Nintendo Sues 9-Year-Old Paco Gutierrez for Cardboard Console — Fact or Fiction?

Aydin J Zubair
3 min readOct 20, 2023

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In the world of gaming, you can expect some crazy stories, but this one takes the cake — or should we say, the cardboard console? The internet was recently buzzing with a bizarre tale that Nintendo had taken legal action against a 9-year-old boy named Paco Gutierrez from Venezuela for creating a cardboard Gameboy. Is this for real, or is it just another pixelated prank? Let’s dive into the wacky world of Paco’s cardboard console and separate fact from fiction.

What’s True?

Yes, you read that right. A young prodigy from Venezuela named Paco Gutierrez decided to take matters into his own hands when the elusive dream of owning a Nintendo console remained a distant fantasy due to financial constraints. With the help of his creative uncle, he set out on a mission to craft a cardboard version of the legendary Nintendo Gameboy. This incredible journey was documented in a YouTube video, which soon went viral.

What’s False?

Now, here’s where things start to get as surreal as a Mario Kart race. The internet went haywire with the claim that Nintendo’s CEO, Doug Bowser, personally jetted off to Venezuela to serve Paco with a cease-and-desist order. Not just that, they supposedly slapped a jaw-dropping lawsuit against his family for a whopping $200 million! It might sound like something out of a Super Mario plotline, but it’s pure fiction.

To put it simply, Paco’s cardboard creation didn’t attract any legal threats from Nintendo, let alone a lawsuit. This extravagant tale is nothing more than a meme designed to poke fun at Nintendo’s reputation for protecting its intellectual property. While some folks on social media couldn’t help but giggle at the thought of Nintendo taking such extreme action, the reality is far less dramatic.

The image of the cardboard Nintendo console that has circulated with this story has a backstory of its own. Originally, it was part of a viral video in 2018, credited to a kid named Rubén, not Paco Gutierrez. Back then, the story was all about celebrating Rubén’s ingenuity and didn’t have any allegations of lawsuits or cease-and-desist orders. It was only in 2021 that this cardboard creation got hitched to the wild tale of “Paco,” who was supposedly too poor to afford a Nintendo.

Oh, and the photo in the bottom left of the meme? It seems to be yet another fictional addition, not representing the actual creator, Rubén.

So, there you have it — a tale as fantastical as a power-up mushroom. Nintendo didn’t swoop into Venezuela to sue a cardboard Gameboy creator. It’s essential to remember that not everything you read on the internet, even when it sounds plausible, is true. As for Paco Gutierrez and his cardboard console, they remain in the realm of creative imagination, a place where games are played and enjoyed, not sued.

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Aydin J Zubair

Reddit: u/186times14 Hello! I write articles on whatsever on my mind. I don't write here a lot as I used to, but I hope you enjoy!