If you’re a 90’s kid like me, you would have probably played Mario at some point in your childhood – undoubtedly Nintendo’s most iconic and widely recognized character!
Even today, Mario’s character is still a crucial part of Nintendo’s image. It is instantly recognized worldwide, despite his appearance changes since he first appeared in the early 80s, and the shock is that he nearly didn’t happen at all!
As famous as the plumber may well be, not many people know about his humble beginnings or history.
So without further ado, here are some mind-blowing facts about the man himself.
Mario’s first appearance was alongside Donkey Kong.
Mario first appeared in the 1981’s Donkey Kong video game.
At the time, however, he was known as Jump Man and was a carpenter by trade rather than a plumber.
Mario nearly didn’t happen.
Mario was only created for one simple fact; Nintendo was unable to make a Popeye themed game.
Popeye would have been the main character in this game that would fight Bluto to save Olive oil.
Instead, Mario was born, who lived to fight Donkey Kong and save the princess.
Mario is Nintendo’s number one money-maker.
It’s no secret that Mario himself is considered Nintendo’s most famous mascot.
Mario has starred in over 200 games and is an enormous contribution to Nintendo’s staggering Net worth of $66.05 billion (2022).
Mario’s famous mustache was a design decision.
His iconic mustache and hat were only designed due to the 8-bit graphic limitation at the time.
Instead of hair and a mouth, it was much easier to give the character a hat and no visible mouth.
Mario isn’t always a hero.
Mario is well known for playing the good guy, but surprisingly, Mario has, in fact, been a villain.
In 1982’s Donkey Kong Jr., Mario is standing guard of a caged Donkey Kong with a whip.
Donkey Kong Jr. is actually the Hero.
The Super Mushroom originally had a different name.
With roughly 78 different Super Mario mushrooms that appear in the Mario games, the most well-known is the red and white spotted mushroom, otherwise known as the super mushroom.
This was initially called the magic mushroom but was shortly changed, as you can guess why.
Its appearance is similar looking to the real-life “Fly Agaric” mushroom; one of the side effects of eating is making items appear bigger than what they really are.
Super Mario Bros, the movie was a disaster.
Super Mario Bros was released in 1993 but was unfortunately known as a box office flop.
Tom Hanks was cast to play the part of Mario but was dropped for “not being a big enough star” at the time.
Another Hollywood star that didn’t make it in the movie was Arnold Schwarzenegger, who turned down the part of King Kooper.
So there you have it, a brief history and a few interesting facts about the famous Italian plumber, Mario.
