Mario: The Face of Gaming / Game Characters & Mascots / Video Games / Facts Rodeo

👨‍🔧 From Carpenter to Hero 🍄

Before he was a superstar, Mario was just a man with a hammer and a mustache.

Mario first appeared in the 1981 arcade game Donkey Kong, where he was known as "Jumpman."
His original profession was a carpenter, not a plumber!
He was named after Mario Segale, the landlord of Nintendo's American warehouse.
The iconic mustache was added to avoid animating a complicated mouth.
His signature overalls and cap made his arm and hat movements easier to distinguish on low-resolution screens.
He is officially 26 years old and hails from the Mushroom Kingdom.

Mario isn't just a platforming hero; he's a jack-of-all-trades in the gaming world.

Mario has starred in over 200 video games across dozens of genres.
He's been a doctor, a racer, a golfer, a soccer player, and even an Olympic athlete.
The Super Mario franchise is the best-selling video game franchise of all time, with over 800 million units sold.
His first true platforming adventure, Super Mario Bros., was released in 1985 and defined a generation.
The game Super Mario 64 was a landmark title that helped pioneer 3D platforming.
He even had a popular educational series with Mario Teaches Typing.

No hero is complete without a loyal brother and a fire-breathing rival.

His brother, Luigi, was introduced in the arcade game Mario Bros. in 1983.
His arch-nemesis is Bowser, the King of the Koopas, who is constantly kidnapping Princess Peach.
His sidekick, Yoshi, a dinosaur, first appeared in Super Mario World in 1990.
Toad, the loyal servant of Princess Peach, is one of Mario's most frequent allies.
Donkey Kong, who started as an enemy, is now considered a friend and fellow Nintendo star.
Wario, a greedy and mischievous counterpart, was created as an anti-Mario.

The music of Mario is as iconic as the man himself, instantly recognizable to millions.

The Overworld Theme from the original Super Mario Bros. is one of the most famous pieces of video game music ever written.
Composer Koji Kondo is the genius behind most of the classic Mario tunes.
Mario's voice actor, Charles Martinet, has been giving him life since 1992 with his famous "It's-a me, Mario!"
The sound of Mario grabbing a coin is a satisfying "bleep" that is music to any gamer's ears.
The music speeds up when the Super Star power-up is activated, signaling invincibility.
The game Super Mario Odyssey features a full big-band jazz score, a first for the series.

What would Mario be without his transformative mushrooms and magical flowers?

The Super Mushroom makes Mario grow to double his size, allowing him to break bricks.
The Fire Flower lets him throw fireballs at his enemies, a classic offensive power.
The Super Star grants temporary invincibility, complete with a frantic and iconic soundtrack.
With the Tanooki Suit, Mario can fly for a short time and turn into a statue to avoid enemies.
The Propeller Mushroom from New Super Mario Bros. lets him soar high into the sky with a spin.
In Super Mario Odyssey, his sentient cap, Cappy, allows him to "capture" and control other characters and objects.

Mario has jumped far beyond the screen to become a global cultural icon.

There was a live-action Hollywood movie, *Super Mario Bros.*, released in 1993.
He was a central character in the blockbuster animated film The Super Mario Bros. Movie from Illumination in 2023.
Mario was the first video game character to be honored with a wax figure at Madame Tussauds.
He made a memorable appearance in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade starting in 1991.
In 1996, a Mario-themed kart was featured in the Formula One Grand Prix in Monaco for promotional purposes.
He officially became a citizen of Japan in 2020, as part of a tourism campaign for the Tokyo Olympics.

Let's look at the stats that make Mario a true gaming legend.

Super Mario Bros. has sold over 40 million copies, making it one of the best-selling games ever.
The original NES game is estimated to have been completed by less than 10% of its players.
Mario's jump height is roughly 1.5x his own height—an impressive vertical!
The world record for speedrunning the original Super Mario Bros. is under 5 minutes.
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is the best-selling racing game of all time, with over 60 million copies sold.
He has appeared on over 700 million game packages and related merchandise worldwide.