The concept of the superdeformed shape is first introduced classically as the most stable configuration of a rapidly rotating deformable body and is then applied to nuclei. The shape of nuclei are determined by a competition between the collective energy of the core, to which classical considerations apply quite well, and the quantal energies of the valence nucleons, which may be evaluated by the Nilsson model. The result of this competition is that slowly rotating nuclei can be either oblate or prolate but rapidly rotating nuclei can have a superdeformed prolate shape, with a 2:1 ratio of axes particularly favoured.