The Mystery of the World’s Most Famous Plumber
How a group of Japanese video game developers based their character on their Italian landlord, Mario
Mario is immortal. You ask any person my age or older, and they’ll instantly recognize that big nose, thick mustache, and the blue overalls with the red-sleeved shirt and a hat. It’s iconic. The backstory, however, is an enigma.
1983: Nintendo releases an arcade game called Mario Bros.
In 1985, Super Mario Brothers was released for the Nintendo Entertainment System. I wasn’t born yet, so the only testimony I have to its legacy are the words of my older cousins and my uncle.
I was born in 1991, and Super Mario 64 was released on the Nintendo 64 in 1996. Almost 25 years later, the game’s playthrough rests in eternity as some of my happiest memories.
The main creator of Super Mario 64 was a man named Shigeru Miyamoto.
Mario is not your normal character. As a 5-year-old, I did not acknowledge that Mario sounded stranger than me or looked a little funny. I wouldn’t even be able to tell you that Nintendo was a Japanese company.
Mario is a stereotypical, heavily accented Italian plumber. He has a fairly large nose and a thick mustache. He is your main…
