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Nintendo's Mario Searches Nationwide for Teens Who 'SHiNE'

"Make My Community SHiNE" National Contest

Asks Teens To Beautify Their Communities And Create Neighborhood Art

REDMOND, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 2, 2002--Mario(TM), the world's most celebrated video game hero, and the national youth organization SHiNE (Seeking Harmony in Neighborhoods Everyday) are

bringing the virtual clean-up action from Mario's first NINTENDO

GAMECUBE(TM) game, Super Mario Sunshine(TM), to five American cities.

Today, Nintendo of America Inc. and SHiNE launch a nationwide campaign to reach teens in a non-traditional fashion to beautify

communities and paint neighborhood murals.

Through July 23, aspiring artists, gamers and others interested in making a positive difference in their communities can enter the `Nintendo and Mario Make My Community SHiNE' contest through

www.shine.com. Entrants will design murals that reflect SHiNE's

mission of promoting cultural harmony, non-violence, and high

self-esteem among teens. Winners will see their art prominently

displayed in their hometowns or neighboring metropolitan area.

"This is the perfect opportunity for Nintendo to connect to its

generations of Mario fans and encourage them to give back to their

community," says Peter MacDougall, executive vice president, sales and

marketing, Nintendo of America Inc. "Like all its predecessors, this

latest Mario game expresses positive messages related to restoring the

environment, an important issue to people of all ages."

Continuing the underlying theme of all Mario games, Super Mario

Sunshine allows players to help Mario overcome obstacles, reach

progressive goals, and restore peace and harmony across the land.

Throughout this adventure, Mario carries a water cannon on his back

that cleans sludge and slime from an otherwise pristine environment.

"Our murals will bring together diverse groups of young people,

and have a lasting impression on the community," adds Alan Rambam,

SHiNE founder. "It's refreshing to know video game makers are still

expressing positive messages to the millions of people who play them."

The `Nintendo and Mario Make My Community SHiNE' campaign will

directly reach five cities. Beyond the initial markets of Seattle, Los

Angeles, Miami, and Philadelphia, Nintendo and SHiNE representatives

also will travel to one "wild-card" market selected from entries

across the nation. That winner will see their mural brought to life in

his or her hometown.

Entry submissions run from July 2 to July 23 and winners will be

announced on Aug. 1. Beginning Aug. 8, the murals will be fully

transferred from design to reality by Nintendo, SHiNE and a collection

of community members. More information about the contest can be found

at www.shine.com or www.nintendo.com.

In addition to the design contest, SHiNE is currently holding a

NINTENDO GAMECUBE sweepstakes on its Web site, www.shine.com, giving

participants a chance to win a copy of Super Mario Sunshine and other

Nintendo prizes.

As the worldwide leader and innovator in the creation of

interactive entertainment, Nintendo Co. Ltd., of Kyoto, Japan,

manufactures and markets hardware and software for its popular home

video game systems. The systems include Game Boy(R), Nintendo(R) 64,

Game Boy Advance and NINTENDO GAMECUBE(TM). Since the release of its

first home video game system in 1983, Nintendo has sold more than 1.6

billion video games worldwide, creating enduring industry icons such

as Mario(TM) and Donkey Kong(R) and launching such franchises as

Zelda(TM) and Pokemon(R). As a wholly owned subsidiary, Nintendo of

America Inc., based in Redmond, Wash., serves as headquarters for

Nintendo's operations in the Western Hemisphere.

For more information about Nintendo, visit the company's Web site,

www.nintendo.com.

SHiNE (Seeking Harmony in Neighborhoods Everyday) is a non-profit

organization that empowers young people to promote respect for

diversity and end youth violence. SHiNE's innovative programming uses

art, music, technology and sports to inspire creative self-expression

and action.

For more information on SHiNE, visit www.shine.com.