Maker Faire 2011 Roundup: Mario

If you asked people about the first Mario game, most would talk about Super Mario Bros., released for the Nintendo in 1985. Mario’s origins are slightly older, however. Mario himself first appeared in Donkey Kong as a carpenter named “Mr. Video.” It’s widely believed that he acquired the name Mario after a confrontation between the current president of Nintendo of America and the landlord of their warehouse, a man named Mario Segale.

After Donkey Kong, Mario starred in a game of his own: Mario Bros. This game took place under the streets of New York and introduced many elements that have become staples of the Mario universe. Mario’s profession changed to a plumber. Mario acquired his signature jump and his ability to knock over enemies by hitting the ground below them. This game was also the first appearance of Mario’s recognizable green pipes, as well as turtles as enemies and fireballs as both enemies and player tools.

Most of these elements were introduced as game mechanics, not in an intent to create a world-famous franchise. Nevertheless, today Mario has starred in several dozen games and Mario games have sold over 250 million copies total. Most of these games borrow heavily from the characters created for Mario Bros. The Mario franchise is the best-selling video game franchise of all time, beating out even Pokemon and Tetris.