The History of the World's Favorite Plumber - Mario's Story

Throughout the history of video games there have been few characters quite as well known and loved as Mario, the friendly plumber that has starred in many games made by Nintendo. Since his creation in 1981, the Italian-American icon has appeared in over 200 titles and won over the hearts of both children and adults around the world. But the Mario that is instantly recognizable today had very humble beginnings, and many of his features that seem natural to his character today may be less thought-out than one would think.

Mario made his debut in the Donkey Kong series, one of Nintendo's earliest games. Who we now know as the plumber Mario was first named Jumpman in the original Japanese version of Donkey Kong. At the time Nintendo of America was struggling and needed to make a smash American release to compete in the industry. For Donkey Kong's release stateside, Nintendo sought to localize the game and set out to rename the characters. As legend has it, Mario was named after the landlord of Nintendo of America's headquarters. During the naming process of the game, the building's owner came demanding his rent and Mario suddenly got his name.

Originally Nintendo cast Mario as a carpenter on a quest to save a damsel in distress from a giant ape. Later games that featured Mario cast him as a plumber. A landscape made of pipes put Mario and his brother Luigi in a sewer in the first Mario Bros. game, setting the theme of the many worlds Mario would later inhabit. Mario's games did not include the other characters from the Donkey Kong titles, but the themes were eventually revisited with the similar characters Bowser and Princess Peach. Throughout Mario's life he has traveled many different settings and interacted with many enemies and friends, but he has always held true to his pipe-traveling roots.

Many of Mario's trademark styles come not from his plumber background but his original role as a carpenter. Nintendo intended to make the hero be a common man that was easy to relate to. The denim overalls were part of his carpenter's wardrobe. His red undershirt was chosen because it contrasted well against the blue on the old arcade console screen. Mario wore a hat so that the animators would have to avoid the difficult task of portraying hair on the fuzzy screen. Many of his trademark characteristics were chosen in part due to the technology at the time, but have grown to become part of the attire of one of the most recognizable animations today.

Over the years Mario has transformed from the simple carpenter at a construction site to a jolly, fully animated plumber featured in vast immersive worlds. The many decisions that may have seemed trivial years ago have persisted even today, giving the world the icon that millions around the globe know and love today.