Mario
| Mario | |
|---|---|
 Artwork of Mario in Super Mario Party Jamboree | |
| Universe | Donkey Kong Mario Yoshi Wario The Legend of Zelda (partly) |
| Debut | Donkey Kong (arcade) (1981) |
| Appears in | Super Smash Bros. Super Smash Bros. Melee Super Smash Bros. Brawl Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS Super Smash Bros. for Wii U Super Smash Bros. Ultimate |
| Console of origin | Arcade Nintendo Entertainment System |
| Species | Human |
| Gender | Male |
| Hair color | Brown |
| Eye color | Blue |
Mario is the protagonist of the Mario franchise. He is an Italian plumber and the older brother of Luigi, who often goes on adventures with him. Mario is Nintendo's mascot, making him the most recognizable character in video game history. He first appears in the Donkey Kong arcade game, part of the Donkey Kong universe, and he was nicknamed Jumpman at the time. Mario would receive his own, more prominent universe, the Mario universe, since the release of Mario Bros. for the Game & Watch. Mario is playable in every game of the Super Smash Bros. universe.
Mario is in most genres of video games. Besides his platforming games, he has also starred in puzzle games, racing games, sports games, fighting games, and role-playing games. His likeness has been licensed to software publishers for educational games as well. Mario has also starred in television shows, films, manga, and various forms of merchandise in general.
Mario has been portrayed by various people. He received his main voice actor, Charles Martinet, in 1996, who also voiced characters such as Wario, Luigi, Waluigi, Donkey Kong, and Baby Mario until his retirement in 2023, then Kevin Afghani took his role.
Super Smash Bros. series
Mario is playable in every Super Smash Bros. game. He is a medium weight character and retains his signature moves, such as his fireballs and jumps.
Super Smash Bros.
Mario makes his first appearance in a fighting game in the original Super Smash Bros. as a starting playable character. Like in many other games, he is touted as the most balanced character with no real strengths or weaknesses. In the competitive meta-game, he can combo well but lacks a multipurpose finisher. His lack of outstanding strengths make him a middle-tier fighter. His B-move shoots a moderately fast, bouncing, low-damage Fireball in the direction he is facing, his B-Up is an uppercut third-jump called the Super Jump Punch which can hit multiple times for minor damage (and coins briefly appear with each hit), and his B-Down move is the Mario Tornado, where he whirls his body to damage foes around him, before throwing them up into the air.
A few other fighters associated with Mario are playable, including Luigi, Yoshi, and Donkey Kong.
Super Smash Bros. Melee
By tradition, Mario returns as the most balanced character in Super Smash Bros. Melee. As a starting playable character in this game, he is touted as the most balanced character of the game's character roster, much like his appearances in other games, with no real strengths but no outstanding weaknesses either; therefore, new players of the game are encouraged to play as him first. His new B-Forward move is whipping out his yellow Cape from Super Mario World to turn the enemy in front of him facing the opposite direction, which is useful for diveting enemy attack and recovery. In the competitive meta-game, he can easily combo opponents, has a long wavedash, and is good at juggling opponents, but it is his lack of a reliable finisher that causes him to remain in the game's Middle Tier; his Smash attacks do not even feature all that much knockback and range, impairing his ability to fight like a character like Marth. He also has low grab range and bad recovery. It is notable that in both versions Mario has great combo potential coupled with the lack of a good finisher.
Mario as a playable character is featured on three trophies. His normal trophy is acquired by beating the Classic mode with Mario on any difficulty, and his Smash Red and Smash Blue trophies are acquired the same way by beating the Adventure and All-Star modes, respectively.
Other trophies featuring Mario are Raccoon Mario, Metal Mario, Paper Mario, and Mario and Yoshi. The last trophy in particular is especially notable for being one of two "gift trophies" never findable during normal play, and in fact can only be acquired through hacking. There is also a trophy for Baby Mario, a baby version of Mario that has appeared in some Mario games.
As in the previous game, Luigi, Yoshi, and Donkey Kong are playable characters. Newcomers are Princess Peach, the princess of the Mushroom Kingdom, Bowser, Mario's arch rival, and Dr. Mario of the Dr. Mario series, who has similar but slightly changed stats.
Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Mario is playable in Super Smash Bros. Brawl and the first character revealed for the game. He is ostensibly meant to be the most balanced character like before. He has undergone a visual redesign, but he is apparently essentially the same fighter as he appeared in Melee, retaining all of his moves (although his former Down B attack, the Mario Tornado, has become an aerial attack, F.L.U.D.D.). His Fireball looks more realistic. Like all of the games other returning characters, he comes equipped with a high-end new Final Smash attack which can be used once he collects a Smash Ball. His Final Smash is the Mario Finale, where he projects a colossal, intertwining fireball to engulf all opponents in his direction across the stage. The Mario Finale extends to both well above and well below Mario's position, so Smash Bros. DOJO!! recommends that he is standing on a moderately elevated platform for maximum effect.
Mario has a trophy that is awarded each time the Classic mode is completed with Mario on any difficulty.
Donkey Kong series
Donkey Kong
Mario's first ever appearance was in the arcade game, Donkey Kong, which was released in 1981. He was nicknamed Jumpman, and was a carpenter, not a plumber. His pet monkey, Donkey Kong, broke out of his cage, kidnapped Mario's girlfriend, Pauline, and then ran off to the nearest construction site. Mario had to climb up the construction site, while dodging all the Barrels that Donkey Kong threw at him, as well as doding the Fireballs there. Everytime Mario reached Donkey Kong, he would grab Pauline and climb higher into the Construction site. After the fourth level, Mario was finally able to confront Donkey Kong, and managed to defeat him, causing Donkey Kong to drop on some girders bellow. Pauline kisses Mario to thank him, and the game ends.
Donkey Kong Jr.
Mario is the main antagonist of Donkey Kong Jr., for the first and only time. He has captured Donkey Kong in a cave, and now, Donkey Kong's son, Donkey Kong Jr., has to rescue him. Donkey Kong Jr. has to trek through a jungle stage, whilst avoiding the numerous enemies that are assisting Mario. He had to collect four keys in every stage in order to rescue his father, and after doing so, he finally freed his father. Mario had been knocked out at the end.
Donkey Kong (Game Boy)
The Game Boy game Donkey Kong is an expansion to the original arcade game. It plays the same as usual, except Donkey Kong wakes up, gets up from the girders, grabs Pauline again, and climbs higher into the building. Mario had to continues his tedious climb up the construction site, until, finally, he reached the top, and defeated Donkey Kong, again. However, this time, Donkey Kong was defeated for good, and Mario locked him up in a cage.
Mario Bros. series
Mario began to live a normal life in Brooklyn, along with his newly introduced brother, Luigi, during the events of Mario Bros. Mario, who was previously known as Jumpman, was now renamed to his current name, Mario, and had now been shifted to a plumber, not a carpenter. They were appointed a job in the Brooklyn Sewers, and the two headed there to find what the problem was. They noticed many odd creatures, ones not native to Earth, coming in and out of the pipes. They had to jump underneath the platform the creatures were standing on, and then run into them, knocking them into the water/lava bellow. They managed to clean out the entire sewers, and were happy at another job well done.
Wrecking Crew series
In Wrecking Crew, the Mario Bros. got a job at a construction site, working for Foreman Spike. Suddenly, their wrenches came alive, and started acting like a dinosaur. On top of that, a group of weird Eggplant Men also appeared. Mario and Luigi had to make their way to the top of the tower, by avoiding the enemies, and blowing up the room after they left. They continue this process until, finally, they reach the cause of the monstrous enemy attacks. It was their very own boss, Foreman Spike, who wanted to kill them, for reasons that are unknown. Mario and Luigi had to use their hammers to defeat the crazed Foreman Spike, and succeeded. They eventually left their job as a construction worker, but never expected an even bigger journey awaiting them.
Super Mario series
Super Mario Bros.
One day, Mario and Luigi found a pipe that took them to a strange mysterious land, known as the Mushroom Kingdom, during the events of Super Mario Bros.. They learned that the evil King of the Koopa's, Bowser, has kidnapped the Princess of the Mushroom Kingdom, along with seven Toad's, and transformed the kingdom's people into inanimate objects. Mario and Luigi were asked to rescue the princess, and so, the two decided to help them. Everytime Mario trekked a Castle, they woul have to battle Bowser. However, after defeating the Bowser, Mario would learn it is just a common enemy in a Fake Bowser suit. The enemy runs away after being defeated, and Mario would save a Toad. Mario does this seven times, each with the same result, a Toad saying "Thanks Mario, but our Princess is in another castle". Eventually, the two brothers reach Dark Land, and Mario enters Bowser's Castle. Mario makes his way through the horrible fortress, and reaches the evil King Bowser himself. Mario manages to dodge all of Bowser's attacks, and finally manages to reach the Axe, which is holding the bridge that Bowser is standing on. Bowser falls into the lava bellow, however, he didn't die, but was rather just defeated. Mario saved Princess Toadstool, who rewarded him with a kiss. This was Mario's debut in a big Platforming game, and he would now go on to be known as Super Mario.
Super Mario Bros. 2
In Super Mario Bros. 2, Mario found himself in another wierd world. He found out that this world was Subcon, the world of dreams, and that it had been taken over by Wart, an evil tyrant, and his crew, the 8 bits. Mario was then told by the Subcons to go defeat Wart, and save Subcon. However, this time, he did not go on this journey with just his brother. Princess Toadstool and Toad tagged along to help Mario as well. However, Mario saw several enemies he had never even seen before, most of which were only found in this world. Everytime Mario finished a level, he would have to battle Birdo, who was a part of the 8 bits. Mario also had to defeat a Boss everytime he reached the end of each world. He finally defeated all of Wart's lieutenants, and reached Wart himself. Wart proved to be a very difficult foe, but, Mario learned his one weakness; Vegetables. Wart is allergic to Vegetables, and Mario used this to his advantage. Using this disadvantage, Wart was finally defeated, and Subcon was saved. However, Mario soon woke up, and learned, that it was all just a simple dream.
Super Mario Bros. 3
After the events of Super Mario Bros. 2, the Mushroom Kingdom was yet again attacked by Bowser, in Super Mario Bros. 3. He sent his seven Koopalings to go attack the seven differant worlds of the Mushroom Kingdom. They stole the Kings wand, and transformed the King into a random Mario enemy. Toad sent a letter to Princess Toadstool. Peach sends Mario and Luigi on a journey to save the kings from the Koopalings. Mario uses new power-ups to traverse the many dangerous worlds, including the Hammer Suit, Frog Suit, and the mascot of Super Mario Bros. 3, the Raccoon Suit. He manages to reach all seven worlds, defeating all seven Koopalings along the way; Larry, Morton, Wendy, Iggy, Roy, Lemmy, and Ludwig. Mario retrieved each of the King's wands, and transformed them back into their normal human forms. However, while Mario was saving the Kings, Bowser took that chance to kidnap the Princess, and he took her to Dark World, where his castle is located. Mario had to now make his way through the incredibly dangerous Dark World. He mananged to overcome the many terrors and dangers that lurked in the horrible Koopa Kingdom, and reached Bowser's Castle. This castle was even more dangerous, as it was filled with lava and Thwomps and other deadly gimmicks. He finally reached Bowser's Throne Room, where her challenged Bowser to a showdown. Bowser would breath Fire towards Mario, but Mario was carefully able to dodge it. Bowser then jumped in the air, and did a Ground Pound onto the weak floor, which slowly broke it. Mario tricked Bowser into Ground Pounding in the same spot three times, and Bowser fell to the bottom of his castle. The victorious plumber found the Princess locked away in the dungeon, and rescued her. The Princess rewarded Mario with a kiss, and the Mushroom Kingdom was saved once again.
Super Mario Land
In Super Mario Land, the princess of the neighbouring Kingdom, Sarasaland, was kidnapped by an evil purple alien known as Tatanga. He hypontized all the residents of Sarasaland, and conquered all the four kingdoms of Sarasaland. Mario headed off to rescue her, for reasons not known. He journeyed through the four kingdoms; Birabuto, Muda, Easton, and Chai, and battled the evil leader of each Kingdom. However, he managed to defeat the four rulers; King Totomesu, Dragonzamasu, Hiyoihoi, and Biokinton, and manages to find Daisy after every battle. However, Mario soon learns that the "Daisy" he keeps "rescueing" after each Boss is a common enemy in disguise. This forces Mario to keep traversing the next world, until he finally reaches the Chai Kingdom. Here, he defeats Biokinton in his Sky Pop, and then finds the evil alien mennace himself, Tatanga, flying in his dangerous war ship, the Pagosu. This powerful machine proved difficult for Mario and his simple Sky Pop machine, but, after a long battle, Mario managed to destroy the Pagosu, and finally found and rescued the real Princess Daisy. They flew off in the Sky Pop, as Mario proceded to take Daisy back to her Castle. After this, he headed back to Mario Land, where his castle is located. However, little did Mario know, there was a very sinister plot taking place when he was in Sarasaland.
Super Mario World
After his adventures in Sarasaland, Mario, Luigi, and Princess Toadstool decided to head to Dinosaur World for a vacation, during the events of Super Mario World. When they got their, Mario and Luigi, using their Cape powers, decided to fly around Dinosaur World. However, while they were gone, the princess, along with several Yoshis, were kidnapped by Bowser and his Koopalings. Eventually, he managed to resuce a Yoshi, who was trapped in an Egg because of Bowser. Yoshi agreed to assist Mario in his journeys, allowing Mario to ride on him. Mario learned that this friend would be very helpful in defeating Bowser. Yoshi is able to eat enemies, and can also gain special powers through eating certain shells. Mario used these abilities to traverse the many worlds spread throughout Dinosaur Land. He managed to beat the seven Koopalings again, and rescued Yoshi's Island, Donut Plains, Vanilla Dome, Twin Bridges, Forest of Illusion, and Chocolate Island. Mario managed to beat Larry Koopa in the Valley of Bowser. Mario and Yoshi finally reached Bowser's Castle, where Mario prepared to face off against Bowser in his castle. However, there were many differant doors, each leading to a differant room of the Castle. Each room had a dangerous gimmick that Mario had to traverse in order to get to the next set of doors. After so many long trials and hardships, Mario, at last, reached the top of the Castle. Here, Bowser battled him, whilst sitting inside his Koopa Clown Car. Bowser tossed Mechakoopas down on the field, which continued to walk around the top of the castle, hurting Mario if he were to run into them. However, Mario had already battled Mechakoopas before, and he knew that he had to jump on them to knock them out. Mario did so, and he was able to pick up the Mechakoopa. The next part was very tricky for Mario. He had to toss the Mechakoopa in the air, so it will fall on Bowser's head, but, he could only do this if Bowser was not above him. However, Bowser just flew back and forth in his Clown Car, which made things easier for Mario. He manages to hit Bowser with the mechanical koopa, but Bowser is not ready to give up. He fights on, battling much harder everytime Mario hit him. The princess would toss Super Mushroom's at Mario if he were to damage Bowser, which helped Mario a lot. After a long battle, Mario hit Bowser a third and final time, and Bowser quickly ran away, leaving the princess behind. Yet again, Mario was rewarded with a kiss from the princess, and Mario, Luigi, Princess Toadstool, Yoshi, and the rescued Yoshi eggs returned back to Yoshi's House, where the group finally had a real vacation.
Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins
Mario soon learned what that sinister plot was in Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins. He discovered that an evil doppelganger of him, named Wario, has captured Mario's Castle while he was in Sarasaland. Mario must now locate the six golden coins, which will give him access to his castle. However, these coins are guarded by six bosses as well, so Mario must travel to the differant zones spread across the area, defeat the Boss, and collect the golden coins. He travels to Tree Zone, Micro Zone, Pumpkin Zone, Mario Zone, Turtle Zone, and Space Zone, defeating all the Bosses that gaurd the coins. These bosses are; Randonkel, Macro Mouse, Witchella, The Three Little Pigheads, Octopus, and even Tatanga, who was the final boss in the previous game. Mario defeated them all, and collected all six golden coins. This gave him access to his castle, which now had many dangerous traps that Mario had to avoid. He reached the throne room, where Wario was waiting. He didn't expect Mario to reach the end of the Castle, but still fights him to make sure he doesn't take the castle back. However, Mario's managed to triumph over the odd doppelganger, who then procedded to tell Mario what happened. He stated that he payed Tatanga to kidnap Princess Daisy, so Mario would be distracted while he stole Mario's Castle. The plan almost worked, but Wario underestimated Mario's power. Wario quickly escaped the Castle, as Mario has now earned his castle back in yet another victory.
Super Mario 64
Mario made his 3D debut in Super Mario 64. The story begins with a letter from Peach inviting Mario to come to her castle for a cake she has baked for him; however, when he arrives, Mario discovers that Bowser has invaded the castle and imprisoned the princess and her servants within it using the power of the castle's 120 Power Stars. Many of the castle's paintings are portals to other worlds, in which Bowser's minions keep watch over the stars. Mario searches the castle for these portals to enter the worlds and recover the stars. He gains access to more rooms as he recovers more stars, and will have to traverse three obstacle courses leading to a battle with Bowser. Defeating Bowser the first two times earns Mario a key for opening another level of the castle, while the final battle releases Peach.
In the ending, Peach rewards Mario by baking him the cake she had promised.
Super Mario Sunshine
In Super Mario Sunshine, Mario has the ability to do various actions while equipped with FLUDD. Mario, the Princess, Toadsworth, and some Toads go to Isle Delfino, where upon their arrival, is quickly ruined after Mario is accused of spreading goop around island, even though Bowser Jr. did it in disguise. Mario will now use FLUDD to rid of the goop, and stop Bowser and his son.
New Super Mario Bros.
Mario went to 2.5D in New Super Mario Bros. At the start, he and Peach are walking together, but lightning suddenly strikes Peach's Castle nearby. As Mario runs to investigate, Bowser Jr. sneaks up to kidnap Peach. Mario immediately notices and rushes back to give chase. Mario journeys through eight worlds pursuing Bowser Jr. while trying to rescue Peach.
Mario can perform several moves like in 3D installments of the Super Mario series, such as Wall Jumps and Triple Jumps. Mario can now utilize a few more power-up items that he could not in earlier games of the Super Mario series: the Mega Mushroom, which makes him gigantic temporarily, the Mini Mushroom, which shrinks him to miniature size, and the Blue Shell, which allows Mario to spin while inside of a shell.
In the end, Mario rescues Peach, who rewards him with a kiss on the cheek.
Super Mario Galaxy
In Super Mario Galaxy, Mario is invited to the centennial Star Festival. Some time after Bowser invades the Mushroom Kingdom and rips Peach's Castle from its foundation to lift into outer space, Mario is catapulted across the cosmos and awakens on a small planet. On the planet he meets a mysterious woman called Rosalina and her companion stars, the Lumas, who tells Mario that the Power Stars have all been stolen by Bowser. Mario sets off on an intergalactic adventure, traveling between many planets across several galaxies while trying to reclaim the Power Stars.
Yoshi's Island series
Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island
When Baby Mario and his brother, Baby Luigi, were born, Kamek predicted that the two would eventually be the end of the Koopa Troop in the future, so devised a plan to capture the two babies. However, his rather clumsy Toady minions dropped Baby Mario onto Yoshi's Island. Yoshi assisted the young Mario in saving his brother.
Mario role-playing games
Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars
Mario's first role-playing adventure is in Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars. In this Square made game, Mario went on a quest to save the Mushroom Kingdom and meet new friends. It was also the first game where Bowser would join your team and fight evil.
Paper Mario series
Mario is the main character in the Paper Mario series, along with many other games. As an RPG character, he never talks, but he does use gestures and sounds to convey a message. This slight problem is overcome easily as whoever he is talking to repeats it or he as a partner talk for him.
Paper Mario
In Paper Mario, the first of the series, he is seen at his house with Luigi. They get an invitation from Peach to come to a party and they are glad to come. When they arrive Luigi stays behind and Mario goes to meet the princess. However, Bowser uses his castle to raise Peach's into space. Mario tries to battle him, but by using the Star Rod, Bowser becomes invincible. Mario is knocked out of the castle and lands on the ground. He is rescued by the Star Spirits and some Goombas. He finds out he must go on a quest to free the 7 Star Spirits to beat Bowser and save Peach, receiving help from seven partners along the way.
Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
In Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, Mario is at his house and receives another letter from Peach. She has found a magical treasure map and wants Mario to help her look for it. Mario head off for Rogueport, and the player takes control of Mario there. As soon as Mario does, he sees some thugs called X-Nauts trying to bully information out of a Goomba girl named Goombella. A battle starts, and Goombella tells Mario how to play. Mario finds out from Professor Frankly that he must collect the Crystal Stars to open the Thousand-Year Door and get the treasure. Mario later learns that Peach has been captured by the X-Nauts. Mario battles Grodus and his army, Lord Crump, The Three Shadow Sirens, and lots of other bosses. His abilities grow in this game, and it revolves around him being made out of paper.
Super Paper Mario
In Super Paper Mario, Mario still is seen at his house with his brother. Mario goes out this time due to Peach being stolen and Luigi deciding that it was Bowser. It was actually Count Bleck but Mario doesn't know till he gets there. Mario tries to stop Bleck but he is protected by a barrier and is quickly defeated. Tippi, a Pixl, awakens Mario and brings him to Flipside to start his quest to save peach. He learns that he must collect 8 Pure Hearts to stop the Chaos Heart created by Peach being forced to marry Bowser. The Chaos Heart created The Void which will destroy all worlds if not stopped. Mario shares the playable character role this time. There are four heroes in total, each with their own special ability to get through worlds. The game combines mechanics from role-playing games and platforming games. Mario does get the ability to flip into 3D in short periods of time. At the final chapter, each hero gets into their own battle against O' Chunks, Mimi, Dimentio, and the Count himself. Then Dimentio uses the Chaos Heart and Luigi to make Super Dimento and this is the real final battle.
Mario & Luigi series
Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga
The next game, Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga, used a brand new RPG engine that was created by AlphaDream, a Nintendo second party developer. In this engine, rather than just being able to give more damage to the enemy with precise button pressing, Mario is now able to either totally avoid being hurt or even counter the attack by pressing the button with precise timing.
Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time
In Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time, Mario and Luigi go on an adventure through both past and present, this time with assistance from their baby counterparts, Baby Mario and Baby Luigi, respectively.
Mario Kart series
The first in the series, Super Mario Kart, is considered the first game in the Kart genre. Then he went on to play a major role in Mario Kart 64, Mario Kart Super Circuit, Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, Mario Kart DS, Mario Kart Arcade GP, and Mario Kart Arcade GP 2. His exclusive kart in Mario Kart: Double Dash was the Red Fire, while his signature karts in Mario Kart DS were the B Dasher, the Standard MR, and the Shooting Star. His weight is always medium.
Mario sports games
Mario sports games have been around mainly since the Nintendo 64's release of Mario Tennis. The game was so popular that Nintendo decided to publish many more Mario sports games such as Mario Golf, Super Mario Strikers, Mario Superstar Baseball, Mario Hoops: 3-on-3, Mario Strikers Charged, and others.
Other crossover games
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games
Mario and Sonic were brutal rivals in the 90s, when SEGA was still making consoles. When the Dreamcast failed, a doorway between them opened up. Fans of the two have long since wished to see the two compete in the same game. Now the two finally are, as in Late March 2007, SEGA announced the rival's meeting in Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games.
Non-Nintendo platforms
Nintendo holds the copyright to Mario in many nations and retained these rights for their own use with few exceptions. However, Mario appeared in quite a few educational PC titles in the United States such as Mario Teaches Typing and in some very early games for non-Nintendo systems such as the Atari 2600 and the Mattel Intellivision. Philips made several games, such as Hotel Mario, featuring Nintendo characters for their Philips CD-i which was the result of a compromise with Nintendo over failing to release a joint CD-ROM product. Mario Is Missing!, another PC game, was later ported to the NES and SNES much like its sequel Mario's Time Machine. Super Mario Bros. Special, the first sequel to Super Mario Bros., was also on a non-Nintendo platform.
There are many free fan-made games such as Mario Forever and Super Mario: Blue Twilight DX, and mini-movies using the Mario likeness available on the Internet such as the violent Rise of the Mushroom Kingdom cartoon series. Fan-made games vary from clones of the original games to more novel games that merely incorporate the Mario characters. Fans have produced and distributed simple games incorporating Mario on graphing calculators such as the TI-83. There have also been a number of fan-made games using the Super Mario World engine, and even some using the Super Mario Bros. 3 engine.
Guest and cameo appearances
In the earlier days of the NES and Game Boy, Mario did several cameos, usually in the early sports titles on both systems. Often he was depicted as the referee, such as in Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!! or Tennis, but was also the playable character in both versions of Nintendo's early Golf-title. However some of his other cameos were more bizarre, such as the one in the Breakout-clone Alleyway which featured Mario on the game's box-art and also at the beginning of each stage where Mario jumps "into" the paddle. He was also featured on the Game Over screen for the Game Boy version of Qix dressed in Mexican clothes, playing a guitar in the desert next to a cactus with a vulture perched on it.
In Pinball, Mario appears in a "bonus stage," holding up a platform on which Pauline is to be caught. The platform is also used in game play; the player's ball bounces off its surface, striking a series of numbered lamps that cause the floor underneath Pauline's lofty holding cage to break, which will (presumably) cause her to fall to safety. In the stage, the player controls Mario and can only move left or right.
Mario made brief appearances in three games from Nintendo's other popular franchise, the Legend of Zelda series. In A Link to the Past, his picture hangs on the walls of certain village houses. In Ocarina of Time, a picture of him (along with Luigi, Princess Peach, Yoshi, and Bowser) is visible through a window in the castle courtyard where Link meets Zelda. In The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask, one of the masks on the Happy Mask Salesman's pack depicted Mario's face.
Mario also had a minor appearance in Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest when Diddy is ranked among the Nintendo icons based on the amount of Donkey Kong coins he possesses. Link from The Legend of Zelda and Yoshi also appear.
In 1999, Mario was included in the cast for Nintendo's popular fighting game, Super Smash Bros., for the Nintendo 64. He returned with the cast from the original in the 2001 GameCube sequel, Super Smash Bros. Melee, and will also appear in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, an upcoming game for the Wii. In the recent Super Smash Bros. Brawl trailer, Mario was seen picking up a Smash Bros. emblem (as an item), then he threw out a large fire wave at his opponents. In this series, he is considered a well-balanced character and is easy for most players to use.
In Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes, he appears on Otacon's desk next to a Yoshi figurine. When players shoot the Mario figure, they regain HP.
In the GameCube version of NBA Street V3, Mario makes a cameo alongside Luigi and Peach as their own playable basketball team, along with their own exclusive Nintendo themed court. SSX On Tour also features the three and an exclusive Nintendo themed track.
Mario has also made a cameo appearance in the Nintendo DS game Nintendogs. His hat is an unlockable, as well in the Dachshund & Friends version, a toy Mario in a radio-controlled kart.
In the game "Animal Crossing: Wild World", both Mario's hat and shirt are items that your player character can wear. In the game, the hat is called "Big Bro's Hat", the shirt being named the "Big Bro's Shirt". An accessory can also be bought in the game that resembles a fake mustache and nose called the "Big Bro's Stache". In late July 2006, Toys 'R Us used their "DS Download Stations" to give players 6 exclusive Mario items: A fire bar, a starman, a 1-up mushroom, a goal flag, a green pipe, and a ? block.
In 1080 Avalanche, Mario appeared on the bottom of a snowboard and as an ice sculpture.
In the game Pilotwings 64, Mario's face can be seen with those of the Presidents on Mt. Rushmore, if his face is shot, it turns into Wario's face.
In Banjo-Tooie, if you talk to Loggo the toilet in Grunty Industries a second time before unclogging him, Kazooie will say, "Then call a plumber. I hear Mario's free at the moment." Loggo will respond "I don't think he actually does that kind of work anymore..."
In Pokémon Red Version and Pokémon Blue Version, in the Mimic's house in Saffron City, if you look at the TV there is a "Game with Mario wearing a bucket on his head," a reference to the game Mario & Wario.
Mario makes a secret appearance in Animal Crossing where he can be unlocked as a statue in your room. Along with him is a silver Luigi statue, a question mark box and a pipe. They are extravagantly rare, sometimes they can only be unlocked in a raffle at Nooks store, sometimes by telling Nook a secret code that can be found at many cheat sites.
Mario, along with Luigi and Princess Peach, was a playable character in EA created titles SSX on Tour and NBA Street V3.
Characteristics
Mario is a plumber motivated by a sense of justice, though at times he has been depicted as a doctor and numerous other professions. His distinctive appearance was defined somewhat by the limitations of early video game hardware. Though he began with the ability to jump high, in subsequent games, he received additional powers such as throwing fire balls (pyrokinesis) and flight, and additional playable versions, including Bunny Mario, Tanooki suit Mario, and Metal Mario, through the use of power-ups. In adventure games, Mario has used varying techniques for defeating enemies and solving puzzles in his games, both by using his own abilities and the properties of items or abilities of allies he encountered.
Mario's appearance has altered a bit ever since. He originally wore red overalls over a blue shirt but that change to the opposite. However, Mario is depicted with red overalls over a brown shirt in the original Super Mario Bros.. His hair has also changed a bit. In promotional artwork for Super Mario Bros 3 and Super Mario World, he has very light brown hair. More recent depictions show his hair in a darker brown.
Over the years the promotional artwork style has changed too. In early games he was shown in 2D. At the time of the Nintendo 64 he had a 3D appearance. His present look is somewhat different to the latter because the "N64" Mario has a more "clay-like", shinier look and the present look is somewhat more realistic. The Super Smash Bros series depicted him even more realistically. He's a bit taller and has much more detail.
Biography
Mario is in many ways an undeveloped character, with numerous details of his accepted biography having been created through a complex lore spawned from the imaginations of comic book artists and cartoon writers. During the process of designing the character, Miyamoto initially defined the character as simply "a middle aged man with a strong sense of justice who is not handsome".[1]
(Mario was specifically described as "middle-aged" in Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga, but Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time and the upcoming Yoshi's Island 2 depict him as having been a baby at the same time as Princess Peach, possibly acting as a retcon to Mario's age.) Officially, Nintendo producers have stated that Mario's biography is kept simple in order to make the character versatile, and reusable in many different games and situations.
In his first appearance in Donkey Kong, all that was stated was that he was a carpenter whose duty it was to save Pauline from Donkey Kong. Furthermore, before the game was widely released in America, the hero was simply labeled Jumpman, having not yet acquired his Italian moniker. He was dubbed "Mario" in homage to his physical similarities with Mario Segali, Nintendo's warehouse manager at the time in Redmond, Washington [2], who disrupted a meeting to demand an overdue rent payment.
His second appearance in Donkey Kong Jr. solidified the character's name. It was in his third appearance in Mario Bros. where he changed his profession to plumber, which was more fitting with the long-running pipe theme established in that game. Here, Mario and his brother Luigi fought monsters in the sewers of Brooklyn, New York.
Because of this, and the American made cartoon series and the movie, it led many to believe that Brooklyn was Mario and Luigi's original home. The rare anime movie (produced by Nintendo or Japan) also portrayed Mario and Luigi as from outside of the Mushroom Kingdom (although it never directly states where they are from).[1][2]. However, the games (starting with Yoshi's Island) indicate that Mario and Luigi were delivered to the Mushroom Kingdom. The game, Mario and Luigi: Partners in Time, also shows that Mario and Luigi were living in the Mushroom Kingdom while they were still babies. Some fans believe that Mario and Luigi were taken to Brooklyn at an early age so that the Koopas couldn't find them.
Over the course of his many games, Mario has rescued a number of women from captivity. The women he has rescued include Pauline, Princess Peach, and Princess Daisy and has become regarded as the great hero of the Mushroom Kingdom. His main nemesis is the king of the Koopas, Bowser, who constantly attempts to conquer the Mushroom Kingdom and kidnap Princess Peach but is thwarted by Mario at every turn. Bowser isn't Mario's only foe, however. He has rescued Princess Peach and saved the Mushroom Kingdom from a number of different villains such as Wart in Super Mario Brothers 2, Smithy in Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars, Cackletta in Mario and Luigi: Superstar Saga, the Shroobs in Mario and Luigi: Partners in Time, and the X-Nauts in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. He even battled Wario who had stolen his castle in Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins.
Personality
Mario is always portrayed as being a kind-hearted and brave hero, known to fight "to the bitter end," as Paper Mario puts it. He helps those in need without any hesitation. Despite his status as a great hero, Mario is very humble. His cheerful personality and love of life make him a very approachable video game character. He also has a love of pasta and pizza, as the stereotypical Italian does. This was first started in the cartoons, but soon afterward, Nintendo supported the idea by having Mario dream of pasta. On his trip to Isle Delfino in Super Mario Sunshine, he daydreams about the seafood they have. Also, in Super Mario 64, if the player does not press any buttons for long enough Mario will take a nap and mutter the names of various pastas in his sleep, and in Super Mario 64 DS, when you race Koopa the Quick for the first time, he will say that Mario is getting fat from "too much pasta and lounging," and propose a race as exercise. Not much else is known about Mario's personality, as much of it remains hidden due to the fact that the character never openly converses in the games.
Mario's cheerful personality is reflected in his voice, which since Super Mario 64 has been provided by Charles Martinet. Although often limited to simple exclamatory noises ("Woo!", "Woohoo!" etc.), he also often enthusiastically announces the titles of his games. An infamous catchphrase used by Mario is "It's-a me, Mario". Although he largely speaks in English (with a thick accent), he has been known to sporadically break into Italian (for example, in Super Mario Sunshine he occasionally says "arrivederci" upon losing a life), and naturally says "Mama mia!" when in distress.
Occupation and hobbies
Despite Mario's given occupation as a plumber, he is almost never seen doing any plumbing during the games. The closest Mario came to actually doing any plumbing was clearing pipe levels of enemies in Mario Bros. and fixing some pipes in the Mario and Luigi games. Pipes have, however, remained a mode of transportation in almost all Mario games. Mario was most often seen plumbing during the animated series, where he often carried around a plumber's wrench which turned out to be handy in many episodes as a weapon and tool. He was also very knowledgeable about tools and fixing pipes in the movie. Both Mario and Luigi seemed to love their job as plumbers no matter how grueling their job can get and have a deep passion for it as revealed in both the animated series and movie.
Beginning with the Dr. Mario series of puzzle games which first debuted in 1990, Mario has been occasionally depicted as medical physician as well.
Mario's most time consuming activity seems to be saving Princess Peach, the Mushroom Kingdom, and surrounding kingdoms from evil tyrants such as Bowser. As seen through character interactions in his role-playing games, Mario has achieved a level of fame amongst the kingdoms' populations due to his heroic deeds.
However, according to the official Nintendo website, Mario earns most of his money through the profits from his Mario Toy Company, which produces Mini Mario figures, which, as of Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis, has expanded to include similar versions of other characters, including, interestingly enough, Mini Peach.
Mario and his friends are highly skilled in a variety of sports. The Mario franchise has spun off into games involving go-kart racing, soccer, baseball, tennis, golfing, basketball and dancing. In most of these games where different characters may have varying levels of skill, Mario is typically the most balanced character in classes such as weight, speed, power, or other abilities. In Punch Out!!, Mario made a cameo as the game's referee.
Doctor Mario
Marking his first appearance in 1990, as a doctor, Mario fights various germs by throwing pills into an infected jar that would match the color of the specific germ. When a certain number of color matching pills hit the germ, it is destroyed. In 2001, Mario appeared in Dr. Mario 64 in an updated version of the original puzzle game (fighting an epidemic with Mega vitamins that a scientist steals, and either Dr. Mario or Wario try to get it back.) Mario was also in doctor form as a secret character in the Nintendo GameCube hit, Super Smash Bros. Melee. In comparison to Mario, aside from the obvious appearance change, Dr. Mario is actually heavier than Mario, and his regular attacks are slightly varied from Mario's. His neutral B attack is no longer a fireball, but a Megavitamin. It does more damage than the fireball, and has a shorter trajectory. His across B attack (the Super Sheet) covers double the distance above and below the cape than Mario's does, but it also has half the reach in front of the cape than Mario's does. The super sheet is also different in that, whilst Mario's cape can be used repeatedly to slow vertical movement, the super sheet cannot.
Baby Mario
Baby Mario is the infant version of Mario (who curiously has a full head of hair). Although he has paradoxically appeared alongside his older self in Nintendo sports titles such as Mario Golf, Mario Tennis, Mario Superstar Baseball and Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, it is generally accepted that these games are outside the continuity of the main Mario series, and therefore do not suggest that Mario and Baby Mario are separate characters in the main storyline. An alternative solution is that the babies were present via time travel, as was the case in Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time. Like the older Mario, he is voiced by Charles Martinet. (along with Luigi, Wario, Waluigi and Baby Luigi).
Baby Mario first appeared in the Super NES game Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island where the Yoshis saved his brother Luigi from Kamek the Magikoopa. In Yoshi's Island, Baby Mario has a rather passive role, essentially being carried around by different Yoshis for most of the game. However, in some levels, a power-up resembling a star allows him to transform into Super Baby Mario, giving him very high speed, relative invincibility, and the ability to float for short distances (thanks to the Super Mario World yellow cape). Other than this, Baby Mario is remembered for his boisterous and annoying sobs whenever Yoshi ran into an enemy. When Yoshi took a hit, Baby Mario would float within a bubble while bawling loudly, and the player controlling Yoshi would have between 1-30 seconds to recover Baby Mario and hitch him safely on Yoshi's back. If the time ran out, Mario would be kidnapped by Kamek's Toadies and Yoshi would lose a life.
More recently, Baby Mario appeared in Yoshi Touch & Go and Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time for the Nintendo DS. In Yoshi Touch & Go he reclaims the role he held in Yoshi's Island; Baby Mario falls from the sky, this time held up by balloons, as the player guides him by drawing clouds down to the ground where Yoshi waits to catch him. He then rides on Yoshi's back for the rest of that level of the game. In some game modes, Baby Mario can again find the power-up that turns him into Super Baby Mario, making him temporarily invincible. In Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time, he appears alongside his adult counterpart, along with both respective versions of Luigi. The pair of brothers team up in order to save Princess Peach (the grown-up version) from a group of alien invaders known as the Shroobs.
The Japan only game Bio Miracle Bokutte Upa is sometimes referred to as "Mario Baby" due to that name being applied to a ROM hack of the game.
In Yoshi's Island, Baby Mario was shown wearing just a diaper and his hat, but in all games since then (except Yoshi Touch and Go, probably because it takes place at the same time as Yoshi's Island), Baby Mario has worn a red shirt and blue overalls -- the same outfit he would wear later in life. Another side note is that his red "M" cap is the same size and is rather big for Baby Mario's head.
According to the information revealed about Yoshi's Island 2 at E3 2006, Baby Mario was preschooled on Yoshi's Island. When a mysterious island appeared and kidnapped most of his schoolmates, he teams up with Yoshi, Baby Peach, and even Baby Donkey Kong and Baby Wario to save them. Baby Mario made an unexpected cameo alongside Baby Luigi in the first picture of the opening and ending intro of Mario Power Tennis.
Metal Mario
Metal Mario started as a powerup for Mario in Super Mario 64. In Hazy Maze Cave, there was a pool of swirling metal which held a new area. Once the switch in that area was pushed, metal caps were available. Metal Mario was completely invulnerable. Metal Mario can harm enemies by simply running into them. The ability was limited to a time limit. When Metal Mario was hit, he would sometimes flinch, but would be completely invincible and not lose health. Along with this, Metal Mario would not have to breathe, which allowed him to walk in noxious gas and water. His heavy weight would allow him to be able to sink in water, helping in some missions. Metal Mario would also lose the ability to speak (which, while not having any significant impact on overall story or gameplay, only serves to show that Mario became composed entirely of metal, raising questions about his jump height being identical to before he put on te metal cap). In Super Smash Bros, Metal Mario would make a return appearance as a sub-boss. He would deliver nasty damage to opponents and took double damage to be knocked off the stage. Metal Mario's strategy would be the movement of which he would walk back and forth delivering loud thuds. On easier difficulties he would merely hit the player if the character got in the way. The higher the difficulty, the more aggressive to the point where Metal Mario would be using extremely furious Smash attacks with devastating combos. Additionally, it took double damage to knock him as far since he weighed double that of a normal character. It would take about 300% damage to try and eliminate him, though one well placed hit as he is going to the lower platform can make him walk off the edge. The arena would be set in that of a metallic mine to give an interesting atmosphere to the fight.
In Super Smash Bros. Melee, Metal Mario would return a little more aggressive than before; however, after unlocking Luigi, it would not be just Metal Mario the player would have to contend with, but the "Metal Bros." as well. Metal Mario would be aided by Metal Luigi, while both characters would be monstrously difficult on the higher difficulties due to the increase in attacks and combos from the last game. Other metal versions of characters could appear as enemies in classic mode, although Metal Mario (and Metal Luigi if Luigi was unlocked) would be encountered every time while playing in Adventure Mode. The Metal Box was included as a power up (which bore a resemblance to the original box in Super Mario 64) and its effect allowed any character to transform into a metal version of themselves.
Metal Mario appeared as a secret unlockable character in Mario Golf. He was very strong, having an even longer drive than the super-powerful Bowser.
Relations
Mario usually has the role of saving the damsel in distress. Originally, he had to rescue his girlfriend Pauline in Donkey Kong from the clutches of the giant ape himself. Pauline didn't last long as a character and was soon replaced by new damsel in distress Princess Peach in Super Mario Bros. (She was initially referred to as Princess Toadstool in the US. Peach is the princess's Japanese name; there, the character has always been referred to as Princess Peach. In Super Mario 64, in a letter from the Princess in the beginning of the game, she signs it Princess Toadstool, "Peach", implying Peach was her nickname, though later the Toadstool was dropped). Pauline is recently returning in Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis, although whether or not she still has a relationship with Mario is unknown at this point, especially since the Mario Toy Company has expanded its toy line to include Mini-Peach toys, among others.
Mario has rescued Peach multiple times since Super Mario Bros., often receiving a kiss as a reward. Although the true nature of their relationship is never revealed, it is evident that there is a mutual affection between the two characters. It has been revealed that Mario's nemesis Bowser is in love with the Princess, which explains why he constantly steals her away from Mario. Oddly enough, in Super Princess Peach, the roles Peach and Mario usually have are reversed, and Peach gets to act as the hero.
Mario once rescued Princess Daisy in Super Mario Land on the Game Boy, at the end of which Mario received a kiss. Additionally, the Japanese-only album Super Mario Compact Disco mentions Daisy as Mario's number-one girl (Peach does get a mention, but only once during the song "Super Mario USA"). In sports titles, though, Daisy hangs out with Luigi more often, leading to fan speculation that she may be romantically involved with Luigi rather than Mario (which is the case in their relationship in the movie). In Super Smash Bros. Melee, the text on Princess Daisy's trophy states that "after her appearance in Mario Golf, some gossips started portraying her as Luigi's answer to Mario's Peach," this quote provides some confirmation and evidence that there is a romantic connection between Mario and Princess Peach.
In Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, it is revealed that Mario is quite popular with many of the female characters. After Mario rescues Goombella from Lord Crump and his X-Naut soldiers at the beginning of the game, she rewards him with a kiss and at the end of the game in Goombella's e-mail it seems she has had a crush on him as well. Also when Mario and his companions return Flurrie's necklace to her, she forcibly gives him a kiss. Another recurring character, Ms. Mowz (who is also an optional partner) is instantly smitten by Mario when she first meets him and his companions and continuously flirts with him and gives him a kiss before she leaves every time she runs into them, much to the dismay of Goombella. Finally, another character who seemed to have a crush on Mario is Vivian, one of the Three Shadow Sirens. When Mario's name and body are stolen and is turned into a shadow of himself, he helps her search for a bomb she needed and is touched by his kindness even though she becomes aware that he has worse problems than her. At the end of the game, just as Mario is about to board the boat back to the Mushroom Kingdom with Princess Peach and Toadsworth, Vivian sounds like she is about to reveal her feelings for Mario but stops and says that he and Peach would make a great couple.
It should also be noted that during the scene in Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars where Mario crashes Booster's wedding, Mario receives a kiss from Peach if he recovers her accessories from the aisles quickly. However, if he takes too much time, Peach tricks Bowser and Booster into kissing Mario. Bowser quickly mentions that (regardless of if he's kissing Mario or Booster) it tastes like sand paper. She also tells Mario that he is her knight in shining armor and hopes that she will get married someday. There is also a female Toad in the game that says to Mario that she and he will get hitched but asks him to give her time to grow into her mother's wedding dress.
Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins for the Game Boy saw the arrival of Wario, Mario's demented and greedy alter-ego.
Abilities
Mario's old nickname "Jumpman" stems from his keen ability to jump exceptional heights. This ability is still described as Mario's greatest talent in most forms of media in which he is portrayed, and jumping, both to access different areas of a level and as an offensive move, remains a core element of gameplay in several Mario games, especially the platforming titles.
Mario's most commonly portrayed form of attack is jumping to stomp on the heads of enemies, first employed in Mario Bros. (but his main attack in this game was to hit the floor underneath the enemy, flipping them up-side-down, and quickly kicking them into the water below, before they got back up) but better known from the later Super Mario Bros. game and its sequels. This jump-stomp move may entirely crush smaller enemies on the stage, and usually deals damage to larger ones, sometimes causing secondary effects as well. Most notably, this attack often enables Mario to knock the turtle-like Koopa Troopas back into their shells, which may slide across the stage, damaging other enemies, or Mario. Mario can also kick or toss these shells at enemies or barriers in many games.
Beyond this core mechanic, many subsequent games have elaborated on Mario's jumping-related abilities. Super Mario World added the ability to spin-jump, which allows Mario to break blocks beneath him. Later, the Gameboy remake of Donkey Kong allowed Mario to jump higher with consecutive jumps, and perform a back-flip. Super Mario 64 continued the use of these abilities as well as a long jump, a sideways flip called a Side Somersault, and a ground pound. It also made jumping off of walls much simpler to accomplish, and named it the "Wall Kick." Super Mario Sunshine then re-introduced the spin jump, but changed its function; in Sunshine, the spin-jump makes Mario jump a little bit higher, also falling more slowly than in a normal jump. (and also to get some ooze off of him instead of jumping into water.)
Mario also makes use of a wide array of items in most games in which he appears. The most prominent and best known of these is the Super Mushroom, which allows Mario to grow to twice his size. In this form he is usually labeled "Super Mario", and receives an additional hit-point; sustaining damage from most enemies will only cause Super Mario to shrink back down to "regular Mario" size. Mario is apparently stronger in his Super form, too, having the ability to break bricks with his fist. Additionally, in many games collecting a Fire Flower enables Mario to throw fireballs at enemies, and a Starman renders Mario temporarily impervious to harm. Beginning with Super Mario Bros. 3, leaves or feathers have been used as items that give Mario the ability to fly for short distances as well. Super Mario World introduced Mario's dinosaur friend Yoshi to the game series, whom Mario can ride. When riding Yoshi, Mario can clear spiky terrain and stomp foes that he otherwise cannot.
Originally, Mario (in Super Mario Bros. series games) can swim underwater indefinitely, but in Super Mario 64 and Super Mario Sunshine, he will take damage underwater, but will instantly regain health when he reaches the surface. Unfortunately, the lack of a separate underwater health gauge allowed Super Mario 64 players to recover health by diving under water then returning to the surface. Also, since Super Mario 64 Mario has either 6 or 8 hit points and regains health by collecting coins, running through a spinning heart item, or collecting a Star or Shine Sprite.
Mario's hat is also very important. In Super Mario 64, Mario will take an extra point of damage if he is attacked without his hat. And in Super Mario Sunshine, Mario will actually automatically take damage after a few seconds when his hat is stolen.
Although Mario is not usually portrayed using weapons in games, one exception is the use of hammers as a weapons in some games, including Super Mario 3, as well as the Donkey Kong and Super Mario RPG series. In the Wrecking Crew series, Mario also wields a hammer to break bricks, but not offensively. Similarly, in the Super Mario RPG series, Mario uses his hammer to hit switches and solve puzzles as well as to hit enemies.
Conception and creation
Mario first appeared in the video game Donkey Kong. The game was surprisingly successful, and when the Nintendo Entertainment System was released, Mario was given the starring role in the revolutionary Super Mario Bros. game.
Mario's distinctive look is due to technology restrictions in the mid-'80s; with a limited number of pixels and colors, the programmers could not animate Mario's movement without making his arms "disappear" if his shirt was a solid color; they did not have the space to give him a mouth or ears; and they could not animate hair, so Mario got overalls, a mustache, sideburns, and a cap to bypass these problems. Mario's creator Shigeru Miyamoto has also stated when interviewed that Mario wears a cap because he finds it difficult to draw hair.
When Mario was first conceived, he looked, more or less, as he does today; a short, stubby man with the trademark hat, brown hair, black mustache, and overalls. He normally wears blue overalls on top of a red shirt, but such was not always the case. Originally, he wore red overalls on top of a blue shirt — exactly opposite what he wears now. The American Super Mario Bros. 2 was the first appearance of his modern outfit (the box had the red overalls-on-blue shirt, but the game itself had a blue overalls-on-red shirt); however, it was Super Mario Bros. 3 that standardized today's blue overalls-on-red shirt outfit. Incidentally, the original Super Mario Bros. has neither in-game; Mario wears a brown shirt with red overalls. (In the SNES remake of Super Mario Bros. as part of Super Mario All-Stars, Mario wears the original red overalls and blue shirt.) In the animated series, Mario was always depicted as having red overalls and a blue shirt. In the arcade Mario Bros., he wore a blue hat instead of a red one. Red overalls and a blue shirt also made a comeback in Super Smash Bros. Melee, to differentiate two mario characters. Other colors possible were pretty close to that of Fire Mario and Luigi (except with brown overalls instead of blue.)
Mario's outfit rarely changes, though he's known to change it on occasion if the situation calls for it. For example, in Super Mario Strikers (Mario Smash Football in Europe), Mario wears an Association Football(soccer) outfit as opposed to overalls. In Super Mario Sunshine, Mario wore a red T-shirt with his hat and overalls rather than a long-sleeved shirt. (It was also possible to for him to put on sunglasses and a Hawaiian-style Shine Sprite shirt.) Also, in some Mario games, Mario can transform into different forms, each with a different costume, such as Tanooki Mario, which allows him to fly and turn into a statue to hide from enemies, Fire Mario where, after collecting the Fire Flower, he will wear red overalls with a white shirt and hat (in Super Mario Bros., he wore white overalls with a red shirt and hat, but just as his normal color scheme changed, so did his fire color scheme) and can throw fireballs. He can put on the frog suit to become Frog Mario, where his jumping and swimming abilities are greatly enhanced. And collecting a Hammer Suit turns him into Hammer Mario, an almost exact clone of the Hammer Bros, and in New Super Mario Brothers for the Nintendo DS, Shell Mario, where he can skid across the level as if he kicked a Koopa Shell. He also flashes different colors when utilizing a star, which gives him temporary invincibility. Also many items could enhance him or his abilities, such as the "leaf" in Super Mario Bros. 3 which turned him into Raccoon Mario, allowing him to fly. He could also fly in Super Mario World by obtaining a feather which would give him a cape. He also collected a carrot in Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins, in which "Bunny Mario" grows white rabbit ears and can float slowly to the ground or glide across caverns. A Power Balloon made Mario grow about 3 times his own weight and float in the air for a short amount of time (in Super Mario World & Super Mario 64 DS). A Power Wing in Super Mario Bros. 3 gave him a Racoon Tail and unlimited full charge, allowing him to take off at any given time (though this ability is lost after one level.)
One of his most recognizable contributions to his Mario universe is the Super Mushroom, which enlarges Mario until he is damaged by an enemy. There is also a Poison Mushroom, which is darker than the Super Mushroom in the original Super Mario Bros. 2 (although colored purple in the Super Mario All-Stars version of the game), and shaded differently in Super Smash Brothers. When Mario takes it, he is either returned to small Mario, killed (Lost Levels), or becomes smaller and lighter for a short period of time (Super Smash Bros. Melee). These ideas were derived from the "Eat me" cakes and "Drink me" potions in the Lewis Carroll story, Alice in Wonderland, after Miyamoto was forced to shrink the original sketches of Mario because they were too big.[3]
The surname "Mario" (which would make his full name Mario Mario) was first used in The Super Mario Bros. Super Show, and then in the 1993 feature film Super Mario Bros. This was meant to explain how both Mario and his brother Luigi could be known as the "Mario brothers". This surname theory has never been employed in any official Nintendo games or media, however, and it is broadly accepted that Mario and Luigi are collectively called the Mario Bros. simply because Mario is the headliner of the pair.
Mario has taken on the role of mascot of Nintendo and has since been extensively merchandised. Mario's major rival was Sega mascot Sonic the Hedgehog who debuted in the early 1990s; the two mascots competed head-to-head for nearly a decade afterward, until around 2001 when a Sonic game showed up on a Nintendo console due to Sega's new third party status, ending a lengthy rivalry.
In popular culture
- Mario's popularity has been parodied and/or referenced in many television shows other than his own. For example, he appears in two episodes of The Simpsons: in "Marge Be Not Proud", he, along with Luigi, Sonic, and Donkey Kong try to convince Bart to steal a video game; and in "Homer and Ned's Hail Mary Pass", Mario is an Italian tourist who, when visiting Homer (famous after an embarrassing video on the Internet), gets trash cans thrown at him - just like Donkey Kong, but is defeated by Homer when he gets a hammer from the treehouse. He is also parodied in the Futurama episode "Anthology of Interest II", when Philip J. Fry asks the What-If Machine what would life be like as a video game. In the sequence that follows, Mario is the Italian ambassador at the United Nations.
- In a crossover spoof on Attack of the Show, Mario and Luigi are portrayed in a The Sopranos-type story.
- Action figures of Mario, Luigi, and Wario are also shown taking part in a Fast and the Furious-meets-Cannonball Run parody on an early episode of Robot Chicken.
- In an episode of The Sopranos, A.J. is seen playing Mario Kart 64.
- In the cartoon Megas XLR, episode 18 "Thanksgiving Throwdown", parodies of Mario and Luigi appear, known as "The Super Fabio Brothers". The Fabio brothers attack using wrenches and their famed jumping ability.
- The 1989 Fred Savage film The Wizard featured characters playing the yet-to-be-released Super Mario Bros. 3 in a video game tournament. Many promotional ads for the movie featured footage from the climatic scene as cross-advertising for the title.
- In Ghostbusters II, Rick Moranis' character asks a date if she wants to play Super Mario Bros.
- The King of Town, a character from the popular Homestar Runner series, dresses up as Mario during a Halloween Special. There is even a fake game that can be played through an easter egg called "Super Kingio Bros." The game, however, is unwinnable because the King of Town is too fat to jump over the first enemy encountered. Fittingly, the Homestar Runner cartoon series was first animated with Mario Paint.
- Parodies of the Super Mario Bros. called the Marxio Brothers. were minor villains in Sonic the Comic. The Marxios were electricians who came from another planet (Marxio World), they were extremely incompetent and had a failed (fictional) video-game series based off them.
- Sound effects from Mario games commonly pop up in modern animated children's cartoons (mostly those produced by The Walt Disney Company), usually in scenes that are set in an arcade. Among the shows that have used Mario sound effects:
- American Dragon: Jake Long
- Teacher's Pet
- Teamo Supremo
- The Weekenders
- Kim Possible
- Mucha Lucha!
- Dave the Barbarian
- Lloyd in Space
Legacy
Since his creation, Mario has established himself as a pop culture icon having starred in three television shows, comic books, in a feature film where he was played by Bob Hoskins, and The Super Mario Bros. Movie in 2023, where he is portrayed by Chris Pratt. Nintendo of Japan also produced a 60-minute anime feature starring Mario and his friends in 1986, although this film has never been released in the United States. He has also appeared on lunchboxes, t-shirts, in magazines, in commercials, in candy form, and as a plush toy.
The animated series The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! featured a live-action series of skits staring (former WWF manager) "Captain" Lou Albano as Mario and Danny Wells as Luigi. There was even a book series, the Nintendo Adventure Books.
In 1990, a national survey found that Mario was more recognizable to American children than Mickey Mouse.
In addition, Mario made history in 2003 by becoming the first video game character to be honored with a wax figure in the legendary Hollywood Wax Museum. In 2005, Jonathan Mann even wrote an opera based on the character, and performed The Mario Opera at the California Institute of the Arts.
Trivia
- Former NHL hockey player, Mario Lemieux was given the nickname "Super Mario" by the media during his illustrious career. Mario Williams, the #1 draft pick in the 2006 NFL Draft, was also given the nickname "Super Mario".
- In Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door, Mario is given the stage name of "Great Gonzales" during his battles in Glitzville. Before a climatic battle, one of the audience members refers to Mario as "Jumpman," poking fun at Mario's past identity.
- Mario is the namesake of Nintendo of America's former landlord, Mario Segale.
References
- ^ Demaria, R: "High Score! The Illustrated History of Electronic Games", page 238. McGraw Hill-Osbourne, 2002
- ^ Retro Gamer Magazine, vol. 2, issue 2
- ^ O’Connell, Patricia (November 7, 2005). "Online Extra: Meet Mario's Papa". Bloomberg. Retrieved March 24, 2025.
Disclaimers
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This page uses content from Wikipedia. The original article was at Mario. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with SSB Universes Wiki, the text of Wikipedia from before July 15, 2009 is usable under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License. |
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This page uses content from Smashpedia. The original article was at Mario. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with SSB Universes Wiki, the text of Smashpedia from before June 19, 2009 is usable under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License. |
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This page uses content from the Nintendo Wiki. The original article was at Mario. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with SSB Universes Wiki, the text of the Nintendo Wiki from before June 19, 2009 is usable under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License. |
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| A backup log of the page history can be found here. | |
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This page uses content from the Mario Wiki. The original article was at Mario. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with SSB Universes Wiki, the text of the Mario Wiki from before June 19, 2009 is usable under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License. |
| Authors: Phil.e., Shy Guys Suck, Mouse among men, Max2, I need a name, Nsxdriven, TheMG, PanSola, 85.211.24.116, Artwork0, 70.41.209.161, Hotspot, Skittles the hog, Greenpickle, 71.50.104.63, 69.135.180.94, 62.31.242.55, 65.25.105.176, Jack Phoenix, 220.255.7.234, Count Caterpie, 98.203.199.177, 68.185.197.182, Enzeru, 70.95.178.221, Yowuza, Enzeru, 75.72.159.108, 80.218.187.72, Leader Vladimir, 70.249.214.7, WaddleDoo, Charitwo, Narniakid777, Kunden18, Cptn. Falcon, KyleH, 64.228.88.77, Eulalia459678, 67.166.112.216, 71.118.79.252, 71.105.158.214, Mr Alex, OmniDravek99, 69.249.217.47, Uberfuzzy, 75.89.12.75, 69.141.120.230, 24.139.206.189, 216.62.101.1, Cometstyles, Dragon Power, RudnickiMarioMasterX08, M3, Sprite7868, Azorrez, Yoshord, Hyper Shadow, Rockpaw436, JohnnyLightning, Jordanhatch, Bionicleboy3000, Oni Dark Link, Fhbgfnhfdjny tf, RedYoshi, SUL, and Wiersema (excluding vandals) | |
| A backup log of the page history can be found here. | |
|
This page uses content from the Paper Mario Wiki. The original article was at Mario. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with SSB Universes Wiki, the text of the Paper Mario Wiki from before June 19, 2009 is usable under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License. |
| Authors: Huh?!?, PanSola, Nsxdriven, Pikaultima, Beep21, Crowbar, Zmario, Ultimateria, Dekudan312, Luigifan1985, X06, 212.85.1.1, and ~Glow~ | |
| A backup log of the page history can be found here. | |
- Notes
- The Nintendo Wiki had a wiki dump of the Mario article from Wikipedia at around September 2006, though it was later overwritten with original material.
- Some of the Nintendo Wiki content was originally on Nintendopedia, before it merged with Nintendo Wiki.
