Originally an carpenter named Jumpman, this Italian plumber has gone on to become the most recognizable video game character of them all, starring in a veritable pantheon of titles and as the mascot of Nintendo. He is currently voiced by Charles Martinet.
Overview
Mario in his red shirt and blue overalls.
Mario lives in the Mushroom Kingdom, which is where he fights Bowser (originally called King Koopa). In most of his games, Mario is rescuing Princess Peach (originally called Princess Toadstool) from the evil Bowser. Mario has appeared in over 200 video games since his first appearance. Since Super Mario 64, Mario is currently voiced by Charles Martinet, who also voices Mario's brother, Luigi, their "evil'' counterparts, Wario and Waluigi, his friends Toadsworth and MC Ballyhoo and their baby versions of themselves, Baby Mario and Baby Luigi.
Origin
Mario was created by Nintendo game designer Shigeru Miyamoto and first premiered in Donkey Kong in 1981. Back then, he was a carpenter named Jumpman, who had to save his girlfriend Pauline from the eponymous rampaging gorilla. Jumpman's name was changed to Mario after the landlord of Nintendo's U.S. office, Mario Segale, barged in asking for their rent; the surprising resemblance between the two made the name stick. After Donkey Kong, Mario began appearing in his own games. The first was Mario Bros., along with his brother Luigi. When the Nintendo Entertainment System was released, Mario went on to star in Super Mario Bros., one of the best-selling games of all time.Mario's trademark mustache, hat, and overalls also have their own unique origin, connected to the primitive design capabilities of the time. Jumpman was given a mustache in order to tell apart his nose from the rest of his face, as they did not have enough room to give him a mouth. His overalls allow his arms to be a different color then the rest of his body, thus allowing for clear animation. Finally his hat was created because hair was too difficult to animate.
Being Nintendo's mascot, Mario's major rival is Sonic the Hedgehog ( Sega's mascot). Sonic and Mario's rivalry was incredibly fierce, until Sega became a third-party developer, and stopped creating consoles. Sonic Adventure 2: Battle was the first Sonic game to appear on a Nintendo console, ending the rivalry. Since then, Sonic has appeared in several Nintendo games, including Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games and Super Smash Bros. Brawl.
Forms
Mario grabs items along the way and if he collects that item, then he'll transform to his various forms. Here are the forms that he wore during his adventures:
- Fire Mario - In this form, Mario can throw fireballs at enemies, making them hot and crispy for Bowser's minions. To transform to this form, he needs a Fire Flower.
Fire Mario - Vanish Mario - In this form, Mario's invisible. He can go through any enemy without being noticed. A Vanish Cap is required for him to transform.
- Shell Mario - In this form, Mario can glide along the ground and knock out anything that gets in his way. A Blue Koopa Shell is required for him to change.
- Boo Mario - Mario's ghostly form allows him to see through walls and makes him invisible. In order to transform to this form, he needs a Boo Mushroom
- Ice Mario - In this icy form, Mario can glide on ice, throw snowballs at enemies and create icy paths. An Ice Flower is required to transform Mario to his Ice form.
- Propeller Mario - A new form for him in New Super Mario Bros. Wii is his Propeller form. If Mario grabs a Propeller Mushroom, then he'll fly to various location while in this form.
Propeller Mario - Bee Mario - In this form, Mario can fly in the air and stick on honey walls. To transform to this form, he needs a Bee Mushroom.
- Mini Mario - If Mario grabs a Mini Mushroom in both New Super Mario Bros. games, then he'll turn smaller and can float on water but if he is hit in this form, then he'll lose a life so watch out!
- Rainbow Mario - Another one of his forms is his Rainbow form. He can bash through enemies and run faster in this form. In order to become Rainbow Mario, he needs a Rainbow Star.
- Spring Mario - If Mario grabs a Spring Mushroom, then he'll transform into his Spring form. He can bounce through anything and reach to faraway places
- Metal Mario - If Mario wears a Metal Cap in Super Mario 64, then he'll turn into a metal machine. While metal, he can walk underwater and defeat enemies in an instant.
- Wing Mario - Mario can fly in this form from Super Mario 64. To take off, he needs to do a triple jump and then he can fly anywhere in the game. A Wing Cap is required to transform.
- Invincible Mario - If Mario grabs a Starman, then he'll turn invincible. In this form, he can run through various enemies without getting hit. Watch out for Invincible Mario's speed because he could knock you out!
Invincible Mario - Penguin Mario - Mario has a new form in NSMBW, the Penguin form. This one allows him to glide through ice and water and he can swim faster in this form. A Penguin Suit is required for him to transform.
- Super Mario - Mario's 2nd form in his adventures. You need a Super Mushroom to transform.
- Mega Mario - If he gets a Mega Mushroom, then he'll turn mega. He can bash through anything in this form. Can be seen in New Super Mario Bros.
Alternate versions
Through the years there have been many different versions of Mario appeared in different games:Baby Mario
Baby Mario and Mario in Mario and Luigi: Partners in Time.
Ever since his first appearance as merely the baby version of Mario in Yoshi's Island for the SNES, Baby Mario's place in the Mario timeline has always been a bit confusing. This confusion mostly comes from the fact that Baby Mario appears in many Mario sports titles as well as many Mario kart games alongside his fully-grown counterpart. This led many to the false belief that Baby Mario was, in fact, the son of Mario. Regardless of poor logic, Baby Mario actually did appear, legitimately, alongside adult Mario in the RPG Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time.
Because of the relative popularity of the character, Baby Mario has spawned many other "baby" counterparts of other popular Mario characters including Luigi, Peach, Donkey Kong, Bowser, Daisy, and even Wario. Though they appear, as previously mentioned, in Mario kart and Mario sports games, the babies have become a staple ot the Yoshi Island series (most recently, the extremely popular Yoshi's Island DS).
Paper Mario
Paper Mario is a version of Mario that is paper thin. He First appeared in Paper Mario, an RPG game for the Nintendo 64. He has since appeared in sequels for the Gamecube and the Wii.Metal Mario
Metal Mario originally appeared as a power up in Super Mario 64, although he has since appeared as an unplayable character in the Super Smash Bros. Games. He is a stronger, heavier and slower version of Mario, and has a higher resistance to damage.Legacy
Paper Mario
Fun Facts
- Mario has a mustache because he was too small to draw a mouth onto when he was first created.
- It was difficult to animate hair and ears at the time, so that's why Mario has a hat and sideburns.
- Mario and Luigi are both bright colours to make them stand out from the background of the older games.
- Mario also wears bright colours and overalls to fix a problem with Mario's hands disappearing when he walked.
- In Mario's first appearance, the color of his overalls were red and his shirt was blue, an opposite of the clothes we see him wear today.
- Mario is named after Mario Segale, the landlord of one of Nintendo of America's original warehouses who was lenient with Minoru Arakawa while Nintendo was still finding its feet in America.
Quotes
| Quote | Game Appearance |
|---|---|
| "Here we go!!" | Super Mario 64/ Mario Kart DS |
| "Let's a go!" | All |
| "Mario Kart Wii!" | Mario Kart Wii |
| "Thank you so much for to playing my game." | Super Mario 64/ Galaxy |
| "Nintendo!" | Mario & Luigi series |
| "Mamma mia!" | All |
| "Fight!" | Mike Tyson's Punch-Out! |
| "Welcome, welcome new galaxy!" "It's-a me, Mario! | Super Mario Galaxy / Assassin's Creed II |
Mario games
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General Information
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| Character Name: | Mario |
| Real Name: | |
| Gender: | Male |
| Birthday: | June 2, 1983 |
| Appears in: | 192 games |
| First appearance: | Donkey Kong |
| Aliases |
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