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Lot Essay
This is a handmade sample cartridge for the original Super Mario Bros. The item originated from the game's country of origin, Japan, and was created at Nintendo before the game was manufactured en masse. It is the only known sample version of the game to have survived. Although the exact intended purpose of this cartridge is unknown, the metadata present suggests usage in a manufacturing environment. It is possible that this was the original master copy of the game, from which all retail copies of the most influential video game of all time were made. For collectors and fans of the game, this is a truly unique and foundational edition of this much-beloved and enormously important video game, 'part of the fundamental DNA of gamers' (S. Totilo, 'Nintendo Chief', Kotaku, 17 August 2012).
The outside cartridge shell is composed of yellow plastic, and appears identical to the first print retail version of the game. The front facing label is text-only, and contains manufacturing information, such as the game's part number (HVC-SM), ROM revision numbers (CHR 0 and PRG 0), and plastic shell colour (DIC 123).
The PCB inside is part number HVC-NROM-256k-02S, and is populated by two rewritable EPROMs. The game data on these EPROMs would have been manually written by an individual, as opposed to the factory-stamped mask ROMs present on a retail version of the game.
Before Super Mario Bros, video game platformers were simpler in design and gameplay. Mario was a 'pioneer' in introducing the side-scrolling movement of the game ('The Mythology of Mario', Time, 8 November 2010). Hidden secrets, alternate routes, and power-ups complemented distinct level design that taught players about the game as they played it. All of these features became the template for many subsequent decades of 2D platformers. After the 1983 video game crash, many thought console gaming was dead. Super Mario Bros. proved that prediction wrong. Upon its release in 1985, Super Mario Bros. reignited consumer interest in the game and confirmed Nintendo’s dominance in the market in the late 1980s. It created the market standard for narrative-driven, well-designed games. Mario’s success provided other platformers with the confidence to continue producing console games, taking inspiration from the innovative elements which excited players about Mario. Mario as a character became a global icon, synonymous with video games in the same way that Mickey Mouse is with animation; instantly recognisable across generations and geography. Super Mario Bros. remains a model in the market. It is often cited as the single most influential game because it rebuilt the console industry, set foundational design standards, and turning gaming into a cultural phenomenon.
Japan was itself a hub for video game innovation from the 1970s, when companies including Taito, Namco, and Nintendo began experimenting with arcade games. Space Invaders (Taito, 1978) and Pac-Man (Namco, 1980) helped establish Japan as the new global leader in creative game design. Nintendo cut its teeth in the entertainment industry with toys, playing cards, and light-gun games, before created the Mario franchise. The creativity in-built in Nintendo’s DNA made it a powerful contender when it shifted its focus towards electronics. Nintendo launched the Family Computer (Famicom) in Japan in 1983 while the US console market was in freefall. The reliable, affordable console proved appealing to consumers, and Super Mario Bros. (1985) became its defining game. After Super Mario Bros., Japan dominated innovation in the global gaming market for two decades. The 1990s saw games like Sonic the Hedgehog hit the market, and Sony’s 1994 launch of PlayStation marked another milestone. Craftsmanship, playful experimentation, narrative simplicity, and accessibility across age groups defined the Japanese innovation philosophy in gaming.
The enormous success of Super Mario Bros., which sold tens of millions of copies worldwide by the mid-1990s, helped make Japanese gaming synonymous with innovation and quality. It became the blueprint for global game design and defined Japan’s gaming revolution. This is the earliest known copy of this exceptional game and is possibly the master copy from which all other versions were manufactured. This may well be, then, the blueprint of the blueprint game itself. Recent auction records for Super Mario Bros. include that sold at Heritage Auctions, 4 November 2022, lot 28064, $720,000.
The outside cartridge shell is composed of yellow plastic, and appears identical to the first print retail version of the game. The front facing label is text-only, and contains manufacturing information, such as the game's part number (HVC-SM), ROM revision numbers (CHR 0 and PRG 0), and plastic shell colour (DIC 123).
The PCB inside is part number HVC-NROM-256k-02S, and is populated by two rewritable EPROMs. The game data on these EPROMs would have been manually written by an individual, as opposed to the factory-stamped mask ROMs present on a retail version of the game.
Before Super Mario Bros, video game platformers were simpler in design and gameplay. Mario was a 'pioneer' in introducing the side-scrolling movement of the game ('The Mythology of Mario', Time, 8 November 2010). Hidden secrets, alternate routes, and power-ups complemented distinct level design that taught players about the game as they played it. All of these features became the template for many subsequent decades of 2D platformers. After the 1983 video game crash, many thought console gaming was dead. Super Mario Bros. proved that prediction wrong. Upon its release in 1985, Super Mario Bros. reignited consumer interest in the game and confirmed Nintendo’s dominance in the market in the late 1980s. It created the market standard for narrative-driven, well-designed games. Mario’s success provided other platformers with the confidence to continue producing console games, taking inspiration from the innovative elements which excited players about Mario. Mario as a character became a global icon, synonymous with video games in the same way that Mickey Mouse is with animation; instantly recognisable across generations and geography. Super Mario Bros. remains a model in the market. It is often cited as the single most influential game because it rebuilt the console industry, set foundational design standards, and turning gaming into a cultural phenomenon.
Japan was itself a hub for video game innovation from the 1970s, when companies including Taito, Namco, and Nintendo began experimenting with arcade games. Space Invaders (Taito, 1978) and Pac-Man (Namco, 1980) helped establish Japan as the new global leader in creative game design. Nintendo cut its teeth in the entertainment industry with toys, playing cards, and light-gun games, before created the Mario franchise. The creativity in-built in Nintendo’s DNA made it a powerful contender when it shifted its focus towards electronics. Nintendo launched the Family Computer (Famicom) in Japan in 1983 while the US console market was in freefall. The reliable, affordable console proved appealing to consumers, and Super Mario Bros. (1985) became its defining game. After Super Mario Bros., Japan dominated innovation in the global gaming market for two decades. The 1990s saw games like Sonic the Hedgehog hit the market, and Sony’s 1994 launch of PlayStation marked another milestone. Craftsmanship, playful experimentation, narrative simplicity, and accessibility across age groups defined the Japanese innovation philosophy in gaming.
The enormous success of Super Mario Bros., which sold tens of millions of copies worldwide by the mid-1990s, helped make Japanese gaming synonymous with innovation and quality. It became the blueprint for global game design and defined Japan’s gaming revolution. This is the earliest known copy of this exceptional game and is possibly the master copy from which all other versions were manufactured. This may well be, then, the blueprint of the blueprint game itself. Recent auction records for Super Mario Bros. include that sold at Heritage Auctions, 4 November 2022, lot 28064, $720,000.