Once confined to rectangular screens, chirpy plumber Mario and pointy-eared Princess Zelda are popping up in theme parks and toy stores as Nintendo goes all out to win non-gamer fans.
It wasn't always this way: For many years, the Japanese company shied away from promoting products or creating media other than video games.
But its push for broader brand recognition over the past decade has reached the point where even Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto describes Nintendo as something of a "talent agency" for its colorful characters.
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