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Iconic Franchises: fun facts and quiz
The essentials in 7 ideas, with fun facts, an illustrated story and a quiz to see how much you know.
The essentials
Mario
Mario, the plumber in red, is Nintendo’s mascot and one of the best-selling game characters ever, appearing in over 200 games.
Key fact
Mario was created by Shigeru Miyamoto.
Pokémon
Pokémon began in 1996 with games about catching and training creatures. It’s the highest-grossing media franchise in the world.
Key fact
Its creator was inspired by his childhood love of collecting insects.
The Legend of Zelda
In The Legend of Zelda, players usually control Link, not Zelda, on quests through the land of Hyrule.
Key fact
The series began in 1986.
Sonic the Hedgehog
Sega created Sonic in 1991 as a speedy rival to Mario. His blue colour matched Sega’s logo.
Key fact
Sonic’s shoes are said to be inspired by Michael Jackson’s boots.
Fortnite & Battle Royale
Fortnite’s battle royale mode, from 2017, drops 100 players onto an island until only one is left. It has hosted in-game concerts watched by millions.
Key fact
A Travis Scott concert in Fortnite drew over 12 million live players.
Grand Theft Auto
The Grand Theft Auto series, from Scotland’s Rockstar North, is known for huge open cities. GTA V is one of the best-selling games ever made.
Key fact
GTA V has sold over 200 million copies.
Games Beyond Games
Game franchises now spread into films and TV: The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023) earned over 1.3 billion dollars, and The Last of Us became a hit series.
Key fact
Sonic the Hedgehog’s films were box-office hits too.
Fun facts
Mario has had many jobs in his games, from carpenter in Donkey Kong to doctor in Dr. Mario.
Pikachu’s name mixes two Japanese sounds: “pika” for a sparkle and “chu” for a mouse’s squeak.
Zelda was named after Zelda Fitzgerald, wife of the writer F. Scott Fitzgerald.
Sonic won a contest among Sega’s early mascot ideas, beating sketches like a rabbit and an armadillo.
Fortnite’s battle royale mode was built in about two months, after another game made the genre a hit.
To build GTA V’s city, based on Los Angeles, the team studied the real city through hundreds of thousands of photos.
The Last of Us TV series kept the game’s composer, Gustavo Santaolalla.
Story: The Cave in the Hills
The Cave in the Hills
1950s, near Kyoto. As a boy, Shigeru Miyamoto roams the countryside, exploring forests and lakes. One day, he finds a cave.
It takes him days to find the courage to go inside with a lantern. The thrill of exploring stays with him.
As a game designer, he poured that feeling into The Legend of Zelda in 1986: a world of caves and secrets to find by yourself.
True or false?
Tap your answer to see if you got it, and why.
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Question 1 of 10
Shigeru Miyamoto created Mario.
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True. At Nintendo, in 1981.
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Question 2 of 10
Pokémon is the highest-grossing media franchise ever.
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True. Games, cards, films and more.
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Question 3 of 10
In most Zelda games, you play as Link.
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True. Zelda is the princess.
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Question 4 of 10
Sonic was created by Sega.
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True. In 1991, as a rival to Mario.
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Question 5 of 10
Fortnite has hosted concerts inside the game.
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True. Watched live by millions.
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Question 6 of 10
GTA V is one of the best-selling games ever.
Show the answer
True. Over 200 million copies.
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Question 7 of 10
The Last of Us became a hit TV series.
Show the answer
True. Based on the 2013 game.
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Question 8 of 10
Mario is a chef by trade.
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False. He’s a plumber.
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Question 9 of 10
Pokémon’s creator was inspired by collecting stamps.
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False. By collecting insects.
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Question 10 of 10
The Legend of Zelda began in the 2000s.
Show the answer
False. In 1986.
Keep going in the app
KnowSoda learns what you know and brings back what you’re about to forget. Iconic Franchises has 6 more ideas at the Advanced and Expert levels.
Sources
- Nintendo — Mario, Zelda and Pokémon histories
- The Pokémon Company — Pokémon in figures
- SEGA — Sonic the Hedgehog history
- Guinness World Records — Pac-Man, most successful coin-operated arcade game
- Box Office Mojo — The Super Mario Bros. Movie
- Guinness World Records — Lara Croft; best-selling series
- Encyclopaedia Britannica — The Sims, Halo, Kirby, Angry Birds
