A sales flyer for Donkey Kong featuring the first appearance of Mario sold for almost $330,000 at auction today, more than doubling its estimated final bid price. The artwork, illustrated by Leslie Carbaga, was created to sell arcade cabinets to operators 45 years ago. It depicts an ape throwing barrels down scaffolding, a woman in distress, and a mustachioed man in overalls positioned to confront the monkey.
The piece comes from the collection of former Nintendo advertising director Donna Darbous. She rescued it from a storage room that was being cleared to make office space. The artwork had been destined for a dumpster before Darbous recognized its value and took it home.
The flyer later appeared across Donkey Kong merchandise and influenced early media like the Saturday Supercade cartoon. Darbous only recently uncovered it again after storing it for years.
The auction also included other Nintendo memorabilia from Darbous' collection. Items sold included an image of Mario as Santa from an early company Christmas card, Disney-themed artwork for licensed Game & Watch titles, a promotional Punch-Out boxing glove signed by Mike Tyson, rare black box NES games, and various company promotional materials and internal documentation. The full auction results can be viewed at Landry Pop Auctions.