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The grandfather of handheld video game system, the Nintendo Game Boy, was ushered into existence 25 years ago today. Now a dinosaur by today's standards (maybe it's time to call it a "Game Man"?) the portable, two-tone brick practically invented the modern mobile gaming era when it hit the market in Japan on April 21, 1989. Most now are collector's items sitting unused in dusty drawers, but that doesn't mean the legacy it created — and the games it launched — are forgotten.
Long before you could flap or run or fruit slice your way through a boring flight or train ride, the Game Boy was the only way to digitally pass the time on the road. While very few people still use their old boxes today — it was later replaced by the flashier Nintendo DS and now, your phone — many of the games it spawned or perfected are still with us in some form. Here we mark the Game Boy's 25 years of history, by looking at the best-selling, most popular games in its history.
Super Mario Land – 1989
Today specifically marks the day the Game Boy was released in Japan, when it was paired with its first game, Super Mario Land. The game sold more than 18 million copies and was the driving force behind the early adoption of (and love for) the handheld system. All these years later, Mario still has to jump and Peach still needs saving, no matter what Nintendo system you call home.