March 2011 - Two new bits of Mappy news! First, Mappy has finally made it to iOS! Released on March 3, 2011, the app's initial price is $2.99. Also: Mappy, Goro and the Mewkies can be found in the new Ridge Racer 3D for Nintendo 3DS as player avatar icons.

September 2010 - The first Namco Museum Remix (2007) for Wii did not include Mappy... so Namco is doing it again! Namco Museum Megamix (November 2010) is almost the same Wii game, but with some additional games. This time, Mappy has made the cut.

October 2009 - A Mappy fan has unearthed the original Mappy character artwork style guide! Check it out here, courtesy itsmejamiew on flickr. We also have a minor Mappy sighting to report, Mappy is visible as part of the Katamari/Noby Noby Boy background theme currently available on the PS3 Store!

August 2009 - As part of Namco's move into PlayStation Home, a Mappy t-shirt can be purchased at the Home Mall for 25 cents! Although Mappy is not yet included in the PS3 edition of Namco Museum, it seems like it is only a matter of time.

March 2009 - Mappy is now on Wii! At the Games Developers Conference, Nintendo revealed the Virtual Console Arcade, which brings genuine arcade originals to the Wii Shop Channel for download. (Like, NOT the junky NES version of Mappy, nor NES Mappyland, this is the arcade ROM!) The VCA games come with MAME-like controls for dipswitches and other options. Mappy costs 500 points ($5).

February 2009 - Now on the cameos page, Mappy in Noby Noby Boy! This PlayStation Store game is from Keita Takahashi, the creator of the Katamari series. Mappy and Goro are randomly included as characters in the game. NNB is a Namco Bandai production, so either Takahashi is an old Mappy fan, or Namco encouraged him to raid their nostalgia cabinet.

October 2008 - I've posted some screens in the Scrapbook of a giant Mappy robot self-navigating a maze, from video posted on Kotaku. This appears to be related to an old 1986 document about this sort of thing, specifically mentioning the robot Mappy.

July 2007 - Namco announces Mappy's inclusion in new editions of the tireless Namco Museum series, appearing on both the DS and the Wii.

October 2006 - Two new pixelly Mappy toys added to the scrapbook! Only from Japan!

April 2006 - There's a New Mappy game out there and we're awfully excited about it. In Japan, Namco Bandai released a new Mappy (and the original Mappy) on a plug-and-play controller called Namco Nostalgia #1 in their Let's! TV Play Classic series. Screenshots on the sequels page.

February 2006 - Mappy in Katamari?! I just found a reference to Mappy in Namco's other reallyawesomesupergreat game, We Love Katamari. It's on the cameos page.

October 2005 - New Namco Museum box images added to sequels page and super-cool new 3D diorama added to the scrapbook

May 2005 - Screenshots and info on Mappy Kids (Japanese NES) now in the sequels page.

April 2005 - An unbelievable FOUR new ways to play Mappy!

1. The Ms. Pac-Man Namco TV Games plug-and-play from Jakks Pacific now has a wireless version (which I picked up at a local Wal-Mart for $35). The controller is shaped like a classic coin-op cocktail cabinet, which is a nice treat for arcade fans. This version has 7 Namco games on it, compared to 5 on the non-wireless version. Picture in the scrapbook.
2. Namco has officially released Mappy for Palm OS, check out the compatibility lists here. This version of Mappy goes for $15.
3. Magic-Box reports that Mappy will be included on Namco Museum Battle Collection for PSP, along with around 20 other Namco games. Mappy was not on the original Japanese release. This latest Namco Museum is expected to hit the US this summer.
4. And from N-Philes, news of a new Namco Museum celebrating the company's 50th anniversary. (50 years of what, exactly? The oldest game on the compilation is from 1979.) Mappy is among 14 classic Namco arcade games; NM50 will be available this summer for GameCube, PS2, Xbox, PC and GBA. However, Mappy is not included on the GBA version.

February 2005 - More Japanese Mappy collectibles added to the scrapbook.

September 2004 - Added to the scrapbook, a Mappy mini-diorama direct from Japan.

July 2004 - Pictures of the Famicom Mini Mappy and the TV Games Mappy are now in the scrapbook!

February 2004 - Later this year, you'll have yet another way to play Mappy: on Jakks Pacific's newest Namco TV Games toy! It is a single controller (styled like a miniature arcade unit) that plugs into your TV's RCA jacks. Last year they released a Pac-Man version that contained several other Namco classics. It was a huge hit during the holiday shopping season, so a second unit is scheduled. This one spotlights Ms. Pac-Man, but it also contains Xevious, Galaga, Pole Position... and Mappy. (Check out IGN's story on it here.)

January 2004 - Mappy finally hits the GBA! Unfortunately, it's the NES version, not the original. But close enough, right? Mappy will debut as part of a series of classic NES games repackaged as single GBA carts, right alongside Super Mario Bros., Legend of Zelda, Bomberman, Pac-Man and five others. The series is scheduled to appear in Japan this February. It's unlikely that Mappy will be released in the US, but it is easy to import since GBA games can play on any GBA worldwide.

October 2003 - Now in the scrapbook, a truly great Mappy print piece. It's a postcard that was used to promote the game back in '83... but it unfolds into a 3D pop-up scene, with Mappy and the cats standing on colored towers! I've never seen this item before, but recently several have surfaced on eBay.

June 2002 - I don't know how I missed it, but Namco Classics #1 is available for MAME emulation. NC1 is, of course, the home of the little-known 2 player version, Mappy Arrangement! A very brief write-up on MA has been added to the sequels section. I've also added some new MP3s to the sounds page.

February 2002 - Mappyland has moved! We are now at www.fourhman.com/mappy.

November 2001 - More Mappy eBay finds in the sequels section: the MSX version and a strange Japanese NES game called Mappy Kids. Also: the Namco Museum Mappy blackout continues... Mappy is not included on the first edition of the PS2 Museum or the GBA version. The PS2 disc has the Arrangement versions of Pac Man, Dig-Dug and Galaga... so the pain of not getting Mappy Arrangement is doubled.

January 2001 - Mappy appears in Point Blank 3 for PlayStation, along with many other Nam-cameos. See a screenshot in the sequels section.

April 2000 - MAME reaches version 0.36 and now includes the rarely seen Mappy sequel, Hopping Mappy! In case you haven't tried the newest MAME, the ROMs now provide in-game tips if available. The tips for Mappy describe winning the bonus rounds and the not-so-infinite level structure.

July 1999 - Electronic Gaming Monthly puts Mappy on a long list of games in possible development due to a Namco/Hasbro Interactive deal. The deal gives Hasbro Interactive the right to create modern versions of classic games, a la Frogger and Centipede. Games on the list include Pole Position, Mappy, Dragon Buster, Galaxian, Bosconian, Galaga and Rally-X. Let's hope these games come out better than the modernized Centipede.

Contents
Strategy: The Mappy FAQ will answer your questions about scoring, patterns and technique. Plus lots of tips!
Screenshots: The layouts of the levels, so you can plan how to grab those treasures.
Sequels: The games after Mappy, even the re-releases. Includes the true sequel, Hopping Mappy, as well as Mappy Land (NES).
Cameos: Where the Mappy legacy lives on!
Scrapbook: A collection of Mappy merchandise, marketing, images and random sightings.
Music: Grab some Mappy MP3s and see the hard to find Namco soundtrack CDs.