They wanted to make this game before they made Donkey Kong — it took two years and a license to get back to it.
In 1981, Nintendo wanted to make a Popeye game but could not secure the license from King Features Syndicate. So Shigeru Miyamoto and his team invented their own characters instead — a carpenter, a gorilla, and a woman to rescue — and released Donkey Kong. It became one of the most successful arcade games ever made.
A year later, the Popeye license came through. Miyamoto returned to the project he had wanted to make in the first place. He sat with the Popeye cartoons, stopping them frame by frame, and drew each pose himself to get the characters right within the hardware's limits.
On July 15, 1983, Popeye was chosen as one of the three launch titles for the Famicom — alongside Donkey Kong and Donkey Kong Jr. The detour had built Nintendo into an arcade power; the license they once could not afford was now theirs.
Sometimes what you make while waiting becomes the thing that lets you go back.
— inspired by Shigeru Miyamoto
About this game
Popeye was released on July 15, 1983, as one of the three launch titles for Nintendo's Famicom — alongside Donkey Kong and Donkey Kong Jr. Originally an arcade game designed by Shigeru Miyamoto and Genyo Takeda in 1982, Popeye was the game Nintendo had wanted to make before Donkey Kong, but licensing delays forced them to create original characters instead. When the license finally came through, Miyamoto returned to the project, studying Popeye cartoons frame-by-frame to faithfully translate the characters to the Famicom's hardware. The game challenges players to help Popeye collect items thrown by Olive Oyl while avoiding Brutus across three levels.
The Story Behind
Popeye holds a unique place in Nintendo history: it was the game they wanted to make first, but couldn't. In 1981, Nintendo tried to secure the Popeye license from King Features Syndicate but failed. Shigeru Miyamoto responded by creating original characters — a carpenter, a gorilla, and a woman — which became Donkey Kong, one of arcade gaming's biggest successes. When the Popeye license finally came through in 1982, Nintendo released the arcade version and chose it as one of three Famicom launch titles in 1983. The detour through Donkey Kong had transformed Nintendo into an arcade power, making the return to Popeye a validation rather than a substitute.
Tricks & Tales
Shigeru Miyamoto studied Popeye cartoons frame-by-frame, drawing each pose himself to ensure the characters fit within the Famicom's hardware limitations. Popeye was one of the few licensed games developed directly by Nintendo. The arcade version was released in November 1982, and the Famicom version followed as a launch title on July 15, 1983. The game did not reach the North American NES until 1986.
Collector's Guide
Region & Compatibility
Famicom and NES are the same hardware family but use physically incompatible cartridge formats — Famicom carts have a 60-pin connector and a narrower shell, while NES carts use a 72-pin connector with a wider housing. You cannot insert a Famicom cartridge into a North American NES slot without an adapter, and vice versa. The Famicom itself has no lockout chip, so any Famicom cartridge from Japan will run on a Famicom console regardless of origin. If you are buying a Japanese Famicom cart to play on a NES, you will need a 60-to-72-pin physical adapter; if you own a Famicom, Japanese-market software is your native format and no workarounds are needed.
Maintenance Tips
The gold-plated edge connectors on Famicom and NES cartridges pick up skin oils and oxidation over decades — a gentle wipe with a cotton swab dampened in 90% or higher isopropyl alcohol, stroking along the length of the pins rather than across them, is the accepted standard. Let the alcohol fully evaporate before reinserting. The old habit of blowing into a cartridge is folklore: the moisture in breath causes slow corrosion of the contacts over time, and any improvement you felt came from the act of re-seating the cart, not from the breath itself. Nintendo eventually updated its own troubleshooting guidance to say explicitly: do not blow into your Game Paks.
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 Popeye copies regularly.
Will a Japanese Famicom cartridge work on my North American NES?
Not directly. When Nintendo brought the Famicom to North America as the NES, they completely redesigned the cartridge — making it physically larger and changing the number of contacts from 60 to 72. A Japanese Popeye cartridge will not physically fit into an NES slot. Cartridge adapters are available that allow Famicom games to run on NES hardware, though the NES10 lockout chip may still block out-of-region games unless the console has been modified or the adapter includes a region bypass.
Does Popeye save progress, or does it use passwords?
Neither. Popeye is a single-session arcade-style game with no save feature and no password system. Progress resets each time the console is turned off.
How should I clean a Famicom cartridge if it won't start?
Clean the gold edge connectors with a cotton swab dampened in 90%-or-higher isopropyl alcohol, wiping gently along the length of the pins. Let it dry fully before inserting. Never blow into the cartridge — the moisture in your breath corrodes the contacts over time. Most boot failures are due to oxidized pins, not broken internals.
Before You Buy
Things worth knowing before you buy Popeye
A short checklist for buying a used Famicom cartridge 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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Make sure it fits your console
This is a Japanese Famicom cartridge with a 60-pin connector; a North American NES uses a 72-pin slot, so it will not fit directly.
Play it on a matching Japanese console or a region-free system, and confirm the listing states the region.
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If this title saves your progress, check the battery
Cartridges that save use a small coin-cell battery that fades over decades — a dead one wipes your save without warning.
Ask the seller whether the save function was tested. Replacing the battery is possible, but doing so erases any existing save.
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Check that the contacts are clean
Dirty edge contacts are the most common cause of startup and sound trouble in cartridges of this age.
Choose a seller who cleans the contacts before shipping. A note that it was tested and cleaned means the basics were handled.
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Confirm it is genuine, not a reproduction
Sought-after titles are targets for reproduction boards with replacement labels.
Ask for a photo of the circuit board and look for factory markings. Favour a shop with a licensed second-hand dealer permit (古物商) — by law its stock has a traceable origin, your simplest guard against fakes.
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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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