Nintendo: The Company and its Founders - Sharyland ISD

HIROSHI YAMAUCHI RULES
in other types of businesses, Yamauchi finally settled
on the entertainment industry as Nintendo’s main
focus. Under his leadership, Nintendo would be the
first to introduce plastic playing cards in Japan. He
also acquired legal permission from the Walt Disney
Company to use Disney characters on the plastic
cards. In 1963, the company name was changed
again to Nintendo Company Ltd (NCL).
TOY MAKERS
For all of his harshness and high
expectations, Yamauchi had
unusual faith in creative minds. An
electronics specialist and inventor
named Gunpei Yokoi came to
Nintendo in 1965, looking for a
job. Yokoi was hired as a janitor,
but also as a technician to maintain
the machines on the assembly line.
One day, in approximately
1966, Yamauchi asked Yokoi to
come to his office. He asked Yokoi
to make something that could be
sold around the holiday season.
When Yokoi asked what he should
DEALING WITH
COMPETITION
Yamauchi’s business agreement
with the Walt Disney Company
proved to be a good one.
Disney cartoon characters
were world famous, and their
images made the Nintendo
cards much more appealing
to the youth market. Yamauchi
also improved the look of
the cards with a clear plastic
coating, advertised them on
television, and sold them in
toy stores. Yamauchi’s company’s
card sales were record
breaking in 1959, at 600,000
packs of cards sold that year.
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