Some of gaming’s most valuable treasures were never meant to survive. An early Nintendo illustration, once headed for disposal during an office expansion, has just demonstrated how dramatically that can change. The Donkey Kong original art created in 1981 has sold for $329,400, turning a forgotten advertising asset into a remarkable piece of video game history.
Its importance goes far beyond the final bid. The painting helped introduce American audiences to Jumpman, the carpenter who would eventually become Mario. Moreover, its unlikely survival offers a rare glimpse into Nintendo’s earliest efforts to establish its characters outside Japan.
How a discarded Nintendo painting became a $329,400 treasure
The artwork’s journey to the auction room began decades before anyone imagined its value. During the late 1980s, Nintendo of America was expanding its offices. Among materials being discarded were several original illustrations that caught the attention of advertising executive Donna Darbous.
Darbous recognized their significance and, with permission from her supervisor, rescued several pieces. At the time, she was working in an environment where Nintendo’s American business was growing rapidly. Her responsibilities included advertising, promotional materials, packaging and standards governing how the company’s characters could be represented.
Years passed, and the illustrations remained in her possession. Almost four decades later, Darbous rediscovered them inside the flat drawers of a coffee table, alongside old lithographs purchased in the Czech Republic. She subsequently contacted Travis Landry, founder of Landry Pop Auctions.
On October 28, 2026, the painting appeared as lot 102 in the auction titled Jumpman: The Beginning of an Icon. Its estimated value was $100,000 to $150,000. However, bidding pushed the final result to $329,400, approximately 120% above the highest estimate. GameRant reports that this makes it the most expensive piece of video game artwork ever sold at auction.
Why Donkey Kong original art captures Mario’s earliest identity
Long before Mario became Nintendo’s most recognizable hero, his appearance was still taking shape. The 1981 illustration captures that transitional period through a dramatic arcade scene: Donkey Kong occupies the top of a structure beside Pauline, while Jumpman attempts to survive the barrels thrown toward him.
American illustrator Leslie Cabarga, born in New York in 1954, created the painting after receiving a commission through Nintendo’s advertising agency Dentsu. It was originally intended for the North American Donkey Kong promotional flyer. Subsequently, the composition became the foundation for posters distributed across the United States.
Its reach extended into supermarkets as well. Ralston Purina used the same artwork on the front of its Donkey Kong cereal packaging, demonstrating how Nintendo’s characters were already moving beyond arcade cabinets and into everyday consumer products.
According to Landry Pop Auctions, the illustration represents Mario’s first public appearance, under his original Jumpman identity. The auction house also identifies Cabarga as the first American illustrator to depict the character. This distinction concerns the promotional artwork rather than the creation of Mario himself.
The original measures approximately 50 by 42 centimeters (19.9 by 16.4 inches). Cabarga combined acrylic paint on an acetate overlay with ink and airbrush on cardstock. Unlike a mass-produced poster, the surviving piece preserves the physical materials used to construct the finished advertising image.
The failed arcade game that made Nintendo’s future possible
To understand why this illustration matters, it helps to revisit Nintendo’s uncertain American beginnings. In 1980, the company struggled with Radar Scope, an arcade shooter that failed to find the expected audience in the United States. Approximately 2,000 cabinets remained unsold.
Nintendo president Hiroshi Yamauchi turned to Shigeru Miyamoto to develop something that could reuse the existing hardware. The resulting game was Donkey Kong, released in 1981. Instead of relying solely on shooting mechanics, it introduced recognizable characters, environmental obstacles and a straightforward rescue story.
Jumpman initially appeared as a carpenter rather than the familiar plumber of later adventures. His eventual name, Mario, came from Mario Segale, the landlord associated with Nintendo of America’s Washington State warehouse. Donkey Kong Jr. established that name in 1982, followed by Mario Bros. in 1983 and Super Mario Bros. in 1985.
Cabarga’s painting therefore documents an especially interesting moment: Nintendo had created a memorable character before establishing the visual identity that millions would eventually recognize. Arcade graphics had severe technical limitations, while promotional illustrations could communicate personality, movement and danger much more vividly.
That contrast also explains why surviving commercial artwork deserves attention alongside playable games. Today’s Nintendo characters appear across countless formats, from contemporary LEGO Super Mario collectibles to crossover experiences such as Minecraft’s Super Mario content. The original Donkey Kong illustration belongs to the beginning of that wider merchandising history.
Why collectors are paying more for Nintendo history
Expensive Nintendo collectibles are no longer limited to rare cartridges. A sealed copy of the original The Legend of Zelda has approached $900,000 at auction, while a Pokémon Red prototype has exceeded $100,000. These examples involve different kinds of objects, yet they reveal how collectors value surviving material connected to influential gaming franchises.
Original promotional artwork occupies a particularly interesting position within that market. A commercial game may exist in thousands or millions of copies. By contrast, the actual painting used to create a recognizable advertisement can be unique. Its appeal combines artistic craftsmanship, documented provenance and a direct connection to gaming history.
The Cabarga illustration has another advantage: its survival story can be traced to someone closely involved with Nintendo’s American expansion. Darbous worked on promotional and packaging projects during the launches of major products, including the NES, Super NES, Game Boy, Tetris, The Legend of Zelda and Super Mario Bros.
Furthermore, the painting retains details that ordinary reproductions cannot preserve. Landry Pop Auctions describes vivid colors and generally very good condition, despite light edge wear and minor damage to its protective paper. Japanese annotations and an internal work order sheet remain attached, providing physical evidence of its original production process.
These details matter because they help distinguish a genuine production artifact from a later reproduction. The $329,400 result does not establish a guaranteed price for other Nintendo illustrations. Nevertheless, it suggests that well-documented original artwork associated with foundational gaming characters can attract serious collector interest.
Ultimately, the Donkey Kong original art sale is as much a preservation story as an auction headline. An illustration that nearly disappeared has survived long enough to reveal how Nintendo introduced Mario to American audiences. It also raises an intriguing question: how many other important pieces of video game history were discarded before anyone realized what they represented?
Source: Landry Pop Auctions, lot 102. Record claim reported by GameRant.
Creator of the website, Pokemon trainer by nature. Trying to report on everything related to the world of video games, series and movies. Yu-Gi-Oh is my weakness, collecting cards since the dawn of time.
