The mushroom kingdom that Shigeru Miyamoto built: The story of Nintendo

An interactive exhibit at the new Nintendo Museum in Kyoto, Japan. Goombas, Shy Guys, Boos and Koopa Troopas from the Mario franchise can be found throughout the museum. — The New York Times

KYOTO, Japan: Shigeru Miyamoto has been making the same request of all new employees at Nintendo for at least the past decade: For the love of all things Super Mario, please design games that might sell 30 million copies.

The request for smash hits that can generate upward of US$1.5bil (RM6.18bil) sounds almost reasonable coming from Miyamoto, a smiling septuagenarian with arched eyebrows and a trove of beloved cultural properties that would make Walt Disney blush.