What Did Nintendo Make Before Video Games?

Playing cards. Founded 1889 in Kyoto as Nintendo Koppai (任天堂骨牌) by Fusajiro Yamauchi.

Timeline

• 1889–1950s: Handmade hanafuda (flower cards) – premium quality, yakuza-favored.
• 1953: First plastic-coated cards (mass market).
• 1959: Disney licensing – first major IP deal.
• 1960s: Diversification attempts: instant rice, love hotels, taxi service (Daiya Taxi), vacuum cleaners – mostly failed.
• 1966: Ultra Hand (extendable grip toy) – 1.2M sold, first hit toy.
• 1967–70s: Light-gun toys (Kôsenjû), Love Tester, Ele-Conga, Chiritori (RC vacuum).
• 1972: Magnavod Odyssey distribution (Japan) → first video game contact.
• 1977: Color TV-Game 6 / 15 – dedicated Pong consoles (1M+ sold).
• 1980: Game & Watch – LCD handhelds (43M total).
• 1983: Famicom (NES) – cartridge console, third-party licensing model.

Cards → Toys → Dedicated Consoles → Programmable Consoles → Global Empire.