Super Mario, is a fictional character by Nintendo and created by Japanese video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. Mario is the biggest game series and Mario franchise is the best-selling video game franchise of all time. Here are some fun facts about Mario.
1 Super Mario was First Seen in the Video Game Donkey Kong, But He was Called ‘Jumpman’
In the early stages of developing Mario’s character, the developer Nintendo originally gave him the name “Jumpman”. One of the Creator Shigeru Miyamoto also toyed with the idea of calling him ‘Mr Video’ before finally deciding to name him as Mario after the landlord of their American Nintendo warehouse.
2 Mario was Named after Mario Segale, the Landlord of Nintendo of America’s Office
Super Mario is called after real-life businessman Mario Segale, who was the company’s landlord in 1981. Nintendo fell far behind on rent, Mario Sagale didn’t evict them but gave them a final chance to come up with the money. Nintendo succeeded and the developers named their main character after him.
3 Mario’s Cap and Moustache designed by Shigeru Miyamoto
Mario was created by Shigeru Miyamoto. He was hired as a graphic artist by Nintendo. Miyamoto drew Mario as wearing a cap because he found drawing realistic hair is more difficult. Miyamoto also drew in the twirled moustache, because it was easier to see than a mouth in the crude video game screen resolution back then.
4 Mario and Luigi are Known as ‘Mario Brothers’
Mario and his younger brother Luigi Mario are commonly known as the Super “Mario Brothers.” This implies that Mario’s first name and last name is Mario. He has no middle name, so his full name is Mario Mario.
5 The Voice of Mario has been Provided by American Voice Actor Charles Martinet
Since 1995, Mario is voice acted by the American voice actor Charles Martinet, who crashed the audition for “an Italian plumber from Brooklyn” character. Charles Martinet also voices Wario and Luigi.
6 The Super Mario Bros, Theme Song is One of the Most Popular Ringtones of All Time
The world famous music composer Koji Kondo, provided the iconic soundtrack to Super Mario Bros. The theme of Mario, called “Ground Them”, is one of the most recognizable pieces of game music ever recorded in the history. The most popular Mario tune remained in the Billboard ringtone charts for more than 125 weeks and has been performed as one by live orchestras.
7 Mario was More Popular than Mickey Mouse
Mario is the world’s most famous character in the history of video games, and perhaps is the most famous character ever. In a 1990 poll by Marketing Evaluations (A Q Score survey), Mario was found to be more popular (and more recognizable) among American children than Mickey Mouse.