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Back in the 1980s, I was thrilled to open my ninth birthday present: a tech handheld game featuring a version of the then-popular arcade game Donkey Kong.
I played it obsessively, fascinated by its crystal screen that splits in two, and by the simplicity of its hero: a spunky monochromatic character named Mario, who is trying to scale a construction site with the goal of rescuing a captive princess.
Mario only had three lives on the platform of this game, but there seemed to be an endless attraction behind them.
Over the decades, Mario has appeared in more than 200 games, including Nintendo’s original “Mario Bros” (which celebrates its 40th anniversary in March 2023), alongside his brother Luigi, and the Mario Kart series (starting in 1992).
His adventures have inspired multi-generational products (games, trading cards, kimono design), and offshoots such as the new animated Super Mario Bros., as well as theme parks to attract attention.
Mario has held his ground more than any other video game character, transforming from an arcade object into a household name and pop culture icon.
Mario’s strong presence today, in all his characters, comes from humble beginnings. Prior to his debut in Donkey Kong Science 1981, Mario had the name “Osan” (Japanese for middle-aged youth).
Then “Mr. Video” and “Jump Man”, and eventually named after the main owner of Nintendo in the United States.
Its creator Shigeru Miyamoto referenced global pop culture influences, envisioning a hero who could make recurring appearances across different games, much like Alfred Hitchcock who appeared in the films he directed.
Mario’s original design was instantly recognizable: gritty and bright, his hat and mustache distinctive. With the release of the 1983 arcade game Mario Bros., his character was cemented, transforming from carpenter to Italian-American plumber (reflecting that game’s pipe scene, as well as Miyamoto’s love of Western animation), while the game’s controls remained intuitive.
“I think Mario has become so popular because the actions in the Mario game are instinctive for people everywhere,” Miyamoto said in an interview with US broadcaster NPR in 2015. “Everyone is afraid of falling from a great height. If there is a gap you have to cross it.” Everyone will try to run and jump through it… The simplicity of these experiences plus the interactive nature of controlling the character and seeing the response on the game screen – that’s what really resonated with people.”
Mario is without a doubt a “good guy”, but his figure is curiously fluid. His transformative qualities (and home video game fame) became evident in the 1985 version of “Super Mario Bros.”, in which many elements of the “Mushroom Kingdom” enhanced his size and abilities.
In the first part of his book on the history of “video games”, Stephen Al Kent describes Mario’s character as “the greatest statesman in the gaming industry,” explaining that the version of “Super Mario Bros. 1985″ took Mario out of a single-screen mode and placed him in a huge dynamic world, Players now control him as he runs through a seemingly endless, brightly colored countryside full of caves, castles, and giant mushrooms. The scene was too wide to fit on screen.”
Since then, Mario has remained an unmistakable character across all kinds of incarnations, including tanuki (Japanese raccoon dog, in Super Mario Bros. 3, 1988), bee (in 2007’s Super Mario Galaxy) and cat (Super Mario in the 3D World year 2013).
His roles varied from Dr. Mario (1990’s puzzle game) to artist and composer (Mario Paint – 1992) and athlete (racing, soccer and tennis, as well as the Nintendo/Sega Mario and Sonic games at the Olympic Games).
In Super Mario Odyssey (2017), even Mario’s hat took on a life of its own. Meanwhile, the team around Mario has grown increasingly larger, but even as these characters introduce their own games, they are eventually identified by their connection to him: as brother (Luigi), friend (Princess Peach and Yoshi) or antagonist (Donkey Kong, Bowser and Wario). .
Mario’s audio has also proven to be a literal game changer. Action effects and legendary music by composer Koji Kondo have accompanied Mario since the 1985 version, and American actor Charles Martin’s voice has evolved his cartoonish “let’s-a-go” catchphrases, but even the first Mario Bros. version includes pungent embellishments that bring the character immediately to mind. .
“The sound of the coin falling – I think it’s just two very high key notes – is simple and recognizable,” says Galen Woltkamp-Moon, musician and founder of the London Video Games Orchestra. He continues: “Mario has always looked iconic, even in the low-resolution pixel art, but I also remember being able to sing the soundtrack when I was six or seven years old, which I couldn’t do with any other game then. The music is readily available to everyone. The ages; they have been changed in every clip to keep the audience engaged.”
on the big screen
The experience of bringing a beloved video game character to the movie screen has often been a risk, and yet there is a new wave of adaptations (including the Sonic the Hedgehog movies).
The 1993 live-action adventure Super Mario Bros. flopped, despite a talented cast. Bob Hoskins played Mario, later describing the film as “the worst thing I’ve ever done” (in a 2007 Guardian interview).
Ahead of the release of the new “Super Mario Bros.” movie, fans reacted furiously to actor Chris Pratt impersonating Mario, despite co-director Aaron Hovarth insisting he was the soul.
“In the game, if you don’t give up, Mario will succeed,” he told Total Film magazine. He added, “So we turned this player from the game into a character that Mario (in the movie) enjoys,” and confirmed that Chris Bate “can play the blue-collar hero.”
Mario has roamed all kinds of worlds, and his popular appearance (according to Miyamoto’s original concept, he’s an appearable character in several games including Super Smash Bros. and Fortnite and in the background details of many others) has inspired anecdotes online and in conceptual art. Such as the video installation of the American plastic artist Cory Arcangel entitled “SuperMario Clouds” in 2002, and the creation in 2015 by an artist working under a pseudonym – Samir Al-Matfi – the game “Syrian Super Mario”, which depicts the challenges faced by refugees seeking safety. Mario appears increasingly on the collections of major art galleries and institutions.
For Christian Fulsing, curator of Young V&I in London, Mario deserves to be in a museum. He told the BBC: “Video games, like any other media, must be recognized for their cultural influence. Mario has been there since the start of the video game revolution in the 1980s and is more popular than ever as the 40th anniversary approaches.”
Mario is recognizable all over the world – despite his simplicity, stunning game design is meant to be a shared experience. You’ll also find titles like Super Mario Maker – a game with design tools that came out in 2015 – that say everyone who plays these games already knows how they work, because they’re so attached to it.”
Mario brought generations to play together. My son is now the same age I discovered the character, and his birthday gift list includes Lego Super Mario and an updated version of the Super Mario Bros. handheld game.
When we race against each other in Mario Kart, we may not opt for classic Mario (there are plenty of character options, including Metal Mario and Baby Mario), but the character remains a quintessential force: a familiar friend in a crazy, fast-paced world.
