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Nintendo Mini Classics

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Not to be confused withNintendo Classic Mini.
Super Mario BrosandParachutemodels

Nintendo Mini Classicsare a series of small LCD gameslicensedbyNintendoin 1998. Most games in the series are reissues ofGame & Watch titles,but the series does include titles that were not from the original Game & Watch line, likeSpider-Man,CarreraandYu-Gi-Oh!.

Design[edit]

Each Mini Classics unit is designed to look like a smallGame Boy.Units typically have aD-padand three buttons. A large action button is also used for setting the alarm, and two smaller buttons typically marked "Game A" and "Game B" but could also serve different functions depending on the game. A keychain is attached to the top left-hand corner but could be removed. Most units also had a stand on the back. Some games, however, do not have a stand, especially the Dual-screen releases such asOil PanicandDonkey Kong.Similar to the Game and Watch, the Nintendo Mini Classics units have alarm clock features. Each unit is powered by two 11.6x4.2 mm batteries (AG13/Button Cell/LR44/L1154/386/301/186), which are packaged with the Nintendo Mini Classic.

  • The back of a Mario's Cement Factory Mini Classics system
    The back of a Mario's Cement Factory Mini Classics system
  • The stand on the back of a Nintendo Mini Classics system
    The stand on the back of a Nintendo Mini Classics system

Games[edit]

Game & Watch reissues[edit]

Original titles[edit]

Colors[edit]

Some of the Mini Classics models, particularly the often-reissuedMarioandDonkey Kongtitles, have undergone several different color changes since the original 1998 releases, mostly due to multiple companies working with Nintendo to make and distribute the titles. Some titles have also been given new color-tinted LCD displays since then. The companies that help distribute them are also responsible for the programming for their versions of the titles, which is why some might sound and behave differently.

Octopus[edit]

  • Toymax: light blue case (1999)
  • Stadlbauer: Translucent blue case (1998, 2014)[3]

Fire[edit]

  • Toymax: Red case (1999)
  • Stadlbauer: Translucent red case (2014)[3]

Donkey Kong[edit]

  • Take 2: Cyan case (2007)[3]

Donkey Kong Jr.[edit]

  • Toymax: dark green case (1998)
  • MGA: yellow-green case (2000)
  • It's Outrageous: yellow case with color LCD (2007)[4]
  • Stadlbauer: yellow-orange case (2014)[3]

Mario's Cement Factory[edit]

  • Stadlbauer: Translucent Yellow Case with Grey D-Pad (1998) and Blue Case (1998)
  • Vivid Imaginations: yellow case (1998)
  • Toymax: yellow case (1999)
  • MGA: grey case/dark blue case with white D-pad (2000)
  • Take 2: transparent yellow case (2002)[citation needed]
  • It's Outrageous: dark blue case (2007)[4]
  • Marks and Spencer: silver case (2007)
  • Stadlbauer: blue case (2014)

Super Mario Bros.[edit]

  • Stadlbauer: silver case/blue case/smaller pack with green case (1998)
  • Toymax: silver case (1998)[3]
  • MGA: blue case (2000)
  • It's Outrageous: green case with color LCD (2007)[4]
  • Stadlbauer: silver case (2014)

The Smurfs[edit]

  • Take 2: transparent blue-green case (2001)[3]

Snoopy Tennis[edit]

  • Stadlbauer: white case (2014)

Distributors[edit]

  • Stadlbauer, maker of the Nintendo Mini Classics, principal distributor of the titles in Europe, exclusive distributor in formerEastern Bloc.
  • Zappies Ltd, exclusive distributor of the Mini Classics in United Kingdom.[5]
  • Take-Two Interactive,distributor of the Mini Classics in parts of Europe.[6]The only known distributor ofOil Panicand the games based onStar Trek: The Next Generation.
  • Toymax, first American distributor of the Mini Classics. The first wave released in 1998 consisted ofSuper Mario Bros.,Donkey Kong Jr.,Fire,andParachute.OctopusandMario's Cement Factorywere issued shortly thereafter in 1999. The packaging and an insert included for the last two games indicate thatSnoopy Tennisapparently was also released in that time, but a Toymax-branded version of the game has yet to be discovered.
  • MGA Entertainment:after the Toymax releases, MGA reissuedSuper Mario Bros.,Donkey Kong Jr.,andMario's Cement Factoryin the USA beginning in 2000.
  • It's Outrageous, current distributor of the Mini Classics in the United States. The company re-reissuedSuper Mario Bros.,Donkey Kong Jr.,andMario's Cement Factory,and introduced several of the newer Mini Classics to America, includingDonkey Kong,Zelda,Soccer,Spiderman,andCarrera.
  • Playtronic,former distributor of Mini Classics in Brazil.
  • Candide, current distributor of the Mini Classics in Brazil. 5 titles were released, all of them are the It's Outrageous versions. The games areSuper Mario Bros.,Donkey Kong Jr.,Soccer,Mario's Cement Factory,andCarrera.
  • Lukas Toys, exclusive distributor in Poland[7].
  • Beosoft, exclusive distributor inFederal Republic of Yugoslavia[8].

Sales[edit]

More than 10 million Nintendo Mini Classics were sold by Stadlbauer.[9]

Notes[edit]

  • The US version ofCarrerahas both Stadlbauer and It's Outrageous branding. Both companies' logos are on the packaging, and Stadlbauer's is on the unit itself. This is presumably becauseCarrerawas originally designed for the European market (where Stadlbauer, not It's Outrageous, is the main distributor), where 1/32 slot cars (the Carrera company's main product) are much more popular than they are in the United States.

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^"The Return of Retro".Zelda Universe. 2007-01-30.Retrieved2009-01-18.
  2. ^"Did you know?".Intheattic.co.uk. Archived fromthe originalon 2016-10-27.Retrieved2018-04-02.
  3. ^abcdef"20th Century Video Games".20thcenturyvideogames.com.Retrieved2023-10-19.
  4. ^abcBeaulieu, Patra (2011-09-29)."Nintendo Mini Classics".GeekAlerts.Retrieved2023-10-19.
  5. ^"Zappies Ltd - The Distributor of Innovation".Shop.zappies.com.Archivedfrom the original on 2009-08-21.Retrieved2018-04-02.
  6. ^Game & Watch: Le Retour- Actu & Soluces 64 n°5 - September–October 2000, p.35-36.
  7. ^"Nintendo".Neo Plus(14): 19.
  8. ^"Lako automatsko oruzje za borbu protiv dosade!".Beosoft Katalog(2).
  9. ^"Stadlbauer.at: NMC".2009-08-02. Archived fromthe originalon 2009-08-02.Retrieved2020-07-28.

External links[edit]

  • Stadlbauer EN,English-translated site for the original distributor (archived)
  • Stadlbauer DE,original Austrian website for Stadlbauer (archived)
  • It's Outrageous,official website of the current USA distributor (archived)
  • Game & Watch,fan site for Game & Watch collectors (archived)
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