Record-Breaking Arcade Art Auction; Marvin's Mechanical is Back; New Code from Spooky & Stern Pinball
By knapparcade
It's been pretty quiet on the pinball side of things for the past couple of days, so let's start off today with some arcade stuff - a record-breaking auction of original arcade art (well, more video game than arcade, but it's close). Donna Darbous was an advertising executive at Nintendo of America in the late 1980s. During an office expansion, she noticed original illustrations among materials being thrown out and, with her supervisor’s permission, took several pieces home. One was Leslie Cabarga’s 1981 Donkey Kong arcade flyer art, which was also used as the basis for posters distributed nationwide. At Nintendo, Darbous oversaw advertising, collateral and packaging during the company’s rise in the U.S. She worked on the American launches of Super Mario Bros., Zelda and Tetris, along with the NES, Super NES and Game Boy. She also helped set Nintendo’s character and print standards as it moved into advertising, merchandise and entertainment. Nearly 40 years later, she came across the artwork again while going through her belongings. After a search, she found it in the flat drawers of a coffee table she still owned. She contacted Travis Landry, the founder of Landry Pop Auctions, which led to the auction. The original artwork for Nintendo’s 1981 Donkey Kong arcade flyer sold for a whopping $329,400 at Landry Pop Auctions. That’s the highest price ever paid at auction for original video game art. The previous record was $63,000, set in 2023 by the original Prince of Persia cover art, and this piece went for more than double its $100,000–$150,000 pre-sale estimate. The illustration by Leslie Cabarga shows Donkey Kong holding a barrel while Jumpman climbs a skyscraper to rescue Pauline. It’s considered the first public appearance of the character who became Mario. It’s done in acrylic on acetate over ink and airbrush on a board about 20 by 16 inches. Former Nintendo of America employee Donna Darbous saved it from the trash during an office cleanout. The flyer art headlined Landry Pop’s “Jumpman: The Beginning of an Icon” auction. Other lots in the sale included early Super Mario Bros. production art of Mario and Luigi, which sold for $17,080, and an 8.0-graded 1985 NES cartridge, which brought $34,160. There's some really cool stuff to check out on the website for the auction. They even embedded video from an original November 30, 1988 Nintendo of America corporate VHS tape titled "Mario," produced as an internal employee welcome and orientation video. It's super neat to check out: Offering a rare behind-the-scenes look into Nintendo during the height of the NES era, this recording contains footage intended for internal company viewing rather than public distribution. Such material is exceptionally difficult to encounter today, offering a fascinating glimpse into the people, culture, and operations behind one of the most influential companies in video game history. A true grail for the dedicated Nintendo historian and archivist. 9:17 minutes long. Dated 11/30/1988. https://www.landrypop.com/auctions/2026/10/jumpman-the-beginning-of-an-icon-important-original-art-and-artifacts-from-nintendo-history
In location news, we have the long-awaited return of Marvin's Mechanical Museum in Michigan. I tried to visit there twice on recent trips to Michigan, but alas it was transitioning from its original spot to the new one while I was there. Oh the pictures I could have taken. I'll be back some day. Marvin’s Marvelous Mechanical Museum, the an iconic Michigan arcade that started in the early 1980s when pharmacist and collector Marvin Yagoda began displaying machines in the food court at Tally Hall in Farmington Hills and expanded in 1990 when it moved to the Orchard Lake Plaza where it stayed for 34 years IS BACK! Marvin’s Marvelous Mechanical Museum has reopened in a new space in West Bloomfield Township, Michigan. The arcade and oddities museum had been closed for nearly two years. The new location is at 6427 Orchard Lake Road in Orchard Mall, in the former Sav-On Drugs space, about a mile from its old home in Farmington Hills. Hours are 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. The new space is about 15,000 square feet, roughly triple the size of the old one. It adds two private party rooms, a snack counter and a prize counter. Owner Jeremy Yagoda said the whole collection made the move. The museum also keeps a large overflow collection in storage units around Oakland County. The opening had been planned for spring. It was pushed back from late May after crews found plumbing problems under the floor and had to cut into the concrete to fix them.
Image courtesy of The Detroit News
As far as pinball goes, we have two new code updates to talk about. On Friday, Spooky Pinball concluded its October code avalanche with an update to Evil Dead code. Midnight Madness has arrived for Evil Dead! Play through midnight for a skill fire showdown with the moving hand. You can also jump into Midnight Madness anytime using your earned Spooky Tokens.
And yesterday Stern Pinball released new code for Star Wars Fall of the Empire, Version 0.98. The update contains a new "Ewok Encounter" mini-wizard mode as well as a number of other changes. Stern streamed the new code yesterday. I have embedded it below for anyone who wants to check it out:
