# Super Mario 64

> Reported worldwide shipments of Nintendo’s 3D platformer reached 11.91 million.

- Owner: Nintendo
- Kind: Game
- Sector: Gaming
- Seed date: 1996-06-23
- Milestone date: 1997-04-21
- Date basis: Documented milestone; not a measured attention peak.
- Spread Score: 53 (Notable, provisional), v1.3
- Mechanics: Platform jump, Maker origin, Challenge, Press loop, Resale market

## Summary

Nintendo launched Mario in 3D in Japan, then used US retail demos and advertising. AP reported over two million US copies in three months, the commercial anchor here. Its movement became a design blueprint; fan remakes, YouTube challenges and Twitch runs extended its life.

## Timeline

- 1995-11-24 — Nintendo (Retail) — Nintendo showed a half-complete Super Mario 64 at the Shoshinkai Software Expo.
- 1996-06-23 — Nintendo (Retail) — Nintendo released Super Mario 64 alongside the Nintendo 64 in Japan.
- Sep 1996 — Toys R Us (Retail) — Toys R Us installed Mario 64 demo stations alongside Crash Bandicoot and Nights in its US stores.

The full timeline, metrics and sources are on the case page, or via the Pro API (https://howitspread.com/developers).

Canonical URL: https://howitspread.com/cases/super-mario-64

Cite as: How It Spread (2026). “Super Mario 64.” Case HIS-01451. Spread Score v1.3: 53/100. Updated 2026-10-23. https://howitspread.com/id/HIS-01451