logo
episode-header-image
Oct 2024
42m 21s

🍄 Super Mario Bros: Nintendo’s Infinite...

Wondery
About this episode

Mario isn’t just the most beloved plumber in history - he’s the most successful video game character of all time. With over 800 million games sold, Mario and his brother Luigi have “wahoo-ed” their way into multiple spinoffs, (Mario Kart sesh anyone?) Hollywood blockbusters… even their own amusement park. But the Super Mario Bros. origin story will surprise you like a rogue turtle shell: It features Donkey Kong, Popeye, and an artist from a forest in Kyoto. Find out how an angry landlord changed the course of video game history, and how Nintendo perfected a strategy called “The Infinite Game” to keep creating hit after world-dominating hit. Jump down that green pipe, and listen to find out why Super Mario Bros is the best idea yet.


Follow The Best Idea Yet on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to new episodes early and ad-free on Wondery+. Join Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Start your free trial by visiting www.wondery.com/links/the-best-idea-yet/ now. 

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Up next
Sep 30
🎬 That’s a Wrap on Season 1 | 51
But you can still get Nick & Jack every day! Follow The Best One Yet, our daily news show delivering 3 stories in 20 minutes. Where business meets pop-culture. Listen on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-one-yet/id1386234384Listen on Spotify: https://open.spot ... Show More
6m 2s
Sep 23
📺 SNL: The Snickers Bar of Saturday Night | 50
When Johnny Carson, 1970s late-night king, declared he wanted another day off, it left NBC with a hole in their weekend lineup. 11:30pm Saturday night wasn’t exactly the hot time slot… so the network recruited a quiet Canadian comedy writer named Lorne Michaels to produce a live ... Show More
42m 25s
Sep 16
🎧 Sony Walkman: The Analog Icon That Led to a Digital Revolution | 49
In postwar Tokyo, two engineers were tinkering with rice cookers and busted home radios when they stumbled across a new kind of audio technology: magnetic tape. It inspired them to create a range of ahead-of-their-time tape recorders — and the success took Sony from small repair ... Show More
41m 43s
Recommended Episodes
Feb 2024
The Untold TRUTH Of Nintendo
At first, Nintendo had nothing to do with video gaming. Its president Hiroshi Yamauchi didn’t even play video games. Instead, Nintendo made hanafuda playing cards which were used to gamble, and their biggest customer was the Yakuza (essentially the Japanese Mafia). So, how did a ... Show More
40m 13s
Jul 20
My Thoughts On Donkey Kong Bananza! | EP. 149
EmSwizzle (Max) dives into his first impressions on the brand new Donkey Kong Bananza (thanks ​⁠ for sending over a code!), we discuss the next Nintendo Direct being (basically) confirmed for July, the Legend of Zelda movie +, some odd Nintendo news then answer your questions, an ... Show More
50m 34s
Nov 2024
Is Mario & Luigi: Brothership Bad? Switch 2 Backwards Compatibility, & MORE! | EP. 114
EmSwizzle (Max) discusses his thoughts on Mario & Luigi: Brothership, Nintendo confirming the Nintendo Switch 2 will have backwards compatibility, Nintendo news including more Switch 2 news, updated Nintendo Switch sales, we answer your questions and SO MUCH MORE!   🛒 Shop Mario ... Show More
1h 7m
Sep 22
When Nintendo (and Mario) Rescued Video Games
September 27, 1986. You’re a kid in the mid-80s. You get home from school, flip on the TV, and see something strange: a commercial where a giant egg hatches behind a family’s console, revealing a toy robot. His name is R.O.B. — the Robotic Operating Buddy — but he's just an acces ... Show More
30m 15s
Jul 14
Three tricks Super Mario uses to keep gamers hooked
Super Mario Bros is 40 years old. It’s an incredibly simple game (it takes up the same memory as a smartphone wallpaper), yet it’s incredibly popular. Over 40 million people have played it. Why? Because it’s packed with psychological tips that hook players in and keep them playin ... Show More
21m 51s
Sep 16
Nintendo Are Back! Nintendo Direct Reactions — The Press Start Podcast
After Nintendo's longest Nintendo Direct EVER, the gang gets together to share their thoughts on Super Mario Galaxy, Metroid Prime 4, Pokémon Pokopia and more. They also weigh in on Nintendo patenting game mechanics and Brodie shares his review of Indiana Jones and the Great Circ ... Show More
1h 2m
Apr 2023
Nintendo: The Console Wars
In the 1980’s Nintendo was on top of the world, with the NES achieving over 90% market share of home video games globally. So how did they fall ALL the way down to ~10% in just a few short console generations? And how did they then build themselves back up (and down and up again) ... Show More
3h 17m
Dec 2023
I Ranked EVERY 2023 Nintendo Game, Festive Games To Play, News & MORE!
On this episode of The Mario Matter, Max will be discussing all things Nintendo including his tier list of every Nintendo game released in 2023, Nintendo news, the BEST games to play leading up to the festive season, answering your questions, and SO MUCH MORE! - 🎧 Check out the ... Show More
1h 41m
Dec 2024
Ranking Every Nintendo Switch Game! | EP. 118
In this holiday themed episode, EmSwizzle (Max) ranks every Nintendo made Nintendo Switch game over the last 7 great years! In addition, we run through Nintendo news as always including BIG Nintendo Switch 2 Rumors, and Animal Crossing, we answer your questions and SO MUCH MORE! ... Show More
3 h
May 2024
Quels sont les ennemis les plus rares dans Mario ?
Vous le savez, le monde de Nintendo et des ses personnages est très vaste et variés. Aussi, si on connaît bien les goomba, koopa ou les Thwomps ; dans sa carrière, Mario a dû faire face à des ennemis bien plus rares et étranges. Hébergé par Acast. Visitez acast.com/privacy pour p ... Show More
2m 15s