What Happened to Diskun, Nintendo’s Original Mascot Before Mario

by

Mario has been the face of Nintendo since he first became popular in the early 1980s. He’s been in countless games and even starred in a successful animated movie (though a live-action attempt wasn’t as well-received). Despite being known as the most iconic video game mascot ever, Mario wasn’t Nintendo’s original pick. They first tried to make Diskun, a cute floppy disk character, their mascot, and he was somewhat popular with players in Japan.

Diskun never became a popular face for Nintendo in America. However, in Japan, he was the official mascot for the Famicom Disk System, a popular add-on for the original Nintendo console. You could find Diskun on the cover of every instruction manual, and his colors matched the game disks themselves. While Nintendo chose him to represent the system, when they launched Donkey Kong in the US, the game’s hero – originally called “Jumpman” – eventually became the iconic Mario. This shift meant Diskun faded into the background and wasn’t used much in Nintendo products after that.

Diskun Never Made It Out of Japan

Diskun was mainly used for artwork on game manuals in Japan, where the Famicom was popular. However, he did occasionally show up in a few games. You can see him on the title screen and win screen of Smash Ping Pong, and on the scoreboards in both Famicom Golf: Japan Course and Famicom Golf: U.S. Course. He even appeared on the player uniforms in Ice Hockey. While he had these small roles, it took a while before Diskun became a playable character.

Diskun is the protagonist of Janken Disk Jō, a game based on a manga series originally published in Famimaga magazine. Released in 1992, Diskun emerged after Mario had already become Nintendo’s famous mascot, but it still gained a following. Years later, after the original Famicom was discontinued, Diskun appeared as a rare trophy in Super Smash Bros. Melee for the Nintendo GameCube. Players could only unlock the trophy by completing every bonus challenge in the game, leading to its unique description:

This cute character is the mascot for a Nintendo accessory that came out in 1985. Called the Disk System, it let players essentially rewrite games for a very affordable price of ¥500. It was a groundbreaking feature! Interestingly, the instruction manual cost an extra ¥100. The very first game released for the Disk System was The Legend of Zelda. Later on, this character, known as Diskun, started appearing in Western games like Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer, WarioWare: Touched!, and Super Mario Maker, among others. As a fun nod to the past, a sign for a Disk-kun hardware store can be seen during the final battle in The Super Mario Bros. Movie.

Diskun Remains a Nostalgic Icon in Japan

Diskun never achieved widespread popularity outside of Japan, but he holds a special place in the hearts of those who grew up playing the Family Computer Disk System. Japanese players would often see him in game manuals and within the games themselves. Even though he’s largely unknown internationally, his appearance in the 2023 film The Super Mario Bros. Movie proves his lasting impact on gaming, making him a well-recognized yet surprisingly obscure mascot.

Remember Diskun from the 80s and 90s? Share your memories in the comments and join the discussion on the ComicBook Forum!

https://comicbook.com/gaming/list/5-video-game-mascots-that-never-made-it-big/embed/#

Read More

2026-01-10 17:15