Super Mario Bros. reskinned for a radio show. Celebrity sprites, Disk System only, never sold commercially.
All Night Nippon Super Mario Bros. was developed by Nintendo and released via Disk System in December 1986 — a promotional variant of Super Mario Bros. in which the classic enemy and character sprites were replaced by caricatures of Japanese celebrities from the All Night Nippon radio program. The core gameplay was identical to the original Super Mario Bros. but used harder level design elements from Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels. The game was distributed as a promotional item and never sold commercially. It is one of the rarest official Nintendo releases.
About this game
All Night Nippon: Super Mario Bros. (1986) is one of the rarest officially licensed Nintendo games ever produced. Created as a promotional tie-in for Nippon Broadcasting System's long-running radio program All Night Nippon, this Famicom Disk System exclusive replaces the original Super Mario Bros. sprites with caricatures of the show's DJs and celebrities — turning Nintendo's biggest game into a surreal media crossover artifact. Only 3,040 copies were ever made, distributed solely through a postcard lottery aired on the radio in December 1986.
Key Features
The game uses the same level structure as the original Super Mario Bros. (1985), but all enemy and NPC sprites are replaced with caricatures of All Night Nippon radio personalities and celebrities of the era. The Mushroom Kingdom is renamed Biba Ōkoku (Viva Kingdom) — a reference to the show's tagline "Viva Young." The soundtrack by Koji Kondo is carried over unchanged from the original.
Gallery
The Story Behind
In 1986, All Night Nippon was celebrating its 20th anniversary and commissioned Nintendo to create a custom version of Super Mario Bros. as a listener giveaway. The collaboration is a snapshot of a moment when Nintendo's brand was powerful enough to be enlisted as a premium promotional tool for Japan's biggest radio franchise. Because the game was distributed by postcard lottery — never sold at retail — original copies in any condition are extraordinarily scarce, making this one of the most prized items in Famicom Disk System collecting.
Tricks & Tales
The 3,040 units produced were divided into two batches: 2,000 allocated for the radio lottery and the remaining copies distributed through other promotional channels. Because disk copies could theoretically be duplicated with a Disk Writer kiosk, the authenticity of surviving originals is difficult to verify — a fact that adds complexity to the collector market. Among the celebrity replacements, some of the sprite swaps became pop-culture references in their own right among Japanese gaming enthusiasts of the era.
Collector's Guide
Region & Compatibility
Japan exclusive. Never released outside Japan, never sold at retail anywhere. The game was produced for and distributed by Nippon Broadcasting System as a promotional item only.
Maintenance Tips
As with all Famicom Disk System software, the magnetic disk is susceptible to data degradation over time. Storage in a cool, dry environment away from magnetic fields is essential. Given the extreme rarity, any known copy should be backed up to a disk image immediately. The plastic shell should be inspected for cracks — the shutter mechanism is a common failure point on aged disks.
Going deeper
Explore the machine this game ran on, and what to check before you buy or care for one:
What to Watch Out For
Before buying, these are the points worth knowing — from someone who handles original Japanese All Night Nippon: Super Mario Bros. copies regularly.
What hardware do I need to play a Famicom Disk System game?
An FDS game requires three components: a Famicom console, the RAM Adapter (which plugs into the cartridge slot), and the Disk Drive unit (connected to the RAM Adapter). The drive requires its own power supply (six C-cell batteries or an AC adapter). Without both the RAM Adapter and disk drive, FDS disks cannot be played. The Famicom Disk System was sold exclusively in Japan and was never released elsewhere.
Are Famicom Disk System disks and drives still reliable after 35+ years?
Disk reliability varies — the magnetic media can degrade over time. More commonly, the rubber drive belt inside the FDS disk unit degrades with age, causing read errors even on undamaged disks. Belt replacement is the most common and important FDS maintenance repair. If you plan to use FDS games, have the drive belt inspected before use. A working drive with a fresh belt can read original disks reliably.
How does saving work on Famicom Disk System games?
FDS games save directly back to the floppy disk itself — there is no internal battery backup. Data is written to the disk after the save command is given, so the disk can be overwritten. To protect original game data, cover the write-enable notch with tape to make the disk read-only. Many collectors keep one play copy and one archival copy for important titles. Never power off the Famicom during a disk write operation.
Before You Buy
Things worth knowing before you buy All Night Nippon: Super Mario Bros.
A short checklist for buying a used Famicom Disk System disk wisely — useful with any seller, anywhere.
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Choose a seller who tests it before shipping
A copy that has actually been powered on and checked is a known quantity. An untested one is a gamble you only settle after it arrives.
Look for a seller who states it was function-tested and says what they confirmed. A serious seller can tell you exactly what was checked.
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Inspect the disk and its shell
Disk System media is fragile — the magnetic disk can wear, and saves are written back onto the disk itself.
Ask whether it was tested and reads reliably; look for cracks or a warped shell in photos.
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Make sure it fits your console
This is Japanese Famicom Disk System media and requires a Famicom with a working Disk System drive.
Play it on a matching Japanese console or a region-free system, and confirm the listing states the region.
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Mind the drive belt on the console side
Disk System drives commonly need a replacement belt to read reliably — this is a console matter, not the disk.
If reading is unreliable, the console's belt is the usual culprit, not the game.
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Read the seller's reviews and return policy
A 100% positive record across thousands of sales is close to a guarantee — packing, communication and problem-solving all work for everyone. A return policy protects you if something is off.
Read the feedback and confirm a clear return window before you buy.
The last step before buying anywhere is knowing what it's worth.
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