From Nintendo's history with the Yakuza to its dabbling in the seedy motel business, the House of Mario has a much longer and stranger history than most people would guess. Hear what happened when the company tried to make knitting popular; how America's obsession with robots helped them nudge their way into retailers; and why a grabber called the Ultra Hand was the breakthrough the company needed. Featuring Ramsey Yount. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers