Mario is probably the most famous character in the world of video games.
When Super Mario Bros. hit store shelves, video games were in somewhat dire straits. Revenues were down almost 97%, from $ 3.2 billion in 1983 to just $ 100 million in 1985.
Atari, which had been the fastest growing company in US history, had filed for bankruptcy. The scene was heartbreaking. However, on September 13, 1985, everything would change. It was the launch day of the video game “Super Mario Bros”, which was actually the second of the Nintendo games starring Mario.
The game captured everyone’s interest and Nintendo’s NES became an incredibly popular (and sold) console. The funny thing is that more than 30 years later, the game is still one of the most prominent and best-selling titles of all time.
What is the history of the mythical Italian plumber?
Mario was created by Shigeru Miyamoto , a titan of the video game industry. He joined Nintendo just as the approach to creation was changing in 1977 and helped create some of the most critically acclaimed games of all time. He joined the video game industry because of his love for manga.
The goal of Mario’s development was to create a successful game for Nintendo after the failure of previous games like Sheriff. Most of Mario’s features were designed to simplify his animation with as few pixels as possible. This is why he wears a cap that hides his hair, thus avoiding the problem of animation required for hair movement. Similarly, the mustache hides his face, eliminating the need to animate his mouth separately. His clothes (originally a blue shirt and a red jumpsuit) also serve the same purpose.
This character was initially christened Mr. Video. According to Miyamoto himself, Mr. Video would have been lost in oblivion if he hadn’t changed his name to Mario. This name was supposedly adopted from Mario Segale, the owner of the warehouse from which Nintendo operated in the United States. Interestingly, Mario was not designed to represent an Italian man but his mustache marked the association with that nationality.
Mario was supposed to be used by Miyamoto in every game created from then on, and different design teams added their own changes to the central character. Mario grew up in 3D when the graphics allowed it and his features received more detail. They gave him blue eyes and the colors of his jumpsuit were reversed, for example.
The first star appearance
The first game that Mario starred in was Donkey Kong, in 1981, where he was a carpenter (Mario was not always a plumber, in fact in some games he could be a doctor, archaeologist …).
He got his own game with Mario Bros in 1983, where we got to see both him and his brother Luigi in order to defeat the creatures that appeared in the sewers of New York City.
An important milestone for the franchise (aside from the appearance of the princess) was Super Mario World (1990) where Yoshi the green dinosaur was introduced. It had the ability to eat most enemies and eating different colored shells gave it special powers.
Later editions of the Mario-starring games improved the graphics and expanded the scope of what Mario was capable of. It even appeared in educational games like Mario Teaches Typing and Mario is Missing! (a game based on geography). It seems that the Miyamoto’s legacy will never die and the Italian plumber will remain the most recognizable figure in video game history.
What you should know about Mario:
– Mario was originally called “Mr. Video ‘
– Donkey Kong Junior is the only game where Mario is the antagonist.
– Princess Peach was originally called Pauline
– Mario is not only a plumber, he is an archaeologist, a doctor and everything that the game may require of him.
– His nationality was attributed to his mustache, not the other way around.
– Mario has appeared in more than 200 games.
– It is one of the best-selling games in the world. Super Mario Odyssey for Nintendo Switch alone has grossed $ 11.17 million.
– Mario’s full name is Mario Mario, confirmed by Miyamoto in 2015
