7 Things You Probably Didn’t Know About Super Mario
When we talk about video games, the first character that comes to mind is Mario. Indeed, the famous plumber is one of the best known fictional characters, just as much as Mickey Mouse.
Mario was created 35 years ago and appears in hundreds of video games that have sold hundreds of millions of copies all over the world. Because in addition to traditional platform games, whether in 2D or 3D, Mario is the star of many other games. We can think of Mario kart, Mario golf, Mario tennis, Mario party, Super smash Bros, Mario Paper, Mario and Luigi…
Despite this popularity, Mario still has a few secrets that we will reveal to you now.
1. In the beginning, Mario was called JumpMan
The first time Mario appeared in a video game was as the hero of the game Donkey Kong. He had to save a woman in distress by climbing ladders and avoiding obstacles. The protagonist the player controlled had no name. He was so named JumpMan because one of the only moves he could make was a jump.
2. Mario’s first love isn’t Princess Peach
In the Donkey Kong arcade games, Mario must save a girl from the clutches of the gorilla. But that girl isn’t Princess Peach , she’s Pauline. She will also reappear 30 years later in the game Super Mario Odyssey in the role of mayor of Kong City.
3. The origin of the character design
The choice to make Mario wear a mustache and the choice of red for his outfit is linked to the technical limitations of the time . It was difficult to make a (light colored) mouth appear with just a few pixels. The character’s creator, Myamoto, decided to give him a mustache. The red color of his cap and his clothes makes it easier to visualize the character on the screen and contrasts well with the scenery of the game.
4. There are Mario shoes and jeans
Nintendo has signed many partnerships with different brands to create and sell products with the image of Mario. So there are LEGO ® Mario games, Monopoly ® Mario games, UNO ® Mario games… But you probably didn’t know that you can find Converses ® Mario sneakers, Levis ® Mario jeans and even socks with plumber colors. If you’re looking for a Mario-themed gift idea , you’ll be spoiled for choice.
5. It was the first video game to receive a film adaptation
You’ve probably never seen it and no one will blame you for that. In 1993, the movie Super Mario Bros was released in theaters, starring Bob Hoskins . The film was a commercial and critical disaster. A new film with Mario, this time in computer generated images, produced with the Illumination studio , should see the light of day very soon.
6. Mario doesn’t have a last name
In the title “Super Mario Bros”, the word “bros” is the diminutive of “brother” which means “brother”. We are therefore talking about Mario and Luigi. In the film released in 1993, the producers sought to give them a surname. Mario and Luigi are thus called Mario Mario and Luigi Mario. But this idea of a family name was fortunately not kept and is therefore only present in this film. Just like Mickey Mouse, Mickey Mouse in French, Mario has no name.
7. Mario Wasn’t A Plumber At First
At first, Mario didn’t have a name and he also didn’t have a profession. The character’s creators decided he was a plumber to bring logic to their first game. In the original Super Mario Bros game released for the NES, Mario enters pipes to move around levels. The only professionals who use pipes being plumbers, Mario has become one.