Today's Happy Birthday
On this Day: Nintendo Releases Super Mario Brothers
September 13, 2008 12:10 AM
by
findingDulcinea Staff
On Sept. 13, 1985, Nintendo released Super Mario Brothers for the Nintendo Entertainment System; the game would sell over 40 million copies, and become one of the most popular video games of all time.
The Conception
Created by legendary Japanese video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto, Mario made his debut as the “the ladder-climbing, barrel-dodging, gorilla-enraging protagonist of Donkey Kong,” in 1981.
His trademark appearance—a squat body, cap and bushy mustache—were the product of the 8-bit NES system’s limited pixel and color capacity and the preferences of Shigeru Miyamoto.
In creating Mario, utilitarianism was the name of the game. “The game’s programmers could not animate Mario’s movement without making his arms disappear,” says mariobrothersonline.com, but “making his shirt a solid color and giving him overalls fixed this.” Because there was no space for a mouth or ears, Mario was given sideburns. And as Miyamoto didn’t draw hair very well, Mario got a cap.
In Donkey Kong, Mario was known simply as “Jumpman.” It wasn’t until Nintendo executives decided to feature him in his own game that he was renamed. As TechRepublic tells it, the name Mario came from, “an actual Mario—Mario Segali, the former landlord of the New York office building that housed the Nintendo of America headquarters in the early 1980s. When searching for a more marketable name for the Jumpman character, then-president of Nintendo of America, Minoru Arakawa, purportedly remarked on the likeness of the game character to the company’s landlord” and the name is now video game legend.
From there, his creators went on to fully flesh out the Mario story—that of a simple Italian plumber combating Goombas, Koopa Troopas and Bowser himself to save his love, the beautiful princess Peach.
His trademark appearance—a squat body, cap and bushy mustache—were the product of the 8-bit NES system’s limited pixel and color capacity and the preferences of Shigeru Miyamoto.
In creating Mario, utilitarianism was the name of the game. “The game’s programmers could not animate Mario’s movement without making his arms disappear,” says mariobrothersonline.com, but “making his shirt a solid color and giving him overalls fixed this.” Because there was no space for a mouth or ears, Mario was given sideburns. And as Miyamoto didn’t draw hair very well, Mario got a cap.
In Donkey Kong, Mario was known simply as “Jumpman.” It wasn’t until Nintendo executives decided to feature him in his own game that he was renamed. As TechRepublic tells it, the name Mario came from, “an actual Mario—Mario Segali, the former landlord of the New York office building that housed the Nintendo of America headquarters in the early 1980s. When searching for a more marketable name for the Jumpman character, then-president of Nintendo of America, Minoru Arakawa, purportedly remarked on the likeness of the game character to the company’s landlord” and the name is now video game legend.
From there, his creators went on to fully flesh out the Mario story—that of a simple Italian plumber combating Goombas, Koopa Troopas and Bowser himself to save his love, the beautiful princess Peach.
The Success
“When Super Mario Bros. was released in late 1985 it was an immediate and unprecedented success,” says an article on GameCubicle.com. The game has sold over 40 million copies alone in America and is, “next to Tetris, is the bestselling game of all time.”
According to NationMaster.com, “The classic game is widely considered to have been one of the first side-scrolling platform games of its kind, introducing players to huge, bright, expansive worlds that changed the way video games were created, played, and perceived.”
Counting its various sequels and spin-offs, the Mario series has sold over 200 million copies worldwide.
According to NationMaster.com, “The classic game is widely considered to have been one of the first side-scrolling platform games of its kind, introducing players to huge, bright, expansive worlds that changed the way video games were created, played, and perceived.”
Counting its various sequels and spin-offs, the Mario series has sold over 200 million copies worldwide.
Mario in Popular Culture
Throughout the world, Mario has become a widely recognized character. According to a survey conducted by Nintendo of Canada, “more people in Calgary, Toronto and Halifax can identify a photo of Nintendo’s iconic video game character, Mario, than can identify a photo of Prime Minister Stephen Harper.”
Over time, Mario has appeared in cartoon shows, comic books and even a rock opera. In 1993, he made it to the big screen in the film Super Mario Bros., starring Academy-Award winning actor Bob Hoskins, Dennis Hopper and John Leguizamo.
And in 2003, Mario became, “the first video game character to be honored with a wax figure in the legendary Hollywood Wax Museum.”
To a large degree, Mario’s popularity is a product of his likeability. “In an industry where an ever-increasing number of complex and hyper-real—and in some cases, hyper-violent—characters and concepts grab headlines and zeitgeist,” writes TechRepublic, “it’s nice to think that a simple Italian plumber named Mario still carries a lot of weight with avid game consumers.”
Over time, Mario has appeared in cartoon shows, comic books and even a rock opera. In 1993, he made it to the big screen in the film Super Mario Bros., starring Academy-Award winning actor Bob Hoskins, Dennis Hopper and John Leguizamo.
And in 2003, Mario became, “the first video game character to be honored with a wax figure in the legendary Hollywood Wax Museum.”
To a large degree, Mario’s popularity is a product of his likeability. “In an industry where an ever-increasing number of complex and hyper-real—and in some cases, hyper-violent—characters and concepts grab headlines and zeitgeist,” writes TechRepublic, “it’s nice to think that a simple Italian plumber named Mario still carries a lot of weight with avid game consumers.”
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