Super Mario

Origin

    Mario originated in the mind of Shigeru Miyamoto, a game designer who has left an undeniably large impression on the world of video games. There is no creation of Miyamoto's that has been quite as important as Mario, who has appeared in over 200 games since his debut in the 1981 arcade game Donkey Kong. In this game, Mario was just a sprite without a real name. His job in the game was to try and traverse a series of pathways and jump over barrels to defeat the gorilla up at the top of the screen. This gorilla, named Donkey Kong, had kidnapped a woman and the job of "Jumpman" was to save her. Nintendo of America called him "Jumpman" because of the amazing heights he could leap, while Japan knew him as "Mr. Video Game". Then Nintendo of America changed Jumpman's name to Mario within the next couple of years, a name allegedly inspired by the landlord of Nintendo of America's offices-- Mario Segali.

Games

Mario Brothers

    In 1983 the arcade game Mario Bros. was released. It was the first time the name Mario was used. Mario was not alone in this game, and was given a brother named Luigi-- who is slightly thinner and taller than Mario and wears green overalls instead of red. Mario Bros. had no real story line and was more like a puzzle game than a platformer. The platform adventure game as we know them did not really come into existence until Nintendo released Super Mario Bros. in 1985 for their Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), which was a home-based video game console.
    Super Mario Bros. and the NES were huge successes, reinvigorating the video game industry which had been suffering due to the video game crash of 1983. In the game, Mario is an Italian plumber and resident of the Mushroom Kingdom. The princess of Mushroom Kingdom is named Peach and has been kidnapped by Bowser, king of the Koopas. Mario sets out on a quest to save Princess Peach. This story became the template for many Mario games that followed and also inspired the storylines of other video games unrelated to Mario. The game required players to guide Mario or Luigi through two-dimensional side scrolling levels that were occupied with various scenery, obstacles, and collectibles. The levels had 8 different worlds with different imagery. There was one castle in each world that was reached after passing the levels which preceded. In these castles Mario must battle a 'boss' in order to get to the next world. In the last castle of the game Mario fights Bowser and saves the princess.
    The impact Super Mario Bros. had on video games as a whole can not be overexaggerated. It became the shining example of what a video game should aspire to. Many copycat games have followed Super Mario Bros. game play styling.
    Super Mario Bros. also came with music by Koji Kondo and a catchy theme which has become one of the most famous songs in contemporary culture. Super Mario Bros. holds the Guinness World Record for best selling video game of all time with over 40 million copies sold.
Super Mario Bros. Sequels
    Since the original Super Mario Bros. did so well, a sequel followed soon after. Super Mario Bros. 2 was released in Japan in 1986. This game was not originally released or marketed in the United States because of its high difficulty factor. It would later come to the U.S. as Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels, a game included on the 1993 SNES cartridge called Super Mario All-Stars. But before that the United States received their own Super Mario Bros. 2 in 1988, which was different than the one that was released in Japan. Two years after that, in 1990, Super Mario Bros. 3 was released for the NES. Both American sequels sold very well and received positive reviews.
Spin-Offs
    Mario was best known for his platforming games, which were also his main releases. The character was so popular, however, that Nintendo included him in games that were unrelated to his main series. One of these games was Dr. Mario for the NES, which was a puzzle game somewhat comparable to Tetris. Mario also made cameos in games such as Punch Out!!! and NES Open Tournament Golf.

Mario Comes to Handhelds

    In 1989 Nintendo released Super Mario Land for their portable hand held video game system, the Game Boy. It has become the third best selling Mario game of all time and helped to make the Game Boy a dominating force in the video game industry. The game was almost entirely black and white but featured the same kind of gameplay as the Super Mario Bros. games on console. A sequel to Super Mario Land was released in 1992.
    The Game Boy also had a version of Dr. Mario.

Mario Turns 16-bit

    Nintendo released their successor to the NES, the Super Nintendo (SNES), in Japan in 1990 and in the United States in 1991. Mario's first game on the new system was called Super Mario World. It had improved graphics and new gameplay features. The SNES was significantly more powerful than the NES which allowed the developers of Super Mario World to give the game much more detail. Though it was still a side-scroller like the NES Super Mario games, there was a new multi-layer background system that helped to give the game a 3-D feeling. It has become the second best selling Mario game of all time behind the original Super Mario Bros. In 1995 Nintendo released a prequel to Super Mario World called Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island.
    Mario was also featured in a number of spin-off games on the SNES that aren't platformers. One of these was  Super Mario Kart which has spawned sequels on the Nintendo 64, Gamecube, and Wii video game systems. Another popular game on the SNES was Mario Paint, which allowed players to draw pictures and create music, among other things. The SNES also had a game called Super Mario All-Stars which was a rerelease of all the main Mario platform games that had come out by 1992. Super Mario RPG was also a successful game released on the SNES, which was different than the normal Mario games because of its role playing aspects.

Mario Enters 3-D

    In 1996 Nintendo amazed the world again when it released Super Mario 64 on its Nintendo 64 game system. For the first time ever a platform game was completely 3-D and allowed for free roaming in large, open environments. Super Mario 64 kept the same basic storyline that had followed Mario ever since 1985. It was Mario's job to save Princess Peach and defeat Bowser. The way in which levels were completed was a bit different, though. Players had to gain 'stars' in the levels by completing objectives. These stars unlocked new worlds and eventually opened up the final boss fight against Bowser.
    The Nintendo 64 also had a Mario Kart 64 game and started the Mario Party series which is now in it's 8th release. The Nintendo 64 also launched Super Smash Bros. which has become a very popular fighting game series with two sequels.

Gamecube

    Super Mario Sunshine was a platform game for Nintendo's 128 bit system, the Gamecube. The game was released in 2002 and was set on an island where Princess Peach and some other Mario regulars were on vacation. Mario had to clean up the island using his FLUDD water-squirting accessory.
    The Gamecube saw the continuation of the Mario Party, Super Smash Bros., and Mario Kart series.

Wii

    The Wii is Nintendo's newest video game system and utilizes a controller system that sense movement. In 2007 Super Mario Galaxy was released and received very positive critical acclaim. It was innovative by putting Mario on tiny planets in outer space. The game plays with gravity in ways that other 3-D games have not.
    The Wii also has a Mario Kart and Super Smash Bros. game.

Characteristics

Looks

    Mario is a short man with a large head and stubby body. He usually wears a red hat with the letter "M" on the front. He also usually wears blue overalls with a red shirt underneath. Mario wears brown shoes and white gloves. He has a black mustache and large nose. His outfit can change depending on the game he is in or what power-ups he is using inside of a game.

Occupations

    Mario's is known as a plumber but he is not shown doing plumber's work in any of the games. He uses pipes for transportation and built networks of pipes in the original Mario Bros. arcade game but these are the only allusions to Mario's profession.
    Mario is sometimes shown as a medical doctor, as he is in the Dr. Mario games.

Personality

    Mario is often portrayed as a very cheerful and heroic person. He enjoys Italian food. He doesn't like to talk much in his video games. He gets bashful when he is kissed by Peach but is mostly very brave. Mario is adventurous and hard working. His voice has been done by Charles Martinet since 1995.

Friends and Family

    Mario is a popular guy in the Mushroom Kingdom. He is somewhat of a superstar for continually saving Princess Peach from the evil Bowser. Princess Peach is someone Mario seems to be very close and affectionate with. Before Princess Peach Mario had a girlfriend named Pauline who was the girl he saved in Donkey Kong. Mario has also saved Princess Daisy but it was only once and they aren't very close. Yoshi is a dinosaur and good friends with Mario. Luigi is Mario's brother.

Strengths and Power-Ups

    Mario has a number of powerful abilities. He can jump very high or long and run for long periods of time. He does wall jumps, jump spins, etc. He can punch and perform stomps that kill baddies. He does wall kicks and sideways somersaults. Mario has strength which allows him to pick up and carry or swing things many times his size.
    Ever since his first game, Mario has used power-ups and tools to help him get the job done. In Donkey Kong he used mallet hammers. In Super Mario Bros. he was given red mushrooms that doubled his size, green mushrooms for extra lives (retries), stars that made him invulnerable for short periods of time, and fire flowers that allowed him to throw fireballs at enemies.
    In Super Mario Bros. 3, Mario was given the ability to fly. He also had a range of suits at his disposal which allowed him to adapt to the given environment or situation. For instance, one suit made Mario look like a frog and gave him better control and speed underwater.
   Super Mario World introduced Yoshi, who Mario could ride on and use to jump high and eat things. Cape feathers gave Mario a cape that let him fly.
    In Super Mario 64 there are different hats that Mario can wear which allow him to fly, walk underwater, and walk through walls.
    In Super Mario Galaxy there are power ups that turn Mario into a bee and ghost. He is also able to ride manta rays.
    There are many more power ups and abilities that Mario has in other games but most all of them are a lot like any of the variations mentioned above. Some of them are unrelated to the main series of games that this knol focuses on.

Conclusion

    This is a very simple overview of Super Mario. He has a fame that spans all around the globe and carries with him a huge and complex universe that is simply too large to fully explain in this one knol. Mario's popularity was a surprise even to Nintendo, who wasn't sure at first how such a bizarre hero might be taken by the general public. Mario's quirkiness was a hit, however, and he has been a huge source of income for Nintendo. Most any game that he is part of receives positive reviews and sells well. He has sparked innovation and helped the video game industry evolve in ways no other character has, and he will undoubtedly continue to amaze us with his presence.
as the Mario franchise rolls on.