2601:188:C300:4EE0:2050:88A3:4D6:30B3 at 13:07, 29 March 2025

2025-03-29T13:07:05Z

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{{short description|Series of LCD games licensed by Nintendo}}
{{distinguish|NES Classic Edition{{!}}Nintendo Classic Mini}}
[[File:Nintendo Mini Classics Super Mario Bros y Parachute 2.jpg|thumb|''Super Mario Bros'' and ''Parachute'' models]]
'''Nintendo Mini Classics''' are a series of small LCD games [[license]]d by [[Nintendo]] in 1998. Most games in the series are reissues of [[Game & Watch titles]], but the series does include titles that were not from the original Game & Watch line, like ''[[Spider-Man]]'', ''[[Carrera (slot car brand)|Carrera]]'' and ''[[Yu-Gi-Oh!]]''.

==Design==
Each Mini Classics unit is designed to resemble a miniaturized [[Game Boy]]. Units typically have a [[D-pad]] and 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 as ''Oil Panic'' and ''Donkey 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 [[button cell]] batteries (AG13/LR44/L1154/386/301/186), which are packaged with the Nintendo Mini Classic.

<gallery>
File:Back of Nintendo Mini Classic.JPG|The back of a ''Mario's Cement Factory'' Mini Classics system
File:Stand on back of Nintendo Mini Classic.JPG|The stand on the back of a Nintendo Mini Classics system
</gallery>

==Games==
===Game & Watch reissues===
* ''[[List of Mario LCD games#Donkey Kong|Donkey Kong]]'' (Dual-Screen)
* ''[[List of Mario LCD games#Donkey Kong Jr.|Donkey Kong Jr.]]''
* ''[[Fire (Game & Watch)|Fire]]''
* ''[[Mario's Cement Factory]]''
* ''[[Game & Watch (Octopus)|Octopus]]''
* ''[[Oil Panic]]'' (Dual-Screen) (Europe exclusive)
* ''[[Parachute (Game & Watch)|Parachute]]''
* ''[[List of Game & Watch games#Snoopy Tennis|Snoopy Tennis]]''
* ''[[List of Mario LCD games#Super Mario Bros.|Super Mario Bros.]]''
* ''[[LCD games from The Legend of Zelda series#Zelda Game & Watch|Zelda]]'' (Dual-Screen)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.zeldauniverse.net/zelda-news/the-return-of-retro/|title=The Return of Retro|publisher=Zelda Universe|date=2007-01-30|access-date=2009-01-18}}</ref>

===Original titles===
* ''[[Carrera (slot car brand)|Carrera]]'' (a racing game branded by the [[slot car]] manufacturer ''Carrera'')
* ''[[Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire]]'' (Europe exclusive)
* ''[[Smurfs]]'' (Europe exclusive)
* ''Soccer''
* ''[[Spider-Man]]''
* ''[[Star Trek: The Next Generation]]'' (Single Screen) (Europe exclusive)
* ''Star Trek: The Next Generation'' (Dual-Screen) (Europe exclusive)
* ''[[Star Trek]]: TOS Beam Me Up!'' (Europe exclusive)
* ''Sudoku'' (Europe exclusive)
* ''[[Tetris]]'' (Europe exclusive)<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.intheattic.co.uk/did_you_know.htm |title=Did you know? |publisher=Intheattic.co.uk |access-date=2018-04-02 |archive-date=2016-10-27 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161027015154/http://www.intheattic.co.uk/did_you_know.htm |url-status=dead}}</ref>
* ''[[UEFA Euro]] 2008'' (Europe exclusive)
* ''[[Yu-Gi-Oh!]]''
* ''Poker'' (apparently unreleased)

==Colors==
Some of the Mini Classics models, particularly the often-reissued ''Mario'' and ''Donkey Kong'' titles, 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''===
* Toymax: light blue case (1999)
* Stadlbauer: Translucent blue case (1998, 2014)<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=20th Century Video Games |url=https://20thcenturyvideogames.com/index.php?action=vermodelos&submenu=&tipo=1&sistema=Nintendo-MiniClassics&verletra=verfamilias |access-date=2023-10-19 |website=20thcenturyvideogames.com}}</ref>

===''Fire''===
* Toymax: Red case (1999)
* Stadlbauer: Translucent red case (2014)<ref name=":0" />

=== ''Donkey Kong'' ===
* Take 2: Cyan case (2007)<ref name=":0" />

===''Donkey Kong Jr.''===
* Toymax: dark green case (1998)
* MGA: yellow-green case (2000)
* It's Outrageous: yellow case with color LCD (2007)<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Beaulieu |first=Patra |date=2011-09-29 |title=Nintendo Mini Classics |url=https://www.geekalerts.com/nintendo-mini-classics/ |access-date=2023-10-19 |website=GeekAlerts |language=en-US}}</ref>
* Stadlbauer: yellow-orange case (2014)<ref name=":0" />

===''Mario's Cement Factory''===
* 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|date=November 2009}}
* It's Outrageous: dark blue case (2007)<ref name=":1" />
* Marks and Spencer: silver case (2007)
* Stadlbauer: blue case (2014)

===''Super Mario Bros.''===
* Stadlbauer: silver case/blue case/smaller pack with green case (1998)
* Toymax: silver case (1998)<ref name=":0" />
* MGA: blue case (2000)
* It's Outrageous: green case with color LCD (2007)<ref name=":1" />
* Stadlbauer: silver case (2014)

===''The Smurfs''===
* Take 2: transparent blue-green case (2001)<ref name=":0" />

===''Snoopy Tennis''===
* Stadlbauer: white case (2014)

==Distributors==
* Stadlbauer, maker of the Nintendo Mini Classics, principal distributor of the titles in Europe, exclusive distributor in former [[Eastern Bloc]].
* Zappies Ltd, exclusive distributor of the Mini Classics in United Kingdom.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://shop.zappies.com|title=Zappies Ltd - The Distributor of Innovation|publisher=Shop.zappies.com|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090821123959/http://shop.zappies.com/|archive-date=2009-08-21|access-date=2018-04-02}}</ref>
* [[Take-Two Interactive]], distributor of the Mini Classics in parts of Europe.<ref>''Game & Watch: Le Retour'' - Actu & Soluces 64 n°5 - September–October 2000, p.35-36.</ref> The only known distributor of ''Oil Panic'' and the games based on ''[[Star Trek: The Next Generation]]''.
* Toymax, first American distributor of the Mini Classics. The first wave released in 1998 consisted of ''Super Mario Bros.'', ''Donkey Kong Jr.'', ''Fire'', and ''Parachute''. ''Octopus'' and ''Mario's Cement Factory'' were issued shortly thereafter in 1999. The packaging and an insert included for the last two games indicate that ''Snoopy Tennis'' apparently 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 reissued ''Super Mario Bros.'', ''Donkey Kong Jr.'', and ''Mario's Cement Factory'' in the USA beginning in 2000.
* It's Outrageous, the third distributor of the Mini Classics in the United States. The company reissued ''Super Mario Bros.'', ''Donkey Kong Jr.'', and ''Mario's Cement Factory'' again, and introduced several of the newer Mini Classics to America, including ''Donkey Kong'', ''Zelda'', ''Soccer'', ''Spider-Man'', and ''Carrera''.
* Carrera, current distributor of the Mini Classics in the United States since 2014.
* [[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 are ''Super Mario Bros.'', ''Donkey Kong Jr.'', ''Soccer'', ''Mario's Cement Factory'', and ''Carrera''.
* Lukas Toys, exclusive distributor in Poland.<ref>{{cite journal | title = Nintendo | journal = Neo Plus | issue = 14 | page = 19}}</ref>
* Beosoft, exclusive distributor in [[Serbia and Montenegro|Federal Republic of Yugoslavia]].<ref>{{cite journal | title = Lako automatsko oruzje za borbu protiv dosade! | journal = Beosoft Katalog | issue = 2}}</ref>

== Sales ==
More than 10 million Nintendo Mini Classics were sold by Stadlbauer.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2009-08-02|title=Stadlbauer.at: NMC|url=http://www.stadlbauer.at/95.0.html?&L=1|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090802192453/http://www.stadlbauer.at/95.0.html?&L=1|url-status=dead|archive-date=2009-08-02|access-date=2020-07-28}}</ref>

==Notes==
* The US version of ''Carrera'' has 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 because ''Carrera'' was 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==
{{Portal|Video games}}
* [[Game & Watch]]
* ''[[Game & Watch Gallery]]''

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20090802192453/http://www.stadlbauer.at/95.0.html?&L=1 Stadlbauer EN], English-translated site for the original distributor (archived)
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080130022035/http://www.stadlbauer.at/66.0.html?&L=0 Stadlbauer DE], original Austrian website for Stadlbauer (archived)
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070919050907/http://www.itsoutrageous.com/productassets/nintendomain.html It's Outrageous], official website of the current USA distributor (archived)
* [https://web.archive.org/web/19981206130109/http://www.gameandwatch.com/ Game & Watch], fan site for Game & Watch collectors (archived)

{{Nintendo hardware}}
{{Mario Game & Watch}}

[[Category:Game & Watch]]
[[Category:Handheld electronic games]]
[[Category:Monochrome video game consoles]]
[[Category:Nintendo franchises]]
[[Category:Nintendo hardware]]
[[Category:Video game franchises]]

Nintendo Mini Classics - Revision history

2601:188:C300:4EE0:2050:88A3:4D6:30B3 at 13:07, 29 March 2025