Six Facts You Probably Didn’t Know about Super Mario

Nintendo’s popular moustachioed mascot has managed to jump, duck and burrow his way into every video gamer’s heart over the last 35 years. But, as much as Super Mario™ is a big part of so many people’s childhoods, there’s a lot about Mario that even his biggest fans may not be aware of.

 With the LEGO Super Mario Starter Course and accompanying expansion sets expected to drop in South Africa later this year, many fans of the Super Mario  franchise now get to share their love of the Mushroom Kingdom with their own children.

 So, in the spirit of getting to know Mario a little better, here are a few facts.

Mario made his debut alongside Donkey Kong

 Before Mario took the spotlight in Super Mario Bros, he had already made his first appearance as ‘Jumpman’ in a video game known as Donkey Kong – in fact, creator Shigeru Miyamoto, would refer to Mario as Mr. Video Game. Playing as Jumpman, you were tasked with saving Pauline by leaping from beam to beam, all the while dodging dangerous items being flung by Donkey Kong to get to the top level.

Mario was a jack of many trades

Mario has taken on many challenges and roles in his time. He was initially depicted as a plumber in Mario Bros. in 1983, then a doctor in Dr. Mario on NES in 1990, and a racing driver in Super Mario Kart on SNES in 1992.

Some of Mario’s other roles throughout the years include demolition engineer in Wrecking Crew (NES, 1985), a golfer in Mario Golf (Nintendo 64, 1999), a tennis player in Mario Tennis (Nintendo 64, 2000), and a footballer in Mario Smash Football (Nintendo GameCube, 2005).

Super Mario Bros. was meant to be Nintendo’s last cartridge game ever

Nintendo planned to switch from the popular Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) cartridge consoles to floppy disk-based systems after the release of Super Mario Bros. However, the Mario franchise became such a hit that cartridges stuck around another two decades!

Mario’s signature look was a quick fix

While there’s virtually nothing that today’s motion graphic technology and coding experts can’t achieve, things were certainly a little different three decades ago when Mario was born.

Mario’s look is actually a result of the graphical limitations of arcade hardware in the 1980s. Creator Shigeru Miyamoto gave him bright red overalls and a blue shirt so that his arm movements could be seen more clearly, along with a big nose and moustache so players could recognise his face.

The Super Mario theme song has lyrics you’ve probably never heard

The popular earworm that played during the game and was even remixed into popular pop songs over the years actually has lyrics to accompany it. This happened after the game was released, when Nintendo got wind of a Japanese radio competition that asked fans to submit their ideas for Mario theme music lyrics, and was so impressed by one that it decided to record the lyrics to music and release the song on vinyl.

The LEGO Group has just revealed the full product portfolio for its LEGO Super Mario experience.

Fans can expand on the LEGO Super Mario range with a whole new range of Expansion Sets, collectible Character Packs and Power-Up Packs. The result of a unique partnership with Nintendo, LEGO  Super Mario will reinvent the way people interact with Super Mario in the physical world. The products announced gives fans the chance to build Mario’s house, search for treasure hidden by Toad, and defeat a Koopa Troopa in the Guarded Fortress.

There’s so much to love about Super Mario, and so many quirky facts about his background that not all fans might be aware of – from his now famous look that was initially improvised to his ever-changing day job. And now that Mario is taking the form of an interactive LEGO set, the whole family can finally share in the nostalgia and magic of Mario together!