On July 9th, 1981, Nintendo released the hit video game, "Donkey Kong" in Japan. The game introduced the iconic characters Donkey Kong and plumber, Mario (who was originally named "Jumpman" upon Donkey Kong's release). Although Nintendo of America didn't believe the game would be a hit, "Donkey Kong" became the highest-grossing video game of 1981 and 1982. The success led to the game being ported to Nintendo's handheld line, "Game & Watch", where eight million units were sold. Also, Nintendo licensed the game to Coleco, who included it as the pack-in game for their ColecoVision video game system in 1982, and six million cartridges were sold. Universal Studios unsuccessfully sued Nintendo, claiming that "Donkey Kong" violated their "King Kong" trademark. The success of the game led to Donkey Kong and Mario becoming pop-culture icons of the 1980s, and more games in the "Donkey Kong" franchise being released on various future Nintendo consoles.
