68 Fun Facts About Shigeru Miyamoto

Celebrating the legendary game designer’s birthday with a wealth of fascinating trivia

Shigeru Miyamoto turned 68 years old earlier this week. And what a life he’s lived! Without him, modern gaming as we know it probably wouldn’t exist, and characters like Mario, Link, Zelda, Donkey Kong, and Kirby would not have been given life. That’s a horrible alternate reality to consider, actually, so let’s not.

Instead, let’s celebrate the man’s birthday with a fun tidbit for every year he’s been on the planet. Let’s a-go!

1. The Legend of Zelda franchise was inspired by experiences Miyamoto had as a child exploring a cave with a lantern near his home. The tension he felt adventuring in these types of areas was critical in his creativity that brought about arguably Nintendo’s most acclaimed series.
2. Five generations of Miyamoto’s family had lived in his hometown of Sonobe, Kyoto, Japan before he was born there in 1952.
3. Miyamoto says his favorite food is noodles and pasta of any sort, but especially ramen.
4. Miyamoto enjoys swimming in his free time.