure was torn down around 2004.

At the former Nintendo HQ in 2015, the missing original building

Fast forward to 2022, where we find the building looking splendid. The old exterior has been cleaned and the building is extended with tastefully designed additions.

The biggest change, of course, is that the front door is now open. At least, open to all who book a room for the night.

Meet Nintendo's biographer Florent Gorges

Beforemario is focussed on Nintendo's toys and games from 1965 to 1983. And although this is only a small part of the company's long history, I expect it will keep me busy for some time to come.

But someone out there has taken on the formidable task of chronicling the entire history of Nintendo, from the start in 1889 up to the present day. And not just covering the main events, but exposing every nook an cranny of the rich history in meticulous detail, unearthing many new facts and insights on the way. He is really pouring his heart into this work.

His name is Florent Gorges, and he is one of the most eminent Nintendo historians. His labor of love is called the History of Nintendo. These books really have no equal in the world. Originally released in French (under the name "L'Histoire de Nintendo"), three volumes have already appeared, of which two have been translated into English.

If you enjoy reading this blog, I am sure you will love these books. Volume one of The History of Nintendo deals with the period from 1889 to the birth of the Game & Watch, volume two is fully dedicated to Game & Watch and volume three's topic is the Famicom / NES.

Florent was kind enough to participate in a little interview for beforemario. You can find this below, together with information on how to acquire his books.