Since When Is There a Telephone in Donkey Kong?
And why was Pauline carrying a landline receiver when Donkey Kong kidnapped her?
Sonic’s First Girlfriend Was Madonna
A pop culture mystery involving sexy singers, red dresses and mismatched love interests.
Why Do We Think Mario and Luigi Are From Brooklyn?
Exploring the brothers’ alleged real world origins — and their inexplicable Italian accents.
Who Put the ‘Kong’ in ‘Donkey Kong’?
The competing, contradicting explanations for the strangest name in video games.
What Is the First Nintendo Crossover?
The search for the first instance of one Nintendo product referencing another.
Why Does Donkey Kong Throw Barrels?
Not all paths lead to Popeye, despite what you may be thinking.
The Origin of Mario’s Trademark Death Animation
Super Mario Bros. taught side-scrolling heroes how to kick the bucket… even if Mario stole those moves.
Pauline: A History of Nintendo’s First Leading Lady
And how she waited more nearly forty years to become a playable character.
How One Weird Little Guy Connects Yoshi’s Island to Donkey Kong
Nintendo’s effort to bring D.K. back into the fold goes back to 1991, well before the Rare era.
Organ Grinders, Kongs and Super Mario Monkey Business
An old New York tradition lives on in Nintendo’s biggest franchise — but only accidentally.
How Popeye Changed Video Games
Popeye lives, just not so much in the medium that made him famous.