Mario is as ubiquitous as a character can be next to Hello Kitty of course (jk they are both iconic in their own right. Mario fans don’t come at me please). Even without knowing his name, you may have encountered a vibrant red and blue-clad character at some point in your life. Most of the time, you have seen him featured in Nintendo official-made products but every once in a while you come across one of his many bootlegs. I dare you to tell me I am wrong (please don’t. I’m a bit fragile). But who is he really and what's his story?
Nintendo and Mario’s history is literally the epitome of the line: “we started from the bottom and now we’re here” Well… not really but our main topic is as meme-worthy as the mentioned song. Mario has not always been the worldwide phenomenon that he is now. His origins date way back to 1981 when Shigeru Miyamoto created him. He used to be a carpenter set to save his kidnapped girlfriend from Donkey Kong - then, star of the game. During which, he was named Jumpman because.. you know, he jumps through obstacles. Donkey Kong was a hit and it became one of the defining moments that made Nintendo one of the household names in the gaming industry.
Do you think that Jumpman's name is lame? Well, that was what the executives of Nintendo of America thought too. They called him Mario, named after Mario Segali - the property landlord of Nintendo’s warehouse in Washington - as he resembles the character. Miyamoto went along with it because well, “Mario is a great name”.
In 1983, Mario became a star in his own game where he and his brother - Luigi were tasked to defeat the turtle tribe that wreaked havoc in the Mushroom Kingdom. Mario did not have a shady background anymore. The brothers were introduced as Italian plumbers residing in New York. Miyamoto thought that Mario should have a career shift to match the green pipes present in the game. However, they made sure that he is still a blue-collared person to resonate with the masses.
His design is inspired by necessity with a little bit of inspiration from Italian comics and technological limitations. According to Miyamoto, his appearance was a bit exaggerated as they had so few pixels to work on. He gave him a hat because hair on sprites proved to be difficult back in the days.
From then on, Mario's appearance improved. Nintendo has created an empire using Mario at the forefront as their primary mascot. He has been featured in many-a Nintendo games. From FamiCom, NES, Nintendo 64, GameCube, to Wii and Switch, Mario has been present in all of these consoles. Even if his role is minimal, you bet Miyamoto will still include Mario. Nintendo revealed that he holds 7 jobs:
These are based on the mainline and spinoff games. Suffice to say, MARIO IS EVERYWHERE. And it worked! Miyamoto has conditioned people to associate red and blue with his magnum opus.
If you like a wee bit of history, below is a list of Mario games in chronological order*.
| 1981 | Donkey Kong |
| 1982 | Donkey Kong Jr |
| Donkey Kong II | |
| 1982 | Mario Bros. |
| Mario's Cement Factory | |
| Mario's Bombs Away | |
| 1984 | Tennis |
| Pinball | |
| Mario Bros. Special | |
| Punch Ball Mario Bros. | |
| Golf | |
| vs. Tennis | |
| vs. Pinball | |
| vs. Golf | |
| Donkey Kong Hockey | |
| Donkey Kong Circus | |
| 1985 | Wrecking Crew |
| Super Mario Bros. 2 | |
| 1989 | Super Mario Land |
| 1990 | Super Mario Bros. 3 |
| 1991 | Super Mario World |
| 1992 | Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins |
| 1996 | Super Mario 64 |
| 2002 | Super Mario Sunshine |
| 2006 | New Super Mario Bros. |
| 2007 | Super Mario Galaxy |
| 2009 | New Super Mario Bros. Wii |
| 2010 | Super Mario Galaxy 2 |
| 2011 | Super Mario 3D Land |
| 2012 | New Super Mario Bros. 2 |
| New Super Mario Bros. U | |
| 2013 | Super Mario 3D World |
| 2015 | Super Mario Maker |
| 2016 | Super Mario Run |
| 2017 | Super Mario Odyssey |
| 2019 | New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe |
| Super Mario Maker 2 | |
| 2020 | Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 |
| Paper Mario: The Origami King | |
| Super Mario 3D All-Stars |
By the way, since today is Mario day, we would love to join in the celebration by giving free shipping for all Mario game titles. This offer is only for today! As you may have seen on our cover, just use the code MAR10DAY on your check out to enjoy this awesome promo.
*work in progress
