Mario

This article is about the Nintendo character. For the franchise, see Mario (franchise). For other uses, see Mario (given name) and Mario (disambiguation).

Mario
Mario and Donkey Kong character
2D illustration of a cartoon plumber with a mustache, a large round nose, a red cap with the letter M, a red shirt, blue overalls, and brown shoes.
Promotional art by Shigehisa Nakaue (2017)
First gameDonkey Kong (1981)
Created byShigeru Miyamoto
Designed by
Voiced by
Portrayed by
In-universe information
FamilyLuigi (brother)
NationalityItalian (games)
Italian-American (other media)

Mario (Japanese: マリオ; /mɑːrioʊ/, /mærioʊ/) is a character created by the Japanese game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. He is the star of the Mario franchise, a recurring character in the Donkey Kong franchise, and the mascot of the Japanese video game company Nintendo. Mario is an Italian plumber who lives in the Mushroom Kingdom with his younger twin brother, Luigi. Their adventures generally involve rescuing Princess Peach from the villain Bowser while using power-ups that give them different abilities. Mario's distinctive characteristics include his large nose and mustache, overalls, red cap, and high-pitched, exaggerated Italian accent.

Mario debuted as the player character of Donkey Kong, a 1981 platform game. Miyamoto created Mario after he was unable to obtain the license to use Popeye as the protagonist. The graphical limitations of arcade hardware influenced Mario's design, such as his nose, mustache, and overalls, and he was named after Nintendo of America's landlord, Mario Segale. After Donkey Kong, Mario starred in Mario Bros. (1983). Its 1985 Nintendo Entertainment System sequel, Super Mario Bros., began the successful Super Mario platformer series. Charles Martinet voiced Mario from 1991 to 2023, when he was succeeded by Kevin Afghani.

Mario has appeared in over 200 video games. These include puzzle games such as Dr. Mario, role-playing games such as Paper Mario and Mario & Luigi, and sports games such as Mario Kart and Mario Tennis. He lacks a set personality and consistent profession, allowing him to take on many different roles across the Mario franchise. Mario is often accompanied by a large cast of supporting characters, including friends like Princess Daisy, Toad, and Yoshi and rivals like Bowser Jr., Donkey Kong, and Wario. Mario has also appeared in other Nintendo properties, such as the Super Smash Bros. series of crossover fighting games.

Mario is an established pop culture icon and is widely considered the most famous video game character in history. His likeness has been featured in merchandise, and people and places have been nicknamed after him. He inspired many video game characters, including Sega's Sonic the Hedgehog, and unofficial media. The Mario franchise is the bestselling video game franchise of all time, with more than 800 million units sold worldwide. Mario has been adapted in various media; he was portrayed by Bob Hoskins in the live-action film Super Mario Bros. (1993) and voiced by Chris Pratt in the animated film The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023).

  1. ^ a b c d e "Mario Voices (Super Mario Bros.)". Behind The Voice Actors. Archived from the original on November 4, 2021. Retrieved October 3, 2021. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link)
  2. ^ "Real Time Mario at the 1992 SCES". YouTube. DigitalNeohuman. Archived from the original on March 8, 2022. Retrieved February 21, 2021. Stevie Coyle: That's Charles putting the rig on me back in 1992. He has always been The Voice Of Mario. I was there to spell him on his breaks. Unfortunate, actually, that the video was shot when I was on the rig. Charles is da man!
  3. ^ "Stevie Coyle - Interview 2023, Mario (Mostly Unedited)". -YouTube. Archived from the original on September 9, 2024. Retrieved September 9, 2024.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference 2023 film was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ "Mario's Great Adventure - マリオの大冒険 (Mario no Daibouken) - VHS Rip HQ". YouTube. Video Archaeology. Archived from the original on October 13, 2023. Retrieved October 12, 2023.
  6. ^ "Super Mario Bros. Special Booklet p. 09-10.jpg". vgmsite.com. Archived from the original on March 27, 2024. Retrieved March 27, 2024.
  7. ^ Sherman, Jennifer (October 1, 2020). "Voice Actor Kousei Tomita Passes Away at 84". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on October 2, 2020. Retrieved March 17, 2024.
  8. ^ Liu, Stephanie (November 30, 2022). "Japanese Cast for The Super Mario Bros Movie Includes Mamoru Miyano". Siliconera. Archived from the original on November 30, 2022. Retrieved April 11, 2024.


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