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28-year-old budding developer
Shigeru Miyamoto had an
idea for a video game that
featured a love triangle
and tried, unsuccessfully,
to obtain the license for
Popeye. Undeterred, he designed
a character called Jumpman
for a game that would become
Donkey Kong.
A carpenter by trade, Jumpman
wore red overalls and a blue
shirt.
Other names considered for
Jumpman were Mr. Video and
the Japanese word for a
middle-aged man, Ossan.
In early
promotional
material, Mario
was shown
as being
bald.
Tech limitations forced the
designers to abandon the idea
of giving Mario hair; he was
given a hat instead. Overalls
were introduced to outline
where Mario’s arms were.
The decision to rename
Jumpman to Mario was
undertaken on the 1983 arcade
title, Mario Bros. The game
was relatively popular in
Japan, but failed in the U.S.
The great video game crash of
1983 was in full swing.
It wasn’t just the name that
was changed; Mario’s trade
was switched from carpenter
to plumber. The colour of his
overalls was also switched
from red to blue.
Mario Bros. was also the
FIrst game to feature Mario’s
brother, Luigi.
Mario as the bad guy? Well,
in the sequel to Donkey Kong
Jr., Mario has Donkey Kong
trapped in a cage and it’s
down to the ape’s son to come
and free him.
In 1990, Mario also became a
doctor in the infectious Dr.
Mario.
The Super Mushroom design in
Super Mario Bros. is inspired
by the Amanita Muscaria; a
mushroom with psychedelic
qualities.
Super Mario Bros. has sold a
whopping 40.24 million copies
and was the best selling game
of all time until another
Nintendo title knocked it off
the perch – Wii Sports.
Mario, that’s who! Yes, Nintendo’s iconic
Italian plumber is celebrating his
birthday, and we’re cheering the portly
little personal drainer’s big day too
with 30 facts about him and his games.
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