We Bet You Never Knew These 10 Things About Mario
In case you didn't already know, March 10 (Mar10) is Mario Day.
To celebrate the Nintendo hero's big day, we worked with the gaming company to bring you 10 of their favorite facts about the mustachioed legend. We bet you didn't know them all!
1. Mario was created by a Nintendo icon, Shigeru Miyamoto. Not only did he develop the famous red plumber, but he's also the mastermind behind series including The Legend of Zelda, Donkey Kong, Star Fox and a whole lot more.
2. Mario wasn't always Mario, and he wasn't the star of his first game. He actually first appeared in the arcade game Donkey Kong all the way back in 1981, and at the time he was known as "Jumpman."
3. As the mascot of Nintendo, it only makes sense that he's been featured on every Nintendo system made to date. That's the Nintendo Entertainment System, Game & Watch, Game Boy, Super Nintendo, Virtual Boy, Nintendo 64, Game Boy Color, GameCube, Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS, Wii, Nintendo 3DS and Wii U—and of course he's going to have his own title, Super Mario Odyssey, on the Nintendo Switch this holiday season.
(via Nintendo)
4. Mario's moves from his first game, 1985's Super Mario Bros., have become his trademarks and still define him today. They include incredible leaps, brick-breaking and stomping on enemies to defeat them. 31 years after that game, the Super Mario Run app showcased his classic abilities in a brand new light.
5. Mario's a bit of a renaissance man. He's demonstrated his skills as an athlete with games like Mario Tennis Open, Mario Gold: World Tour, Super Mario Strikers and Super Mario Baseball, as well as participating in Olympic sports every four years. He's covered pretty much every game genre to boot. While the platforming Super Mario Bros. games are the most iconic, he's also been a role-player with Super Mario RPG and Paper Mario, a puzzler with games like Dr. Mario and a racer in the Mario Kart games.
(via Nintendo)
6. In his time as a hero, Mario has faced off against baddies such as Dimentio, Wart and Smithy, but his true rival is the King Koopa himself, Bowser. Bowser's constantly kidnapping Princess Peach, so of course it's Mario's duty to step in and save her.
7. Since Super Mario Bros., Mario has been all about picking up transformative items that make him stronger than ever. In that first game, he picked up a Super Mushroom to double his size and increase his strength, as well as the Fire Flower to throw powerful fireballs at baddies. Over time, he's also been able to grab a Super Leaf to grow a raccoon tail with incredible soaring abilities and a Cape Feather to don a powerful flying cape. Most recently, he's even picked up items that could turn him into a climbing cat, divide him into multiple Marios and even make him really big.
8. Though Mario will always be a hero in our eyes, there's actually a game where he's considered the villain. In Donkey Kong Jr., the player takes on the role of Donkey Kong's son after Donkey is captured and imprisoned by Mario, and it's up to you, the player, to save him.
9. When you think of Mario, you probably picture him wearing a red shirt under blue overalls. That hasn't always been his style. In the original Super Mario Bros., his normal style actually included red overalls with an olive green shirt. He adapted the signature look we know and love today in Super Mario Bros. 2.
(via Nintendo)
10. Mario and his taller, green-loving brother Luigi are twins, but did you know that Mario is a teeny bit older than his brother?
Can't wait to play Mario's next adventure, Super Mario Odyssey, on the Nintendo Switch? Click HERE to read our interview with Nintendo's David Young to find out what makes the Switch so special.