Mario

For other uses, see [[:the Nintendo mascot]].

Mario
Mario series character
File:Mario2small.jpg For over 25 years, Mario has been Nintendo's official mascot.
First game	Donkey Kong (1981)
Created by	Shigeru Miyamoto

Mario (マリオ) is a video game character created by Shigeru Miyamoto for Nintendo. He first appeared in Donkey Kong, though his official name was Jumpman. Mario was originally portrayed with two-dimensional sprites, but in later games he is a three-dimensional, polygonal model. Because of the common reference to he and his brother Luigi being dubbed the "Mario Brothers," it has been incorrectly speculated his full name is Mario Mario. Nintendo has stated neither Mario or Luigi have last names. [1]

He is a short, pudgy Italian plumber who lives in the Mushroom Kingdom, where he is regarded as a hero by many; he is best known for constantly thwarting the plans of the evil King Bowser to kidnap Princess Peach and subjugate the Mushroom Kingdom. Mario is well known for his plucky personality, his enthusiasm and spirit in the face of enemies, and his unexpected physical agility. He is also known for his cooperation with his brother Luigi and his close relationship with Princess Peach whom he has repeately saved. He also has an evil doppelganger by the name of Wario.

As Nintendo's mascot, Mario is one of the most recognizable characters in video game history, becoming synonymous with video games. He has appeared in over a hundred games, many of them best-sellers. Outside of the platformers with which he is traditionally associated, Mario has appeared in video games in many different genres, including the Mario Kart racing series, many of Nintendo's arcade sports games (such as the Mario Tennis and Mario Golf series), and Nintendo's series of Mario role playing games (RPGs) (including Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars, the Paper Mario series, Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga, and its sequel, Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time). Outside the original games, television shows, film and comics, he also spawned a line of licensed merchandise.

Appearances

In video games

Main article: List of Mario games

Mario made his 3D debut in Super Mario 64

Mario's first role was as the hero in 1981's Donkey Kong. In Japan, he was only known as "Jumpman"(ジャンプ人). The game was so successful that he carried over into an arcade spin-off, Mario Bros., which boasted a simultaneous two-player mode and introduced his taller yet younger brother Luigi. In Donkey Kong Junior, he was the villain, and in the ending cinematic, he is knocked out (although obviously he is not dead because he is in future games). His next appearance would be in Super Mario Bros. for the wildly successful Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), the console credited with reviving the home video game market. Super Mario Bros. sold over 40 million copies (pack-in copies included) making it the best-selling video game of all time and has been ported to numerous Nintendo consoles since. Overall, Mario games have sold approximately 281 million copies worldwide, with Super Mario Bros. 3 holding the record for most copies of a non pack-in video game sold, with over 18 million copies sold. Mario and his friends also appeared in some of the later Game & Watch games. Mario has explored just about every genre of video game. Aside from action platformers, the plucky plumber has also starred in puzzle games, racing games, sports games, fighting games, role-playing games, educational games etc. Future announced Mario titles include the following: Super Paper Mario for the Wii, Mario Strikers Charged for Wii, Super Smash Bros. Brawl for Wii, and Super Mario Galaxy for Wii.

Appearances on non-Nintendo platforms

Nintendo holds the copyright to Mario in many nations and retained these rights for their own use with few exceptions. However, Mario appeared in quite a few educational PC titles in the United States such as Mario Teaches Typing and in some very early games for non-Nintendo systems such as the Atari 2600 and the Mattel Intellivision. Philips made several games, such as Hotel Mario, featuring Nintendo characters for their Philips CD-i which was the result of a compromise with Nintendo over failing to release a joint CD-ROM product. Mario Is Missing!, another PC game, was later ported to the NES and SNES much like its sequel Mario's Time Machine. Super Mario Bros. Special, the first sequel to Super Mario Bros., was also on a non-Nintendo platform.

There are many free fan-made games such as Mario Forever and Super Mario: Blue Twilight DX [2], and mini-movies using the Mario likeness available on the Internet such as the violent Rise of the Mushroom Kingdom cartoon series. Fan-made games vary from clones of the original games to more novel games that merely incorporate the Mario characters. Fans have produced and distributed simple games incorporating Mario on graphing calculators such as the TI-83. There have also been a number of fan-made games using the Super Mario World engine, and even some using the Super Mario Bros. 3 engine. [3]

Special cameo appearances

In the earlier days of the NES and Game Boy, Mario made several cameos, usually in the early sports titles on both systems. Often he was depicted as the referee, such as in Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!! or Tennis, but was also the playable character in both versions of Nintendo's early Golf-title. However some of his other cameos were more bizarre, such as the one in the Breakout-clone Alleyway which featured Mario on the game's box-art and also at the beginning of each stage where Mario jumps "into" the paddle. He was also featured on the Game Over screen for the Game Boy version of Qix. The screen varies based on the score achieved in the game. One scene has him dressed in Mexican clothes, playing a guitar in the desert next to a cactus with a vulture perched on it.

In Pinball, Mario appears in a "bonus stage," holding up a platform on which Pauline is to be caught. The platform is also used in game play; the player's ball bounces off its surface, striking a series of numbered lamps that cause the floor underneath Pauline's lofty holding cage to break, which will (presumably) cause her to fall to safety. In the stage, the player controls Mario and can only move left or right.

Mario made brief appearances in three games from Nintendo's other popular franchise, the Legend of Zelda series. In A Link to the Past, his picture hangs on the walls of certain village houses. In Ocarina of Time, a picture of him (along with Luigi, Princess Peach, Yoshi, and Bowser) is visible through a window in the castle courtyard where Link meets Zelda. In Majora's Mask, one of the masks on the Happy Mask Salesman's pack depicted Mario's face.

Mario also had a minor appearance in the game Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest when Diddy is ranked among the Nintendo icons based on the amount of Donkey Kong coins he possesses. Link from The Legend of Zelda and Yoshi also appear.

In 1999, Mario was included in the cast for Nintendo's popular fighting game, Super Smash Bros., for the Nintendo 64. He returned with the cast from the original in the 2001 GameCube sequel, Super Smash Bros. Melee, and will also appear in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, an upcoming game for the Wii. In the recent Super Smash Bros. Brawl trailer, Mario was seen picking up a Smash Bros. emblem (as an item), and then throwing a large wave of fire at his opponents. In this series, he is considered a well-balanced character and is easy for most players to use. He is somewhat Fast/quck character. He was equipped with a meteor smash (Aerial Forward+A) in Melee because he was very average good in the Smash Bros. but needed a better attack. Overall, he is an Strong fighter.

In Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes, he appears on Otacon's desk next to a Yoshi figurine. When players shoot the Mario figure, they regain HP.

In the GameCube version of NBA Street V3, Mario makes a cameo alongside Luigi and Peach as their own playable basketball team, along with their own exclusive Nintendo themed court. SSX On Tour also features the three and an exclusive Nintendo themed track.

Mario has also made a cameo appearance in the Nintendo DS game Nintendogs. In this game, his hat can be unlocked, as well as a toy Mario in a radio-controlled kart. The latter is only unlockable on the Dachshund & Friends version.

In the game Animal Crossing: Wild World, both Mario's hat and shirt are items that your player character can wear. In the game, the hat is called "Big Bro's Hat", the shirt being named the "Big Bro's Shirt". An accessory can also be bought in the game that resembles a fake mustache and nose called the "Big Bro's Stache". In late July 2006, Toys 'R Us used their "DS Download Stations" to give players 6 exclusive Mario items: a fire bar, a Starman, a 1-up mushroom, a goal flag, a green pipe, and a '?' block.

In 1080 Avalanche, Mario appeared on the bottom of a snowboard and as an ice sculpture.

In the game Pilotwings 64, Mario's face can be seen with those of the Presidents on Mt. Rushmore. If his face is shot, it turns into Wario's face.

In Pokémon Red and Blue, in the Mimic's house in Saffron City, if you look at the TV there is a "game with Mario wearing a bucket on his head" in progress. This is a reference to a game released only in Japan entitled Mario and Wario - where Mario would be moving in a level, with a bucket on his head.

Mario makes a secret appearance in Animal Crossing, in which he can be unlocked as a statue in your room. Along with this is a silver Luigi statue, a question mark block and a pipe. They are extremely rare - sometimes they can only be unlocked in a raffle at Nook's store, and sometimes by telling Nook a secret code that can be found at many cheat sites.

Mario is also set to star along side Square-Enix's Dragon Quest chracers in the Nintendo DS version of Itadaki Street Special.

Characteristics

Mario is a plumber motivated by a sense of justice, though at times he has been depicted as a doctor and numerous other professions. His distinctive appearance was defined somewhat by the limitations of early video game hardware. Though he began with the ability to jump high, in subsequent games, he received additional powers such as throwing fire balls (pyrokinesis) and flight, and additional playable versions, including Frog suit Mario, Tanooki suit Mario, and Metal Mario, through the use of power-ups. In adventure games, Mario has used varying techniques for defeating enemies and solving puzzles in his games, both by using his own abilities and the properties of items or abilities of allies he encountered. ' Mario's appearance has frequently altered ever since. He originally wore red overalls over a blue shirt but that has now changed to the inverse. However, Mario is depicted with red overalls over a brown shirt in the original Super Mario Bros..

His hair has also changed a bit. In promotional artwork for Super Mario Bros 3 and Super Mario World, he has very light brown hair. More recent depictions show his hair in a darker brown.

Over the years the promotional artwork style has changed too. In the art released alongside early games he was shown in 2D. With the advent of the Nintendo 64 this changed, and he was rendered in 3D. Since then, successive 3D renders have depicted him with more detail and improved texturing. The Super Smash Bros. series has depicted him with still more detail, including a noticable denim texture. However it had proof that Mario was the worlds most popular character of all time.

Personality

Mario is always portrayed as being a kind-hearted and brave hero, known to fight "to the bitter end," as Paper Mario puts it. He helps those in need without any hesitation. Despite his status as a great hero, Mario is very humble. His cheerful personality and love of life make him a very approachable video game character. He also has a love of pasta and pizza, as the stereotypical Italian does. This was first started in the cartoons, but soon afterward, Nintendo supported the idea by having Mario dream of pasta. On his trip to Isle Delfino in Super Mario Sunshine, he daydreams about the seafood they have. Also, in Super Mario 64, if the player does not press any buttons for long enough Mario will take a nap and mutter the names of various pastas in his sleep and if the player holds on to the flying owl for too long in one of the stages, the owl will tell Mario to "lay off the pasta" and proceed to drop him, and in Super Mario 64 DS, when you race Koopa the Quick for the first time, he will say that Mario is getting kinda big from "too much pasta and lounging," and proposes a race as exercise. Not much else is known about Mario's personality, as much of it remains hidden due to the fact that the character never openly converses in the games.

Mario's cheerful personality is reflected in his voice, which since Super Mario 64 has been provided by Charles Martinet. Although often limited to simple exclamatory noises ("Woo!", "Woohoo!" etc.), he also often enthusiastically announces the titles of his games. An infamous catchphrase used by Mario is "It's-a me, Mario". Although he largely speaks in English (with a thick accent), he has been known to sporadically break into Italian (for example, in Super Mario Sunshine he occasionally says "arrivederci" upon losing a life), and naturally says "Mama mia!" when in distress.

Occupation and hobbies

File:Mariohammer.jpg

Mario in the Paper Mario games, using his trademark weapon, a hammer.

Despite Mario's given occupation as a plumber, he is almost never seen doing any plumbing during the games. The closest Mario came to actually doing any plumbing was clearing pipe levels of enemies in Mario Bros. and fixing some pipes in the Mario and Luigi games. Pipes have, however, remained a mode of transportation in almost all Mario games. Mario was most often seen plumbing during the animated series, where he often carried around a plumber's wrench which turned out to be handy in many episodes as a weapon and tool. He was also very knowledgeable about tools and fixing pipes in the movie. Both Mario and Luigi seemed to love their job as plumbers no matter how grueling their job can get and have a deep passion for it as revealed in both the animated series and movie.

The Super Mario Bros. Super Show delves deeper into Mario and Luigi's characters. It is revealed that Mario and Luigi are fans of Nicole Eggert and Baywatch, as well as Elvis Presley, and despite his age, Mario is a fan of the cartoon series Inspector Gadget (most likely an inside joke since DiC Entertainment produced both shows). Mario also considers himself the biggest fan of Captain Lou Albano (another inside joke since Lou Albano himself was the one who portrayed Mario in the live action segments and provided his voice in the cartoon).

Beginning with the Dr. Mario series of puzzle games which first debuted in 1990, Mario has been occasionally depicted as medical physician as well. Mario's most time consuming activity seems to be saving Princess Peach, the Mushroom Kingdom, and surrounding kingdoms from evil tyrants such as Bowser. As seen through character interactions in his role-playing games, Mario has achieved a level of fame amongst the kingdoms' populations due to his heroic deeds.

File:Mariovsdonkeykong4.PNG

Mini Mario, one of the figures produced by Mario's Mario Toy Company.

However, according to the official Nintendo website, Mario earns most of his money through the profits from his Mario Toy Company, which produces Mini Mario figures, which, as of Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis, has expanded to include similar versions of other characters, including, interestingly enough, Mini Peach.

Mario and his friends are highly skilled in a variety of sports. The Mario franchise has spun off into games involving go-kart racing, soccer, baseball, tennis, golfing, basketball and dancing. In most of these games where different characters may have varying levels of skill, Mario is typically the most balanced character in classes such as weight, speed, power, or other abilities.

Doctor Mario

Marking his first appearance in 1990, as a doctor, Mario fights various germs by throwing pills into an infected jar that would match the color of the specific germ. When a certain number of color matching pills hit the germ, it is destroyed. In 2001, Mario appeared in Dr. Mario 64 in an updated version of the original puzzle game (fighting an epidemic with Mega vitamins that a scientist steals, and either Dr. Mario or Wario try to get it back.) Mario was also in doctor form as a secret character in the Nintendo GameCube hit, Super Smash Bros. Melee. In comparison to Mario, aside from the obvious appearance change, Dr. Mario is actually heavier than Mario, and his regular attacks are slightly varied from Mario's. His neutral B attack is no longer a fireball, but a Megavitamin. It does more damage than the fireball, and has a shorter trajectory. His across B attack (the Super Sheet) covers double the distance above and below the cape than Mario's does, but it also has half the reach in front of the cape than Mario's does. The super sheet is also different in that, whilst Mario's cape can be used repeatedly to slow vertical movement, the super sheet cannot.

Dr. Mario was also parodied in WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgame$! for the Game Boy Advance in a mini-game called "Dr. Wario"; an unlockable remake of the original game replacing Mario with Wario, using slightly different character designs for the viruses, and only the "Chill" music.

Mario's most recent appearance as a doctor was in 2005 on the Game Boy Advance.

Baby Mario

Baby Mario is the infant version of Mario (who curiously has a full head of hair). Although he has paradoxically appeared alongside his older self in Nintendo sports titles such as Mario Golf, Mario Tennis, Mario Superstar Baseball and Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, it is generally accepted that these games are outside the continuity of the main Mario series, and therefore do not suggest that Mario and Baby Mario are separate characters in the main storyline. An alternative solution is that the babies were present via time travel, as was the case in Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time. Like the older Mario, he is voiced by Charles Martinet.

Baby Mario first appeared in the Super NES game Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island where the Yoshis saved his brother Luigi from Kamek the Magikoopa. In Yoshi's Island, Baby Mario has a rather passive role, essentially being carried around by different Yoshis for most of the game. However, in some levels, a power-up resembling a starman allows him to transform into Super Baby Mario, giving him very high speed, relative invincibility, and the ability to float for short distances (thanks to the Super Mario World yellow cape). Other than this, Baby Mario is remembered for his boisterous and annoying sobs whenever Yoshi ran into an enemy. When Yoshi took a hit, Baby Mario would float within a bubble while bawling loudly, and the player controlling Yoshi would have between 1-30 seconds to recover Baby Mario and hitch him safely on Yoshi's back. If the time ran out, Mario would be kidnapped by Kamek's Toadies and Yoshi would lose a life.

File:Babymario1small.jpg

Baby Mario, as depicted in Yoshi Touch & Go.

More recently, Baby Mario appeared in Yoshi Touch & Go and Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time for the Nintendo DS. In Yoshi Touch & Go he reclaims the role he held in Yoshi's Island; Baby Mario falls from the sky, this time held up by balloons, as the player guides him by drawing clouds down to the ground where Yoshi waits to catch him. He then rides on Yoshi's back for the rest of that level of the game. In some game modes, Baby Mario can again find the power-up that turns him into Super Baby Mario, making him temporarily invincible. In Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time, he appears alongside his adult counterpart, along with both respective versions of Luigi. The pair of brothers team up in order to save Princess Peach (the grown-up version) from a group of alien invaders known as the Shroobs.

The Japan only game Bio Miracle Bokutte Upa is sometimes referred to as "Mario Baby" due to that name being applied to a ROM hack of the game.

In Yoshi's Island, Baby Mario was shown wearing just a diaper and his hat, but in all games since then (except Yoshi Touch and Go, probably because it takes place at the same time as Yoshi's Island), Baby Mario has worn a red shirt and blue overalls -- the same outfit he would wear later in life. Another side note is that his red "M" cap is the same size and is rather big for Baby Mario's head.

According to the information revealed about Yoshi's Island 2 at E3 2006, Baby Mario was preschooled on Yoshi's Island. When a mysterious island appeared and kidnapped most of his schoolmates, he teams up with Yoshi, Baby Peach, and even Baby Donkey Kong and Baby Wario to save them.

Baby Mario made an unexpected cameo alongside Baby Luigi in the first picture of the opening and ending intro of Mario Power Tennis.

Relations

Mario usually has the role of saving the damsel in distress. Originally, he had to rescue his girlfriend Pauline in Donkey Kong from the clutches of the giant ape himself. Pauline didn't last long as a character and was soon replaced by new damsel in distress Princess Peach in Super Mario Bros. (She was initially referred to as Princess Toadstool in the US. Peach is the princess's Japanese name; there, the character has always been referred to as Princess Peach. In Super Mario 64, at the beginning of the game, she signs a letter as "Princess Toadstool, 'Peach'", implying Peach is her nickname, although in later games the Toadstool was dropped). Pauline is soon to return in Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis, although whether or not she still has a relationship with Mario is unknown at this point, especially since the Mario Toy Company has expanded its toy line to include Mini-Peach toys, among others.

Mario has rescued Peach multiple times since Super Mario Bros., often receiving a kiss as a reward. Although the true nature of their relationship is never revealed, it is evident that there is a mutual affection between the two characters. It has been revealed that Mario's nemesis Bowser is in love with the Princess, which explains why he constantly steals her away from Mario. Oddly enough, in Super Princess Peach, the roles Peach and Mario usually have are reversed, and Peach gets to act as the hero.

Mario once rescued Princess Daisy in Super Mario Land on the Game Boy, at the end of which Mario received a kiss. Additionally, the Japanese-only album Super Mario Compact Disco mentions Daisy as Mario's number-one girl (Peach does get a mention, but only once during the song "Super Mario USA"). In sports titles, though, Daisy hangs out with Luigi more often, leading to fan speculation that she may be romantically involved with Luigi rather than Mario. In Super Smash Bros. Melee, the text on Princess Daisy's trophy states that "after her appearance in Mario Golf, some gossips started portraying her as Luigi's answer to Mario's Peach."

In the Game Cube game Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, it is revealed that Mario is quite popular with many of the female characters. After Mario rescues Goombella from Lord Crump and his X-Naut soldiers at the beginning of the game, she rewards him with a kiss and at the end of the game in Goombella's e-mail it seems she has had a crush on him as well. Also when Mario and his companions return Flurrie's necklace to her, she forcibly gives him a kiss. Another recurring character, Ms. Mowz (who is also an optional partner) is instantly smitten by Mario when she first meets him and his companions and continuously flirts with him and gives him a kiss before she leaves every time she runs into them, much to the dismay of Goombella. Finally, another character who seemed to have a crush on Mario is Vivian, one of the Three Shadow Sirens. When Mario's name and body are stolen and is turned into a shadow of himself, he helps her search for a bomb she needed, and she is touched by his kindness, even though she becomes aware that he has worse problems than her. At the end of the game, just as Mario is about to board the boat back to the Mushroom Kingdom with Princess Peach and Toadsworth, Vivian sounds like she is about to reveal her feelings for Mario but stops and says that he and Peach would make a great couple. All of the female characters that join Mario's team have kissed him at least once. Not only that, but Beldam also expressed that she found Mario attractive as well when she and her two sisters were glancing at the sketch of him that was given them to Grodus in order for them to find Mario and his friends.

It should also be noted that during the scene in Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars in which Mario crashes Booster's wedding, Mario receives a kiss from Peach if he recovers her accessories from the aisles quickly. However, if he takes too much time, Peach tricks Bowser and Booster into kissing A goomba. Bowser quickly mentions that (regardless of if he's kissing a Goomba or Booster) it tastes like sandpaper. She also tells Mario that he is her "knight in shining armor" and hopes that she will get married someday. There is also a female Toad in the game that says to Mario that she and he will "get hitched", but asks him to give her time to grow into her mother's wedding dress.

Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins for the Game Boy saw the arrival of Wario, Mario's demented and greedy alter ego. Though there is no official, tangible relationship between the two, it is clear that Wario is designed to act, in a way, as an anti-Mario, similar to the relationship between Bizarro, a Superman comic book character, and Superman himself.

Abilities and techniques

File:Fire flowerSMB.png

A Fire Flower as seen in Super Mario Bros.

During the development of Donkey Kong, Mario was known simply as "Jumpman", named for his keen ability to jump exceptional heights. This ability is still described as Mario's greatest talent in most forms of media in which he is portrayed, and jumping -- both to access different areas of a level and as an offensive move -- remains a core element of gameplay in most Mario games, especially in the Super Mario Bros. series.

Mario's most commonly portrayed form of attack is jumping to stomp on the heads of enemies, first employed in Mario Bros. (but his main attack in this game was to hit the floor underneath the enemy, fliping them up-side-down) but better known from the later Super Mario Bros. game and its sequels. This jump-stomp move may entirely crush smaller enemies on the stage, and usually deals damage to larger ones, sometimes causing secondary effects as well. Most notably, this attack often enables Mario to knock the turtle-like Koopa Troopas back into their shells, which may slide across the stage, damaging other enemies, or Mario. Mario can also kick or toss these shells at enemies or barriers in many games.

Beyond this core mechanic, many subsequent games have elaborated on Mario's jumping-related abilities. Super Mario World added the ability to spin-jump, which allows Mario to break blocks beneath him. Later, the Game Boy remake of Donkey Kong allowed Mario to jump higher with consecutive jumps, and perform a back-flip. Super Mario 64 continued the use of these abilities as well as a long jump, a sideways flip called a Side Somersault, and a ground pound. It also made jumping off of walls much simpler to accomplish, and named it the "Wall Kick." Super Mario Sunshine then re-introduced the spin jump, but changed its function; in Sunshine, the spin-jump makes Mario jump a little bit higher, also fall more slowly than after a normal jump.

Mario also makes use of a wide array of items in most games in which he appears. The most prominent and best known of these is the Super Mushroom, which allows Mario to grow to twice his size. In this form he is usually labeled "Super Mario", and receives an additional hit-point; sustaining damage from most enemies will only cause Super Mario to shrink back down to "regular Mario" size. Mario is apparently stronger in his Super form, too, having the ability to break bricks with his fist (or even head). Additionally, in many games collecting a Fire Flower enables Mario to throw fireballs at enemies (pyrokinesis), and a Starman renders Mario temporarily impervious to harm. In addition, beginning with Super Mario Bros. 3, leaves or feathers have been used as items that give Mario the ability to fly for short distances. Super Mario World introduced Mario's dinosaur friend Yoshi to the game series, whom Mario can ride. When riding Yoshi, Mario can clear spiky terrain and stomp foes that he otherwise cannot. Various other Mario power-ups have included the Frog Mario frog suit, granting Mario improved jumping and swimming abilities (Super Mario Bros. 3); the feather, giving Mario a cape and allowing Mario to fly, and the Power Balloon, allowing Mario to float upwards for a brief time (Super Mario World - a similar ability returned, except via the Power Flower, in Super Mario 64 DS); a carrot that made Mario sprout rabbit ears, allowing him to float down from high places (Super Mario Land 2); and a blue shell that allowed Mario to transform into Shell Mario, and thereafter skid around levels in a manner similar to a kicked Koopa shell (New Super Mario Bros.). New Super Mario Bros. also introduced the Mega Mushroom, which causes Mario to grow to screen-filling proportions, and allows him to not only crush enemies, but even destroy level scenery.

Originally, Mario could swim underwater indefinitely, but in Super Mario 64 and Super Mario Sunshine, he will take damage underwater, although he will instantly regain health when he reaches the surface. The lack of a separate underwater health gauge allowed Super Mario 64 players to recover health by diving under water then returning to the surface, reducing the game's difficulty in some places. In addition, in these two games, unlike in other games, Mario has either 6 or 8 hit points and regains health by colecting coins, running through a spinning heart item, or collecting a Star or Shine Sprite.

Mario's hat is also very important. In Super Mario 64, Mario will take an extra point of damage if he is attacked without his hat, and in Super Mario Sunshine, Mario will automatically take damage after a few seconds when his hat is stolen. In addition to this, Super Mario 64 features a number of different boxes with hats (or 'Caps') inside that, when donned by Mario, offer him different abilities; the Winged Cap, for example, allows him to fly for a limited amount of time, while the Metal Cap transforms him into Metal Mario.

Although Mario is not usually portrayed using weapons in games, one exception is the use of hammers as a weapons in some games, including Super Mario Bros. 3, as well as the original Donkey Kong and the Super Mario RPG series. In the Super Mario RPG series, Mario uses his hammer to hit switches and solve puzzles as well as to hit enemies. In the Wrecking Crew series, Mario wields a hammer to break bricks, but not offensively. The other times that Mario would use weapons is in the Super Smash Bros. Series where he can wield bats, hammers, guns and others.

Metal Mario

Metal Mario started as a powerup for Mario in Super Mario 64. In Hazy Maze Cave, there was a pool of swirling metal which held a new area. Once the switch in that area was pushed, Metal Caps were available. Metal Mario was completely invulnerable. Similar to Sega's Super Sonic, Metal Mario could harm enemies by simply running into them. The ability was limited to a time limit. When Metal Mario was hit, he would sometimes flinch, but would be completely invincible and not lose health. Along with this, Metal Mario would not have to breathe, which allowed him to walk in noxious gas and water. His heavy weight would allow him to be able to sink in water, helping in some missions. Metal Mario would also lose the ability to speak (which, while not having any significant impact on overall story or gameplay, only serves to show that Mario became composed entirely of metal). In the enhanced remake, Super Mario 64 DS, the ability to turn into an all-metal being would be granted to Wario instead.

In Super Smash Bros, Metal Mario would make a return appearance as a sub-boss. He delivers a heavy amount of damage to opponents and takes double the normal amount of damage to be knocked from the stage. On easier difficulties he merely hits the player if their character gets in the way. However, the higher the difficulty, the more aggressive the character became to the point where Metal Mario would be using extremely furious Smash attacks with devastating combos. The arena is set in that of a metallic mine to give an interesting atmosphere to the fight.

In Super Smash Bros Melee, Metal Mario would return a little more aggressive than before; however, after unlocking Luigi, it would not be just Metal Mario the player would have to contend with, but the "Metal Bros.". Metal Mario would be aided by Metal Luigi, while both characters would be extremely difficult on the higher difficulty levels due to the increase in attacks and combos from the last game. Other metal versions of characters could appear as enemies in Classic mode, although Metal Mario (and Metal Luigi if Luigi was unlocked) would be encountered every time while playing in Adventure Mode. The Metal Box was included as a power up (which bore a resemblance to the original box in Super Mario 64) and its effect allowed any character to transform into a metal version of themselves.

Metal Mario appeared as a secret unlockable character in Dr. Mario 64 and in Mario Golf. In Mario Golf he was very strong, having an even longer drive than the super-powerful Bowser.

Conception and creation

Mario first appeared in the video game Donkey Kong. The game was surprisingly successful, and when the Nintendo Entertainment System was released, Mario was given the starring role in the revolutionary Super Mario Bros. game.

Mario's distinctive look is due to technology restrictions in the mid-'80s; with a limited number of pixels and colors, the programmers could not animate Mario's movement without making his arms "disappear" if his shirt was a solid color; they did not have the space to give him a mouth or ears; and they could not animate hair, so Mario got overalls, a mustache, sideburns, and a cap to bypass these problems. Mario's creator Shigeru Miyamoto has also stated when interviewed that Mario wears a cap because he finds it difficult to draw hair.

When Mario was first conceived, he looked, more or less, as he does today; a short, stubby man with the trademark hat, brown hair, black moustache, and overalls. He normally wears blue overalls on top of a red shirt, but such was not always the case. Originally, he wore red overalls on top of a blue shirt — exactly opposite what he wears now. The American Super Mario Bros. 2 was the first appearance of his modern outfit (the box had the red overalls-on-blue shirt, but the game itself had a blue overalls-on-red shirt);The boxart of Super Mario Bros. 3 has Mario's blue overall, red shirt and red hat combo; however, it was Super Mario World that standardized today's blue overalls-on-red shirt outfit. Incidentally, the original Super Mario Bros. has neither in-game; Mario wears a brown shirt with red overalls. (In the SNES remake of Super Mario Bros. as part of Super Mario All-Stars, Mario wears the original red overalls and blue shirt.) In the animated series, Mario was always depicted as having red overalls and a blue shirt. In the arcade Mario Bros., he wore a blue hat instead of a red one.

Mario's standard outfit rarely changes, though he's known to change it on occasion if the situation calls for it. For example, in Super Mario Strikers (Mario Smash Football in Europe), Mario wears an Association Football (soccer) outfit as opposed to overalls. In Super Mario Sunshine, Mario wore a red T-shirt with his hat and overalls rather than a long-sleeved shirt. (It was also possible to for him to put on sunglasses and a Hawaiian-style Shine Sprite shirt.) In some Mario games, Mario can transform into different forms, each with a different costume/appearance. These include Tanooki Mario, which allows him to fly and turn into a statue to hide from enemies, and Fire Mario whereby, after collecting the Fire Flower, he will wear red overalls with a white shirt and hat (in Super Mario Bros., he wore white overalls with a red shirt and hat, but just as his normal color scheme changed, so did his fire color scheme) and can throw fireballs.

A Super Mushroom, inspired by the Lewis Carroll story, Alice in Wonderland

Miyamoto created many of the elements in the Mario world from ideas he had seen in other media. One of his most recognizable contributions to his Mario universe is the Super Mushroom, which enlarges Mario until he is damaged by an enemy. There is also a Poison Mushroom, which is darker than the Super Mushroom and featured in the Japanese Super Mario Bros. 2, and consequently in the western Super Mario All-Stars and Super Mario Bros. DX. When Mario takes it, he is either returned to small Mario (if he is Super Mario) or killed. The item makes an appearance in Super Smash Bros. Melee, wherein it shrinks any combatant that touches in, with a resultant loss in power and weight.

These ideas were derived from the "Eat me" cakes and "Drink me" potions in the Lewis Carroll story, Alice in Wonderland, after Miyamoto was forced to shrink the original sketches of Mario because they were too big. The concept behind warp pipes, colored tubes which sometimes transport Mario to another area, was inspired by Star Trek.

The surname "Mario" (which would make his full name Mario Mario) was first used in The Super Mario Bros. Super Show, and then in the 1993 feature film Super Mario Bros. This was meant to explain how both Mario and his brother Luigi could be known as the "Mario brothers". This surname theory has never been employed in any official Nintendo games or media, however, and it is broadly accepted that Mario and Luigi are collectively called the Mario Bros. simply because Mario is the headliner of the pair.

Mario has taken on the role of mascot of Nintendo and has since been extensively merchandised. Mario's major rival was Sega mascot Sonic the Hedgehog who debuted in the early 1990s; the two mascots competed head-to-head for nearly a decade afterward, until around 2001 when a Sonic game showed up on a Nintendo console due to Sega's new third party status, ending a lengthy rivalry.

In popular culture

Super Mario in Kungsbacka, Sweden

Since his creation, Mario has established himself as a pop culture icon having starred in three television shows, comic books, and in a feature film where he was played by Bob Hoskins. Nintendo of Japan also produced a 60-minute anime feature starring Mario and his friends in 1986, although this film has never been released outside of Japan. He has also appeared on lunchboxes, t-shirts, in magazines, in commercials, in candy form, and as a plush toy. The animated series The Super Mario Bros. Super Show featured a live-action series of skits staring (former WWF manager) "Captain" Lou Albano as Mario and Danny Wells as Luigi. There was even a book series, the Nintendo Adventure Books. In 1990, a national survey found that Mario was more recognizable to children in the world than Mickey Mouse . In addition, Mario made history in 2003 by becoming the first video game character to be honored with a wax figure in the legendary Hollywood Wax Museum. In 2005, Jonathan Mann even wrote an opera based on the character, and performed The Mario Opera at the California Institute of the Arts.

In mass media

File:CartoonMario.jpg

Mario as seen in the animated TV series

Mario's theme music in Super Mario Bros., composed by Koji Kondo, is highly recognizable. Sample. Former NHL hockey player, Mario Lemieux was given the nickname "Super Mario" by the media during his illustrious career. Mario Williams, the #1 draft pick in the 2006 NFL Draft, was also given the nickname "Super Mario", as was pro-cyclist, Mario Cipollini. In Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door, Mario is given the stage name of "Great Gonzales" during his battles in Glitzville. Before a climatic battle, one of the audience members refers to Mario as "Jumpman," poking fun at Mario's past identity. Mario got his name from Nintendo of America's Landlord, Mario Segali. Before that, he did not have a name and was referred to as "Jumpman". Mario's nickname in Mario Hoops 3 on 3 is The Jumpman again making reference to his original name. Mario is currently voiced by Charles Martinet who also voices Luigi, both their baby counterparts, and Wario and Waluigi, as well as other characters such as Donkey Kong.

Notes and references

External links

Official

• Mario's World (Nintendo of America Official Site, currently replaced by New Super Mario Bros. info)
• Mario's Megasite (Nintendo of Europe Official Site)

Unofficial

• Mario: The Unauthorized Biography
• Super Mario Wiki, a wiki dedicated to everything Mario
• The Mushroom Kingdom
• Super Mario Bros. Headquarters
• Mario Licensees at MobyGames