European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - February 22, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Fit cleric Miraim especially popular in Germany an displayed it the annual Nurnberg toy fair. Stairs id Foifua hit in Europe a. F a a. A 1 Kasza j3 w a 4 a i 1 Lunel # Ivy Tonka s hot new Ferrari f-40. A amps photos by Vince Crawley by Effie Bathen Nurnberg Bureau will Mario and his brother Luigi will be bumping and bopping through Berlin s Brandenburg Gate in some future version of their hit video game that was tin of the questions for speculators at Nurnberg s big International toy fair earlier this month. The Nintendo video game heroes have run jumped and invaded the traditional toy Industry in America and they Are now getting ready to land with a bang in Europe. So says Hans Stabler a German consultant for Nintendo and the toy a distribution Wiard who Calls himself Quot the Man who brought Barbie to  Stabler plans to distribute the video game equipment throughout Europe and Hopes for As Muc h sue i ass As he had with previous toy ventures. Quot i did it with Barbie. I did it with cabbage in att a Quot he said Quot and add Rubic s cube  if a toy Sells big in the states it can also do Well in Europe but it takes some savvy marketing that can take cultural differences into account. Germans for instance Are not As at latched to their television screens As americans and their children Are not so thoroughly subjected to the hypnotic effect of saturday morning cartoon commercialism. The German youngster s playtime is More often taken up with traditional Board games building or Craft toys like legos and Collet Ling Model trains. But companies like Nintendo Are up Lor the Challenge. The video top dog is planning a 10 million Mark promotional Campaign including an american style television advertising Blit. Quot Nintendo has 400 people in the states just answering Telephone Calls mostly from kids asking How do i get to the next level Quot said Stabler. It also has a c Lub member Magazine with a circulation of 1.8 million. These kinds of customer relations programs the Mario Brothers and an array of other video game heroes have catapulted the company s sales from $f>0 million m i9tt> to an expected $4.1 billion in 1000. Anticipated european sales will be an important part of the 1090 target. Software for super  ii should be available in Germany by the fall and for super Mario Iii by the end of the year Stabler said. I be s also talking to cafes buyers and thinks he can triple the Supply of american format games to military exchanges. There s no arguing with Success said Stahler who predicted that the big Sellers in the states last year will probably do Well in Europe this year. Nintendo Barbie teenage mutant ninja turtles Micro machines and ghost busters were among them. Here s a look at some of those and other toys that should be popular with european Consumers this year 6 stripes Magazine february 22, 1990