10 Mario Fun Facts!



Here are 10 things you may not know about our favorite video game character Mario:

  • Mario was first seen in the video game Donkey Kong, but he was called "Jumpman." He was also a carpenter then, not a plumber.

  • Mario was named after Mario Segale, the landlord of Nintendo of America’s office, who barged in on a company meeting demanding an overdue rent.
  • Shigeru Miyamoto drew Mario as wearing a cap because he found drawing hair difficult. He also drew in the moustache, because it was easier to see than a mouth in the crude video game screen resolution back then.
  • Mario and his younger brother Luigi are known as the "Mario Brothers." This means that Mario’s last name is also Mario, so his full name is Mario Mario.
  • Mario is voice-acted by Charles Martinet, who crashed the audition for "an Italian plumber from Brooklyn" character. Here’s an interview with the man:

  • Mario’s nemesis is Wario (a combination of “warui”, the Japanese word for bad, and Mario). Similarly, Luigi’s rival is Waluigi. Both are also voiced by Charles Martinet.
  • Mario has appeared in over 200 video games so far, has sold over 193 million units of games (all of the Mario series) and even has his own TV cartoon show. Super Mario Bros. 3 alone grossed over $500 million in USA.
  • TV Schmeve, you’re nothing till there’s an opera done on you. In 2003, Jonathan Mann of California Institute of Arts created The Mario Opera, a rock opera:

  • Super Mario Bros. theme music, written by Koji Kondo, is known worldwide. It has inspired countless fan-renditions, including one played by Zack Kim on two guitars (viewed over 4 million times on YouTube!), played by Jean Baudin on 11 string bass, beatboxed by Greg Patillo on the flute, and played by the Oregon Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra on the trombones.

    But my favorite is this one by Play! symphony orchestra:

  • Mario is the most famous character in the history of video games, and perhaps is the most famous character ever. In a 1990 poll by Marketing Evaluations, Mario was found to be more popular (and recognizable) among children than Mickey Mouse.

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Posted on September 22, 2007 at 12:32 pm by Alex
Category: Cartoon & Comic, Neatorama Only, Toy & Video Games



36 Comments to "10 Mario Fun Facts!"

  • Jonathan (of the Japan Journal)
    September 22nd, 2007 at 9:18 pm

    Nice article. Oh, and just for the record, “Nintendo hasn’t ever officially given Mario or Luigi a surname” (Wikipedia).

  • luciferin
    September 23rd, 2007 at 1:21 am

    Nintendo may not have, but every story involving them has their surname being Mario (for instance, the movie). And as the article says, they’re known as the Mario Brothers, meaning they’re both named Mario.

  • Cody
    September 23rd, 2007 at 1:59 am

    The video of the beatboxing flautist doesn’t include any mario songs. First he does the Inspector Gadget theme and then Beverly Hills Cop.

  • futurecy
    September 23rd, 2007 at 2:16 am

    jonathan, most people believe that mario and luigi do not have surnames, but in fact, they did have surnames in the 1993 movie Super Mario Bros. starring Bob Hoskins, John Leguizamo, and Dennis Hopper. the IMDB link can be found here http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0108255/
    Notice that the names are Mario Mario and Luigi Mario.

    Great article, i loved the interview with the real life voice of mario

  • jkfan87
    September 23rd, 2007 at 2:25 am

    Using Wikipedia as a source = fails

  • Internet Hate Machine
    September 23rd, 2007 at 2:37 am

    “Using logic as a source = fails”

    Fixed. If your name is Bob Smith and your brother is Dan Smith, are you the Smith Brothers or the Bob Brothers? Get out.

  • Derek Quenneville
    September 23rd, 2007 at 2:48 am

    The full names of Mario Mario and Luigi Mario appear in Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga on the GBA. The names are shown early in the game when the characters pose for their passport photos.

  • Right
    September 23rd, 2007 at 5:09 am

    “Shigeru Miyamoto drew Mario as wearing a cap because he found drawing hair difficult. He also drew in the moustache, because it was easier to see than a mouth in the crude video game screen resolution back then.”

    Actually he used a cap because with a cap he could make it clear when mario was jumping or not (that’s why it’s off his head when in the air)…

  • Izzy Nobre
    September 23rd, 2007 at 10:12 am

    Mario and his younger brother Luigi are known as the “Mario Brothers.” This means that Mario’s last name is also Mario, so his full name is Mario Mario.

    This has been debunked by Nintendo publicly several times.

  • Anonymous
    September 23rd, 2007 at 10:21 am

    @Cody, scroll down for the Mario video.

  • Jerry Jackson
    September 23rd, 2007 at 12:37 pm

    @people using the Mario Bros movie as a reference.

    Yeah, we all take the Mario Bros movie as official canon in the Mario universe right?

    /\/\sarcasm/\/\

  • Cody
    September 23rd, 2007 at 2:42 pm

    my bad. thx Anonymous!

  • Jacob
    September 23rd, 2007 at 7:29 pm

    Regarding the voice actor, I greatly preferred Mario when he was mute. The voice makes him sound WAY too cheerful to be appropriate.

  • kid icarus
    September 24th, 2007 at 11:45 am

    sonic is better anyway.

  • ja_raul
    September 24th, 2007 at 1:52 pm

    gtfo kid icarus

  • Mrbutthead
    September 24th, 2007 at 11:29 pm

    Nah, mario rocks. I didnt realize after all these years that mario brothers means “Mario Mario” and “Luigi Mario”. Odd.

    Oh, sonic sucks. Up his ass with broken glass!

  • David
    September 26th, 2007 at 3:54 pm

    Mario, Mario Mario?

    WTF are you people going on about.

    Who cares if he “officially” had a surname or not?

  • nalden
    September 27th, 2007 at 10:54 pm

    Wait.. isn’t it “Super Mario Brothers?” So, shouldn’t their names technically be Mario Super Mario and Luigi Super Mario. What a ridiculous last name!

  • Andrew Brodie
    September 28th, 2007 at 9:24 pm

    @nalden

    They use Super as an adjective i.e they are the mario brothers and they are super cool

  • Abe Frohman
    October 5th, 2007 at 2:14 pm

    I almost hate to post this, but Derek is right. Superstar Saga on the GBA shows the names on their passports as, “Mario Mario,” and “Luigi Mario.”

    Is that canon enough for you?

    I agree with you about the movie though, that was an abomination.

  • Shawn
    October 5th, 2007 at 10:22 pm

    Super Mario Bros is the Sequel to a game called *GASP* Mario Bros. Its a sequel in the way that Mario 64 is a sequel to SMB3

  • jimmy
    October 6th, 2007 at 10:02 am

    first thing - you are all morons. second thing - you are all morons.

  • Mario Mario
    October 6th, 2007 at 11:02 am

    If Huard starts tomorrow, I’m going to clean Herm’s clock!!!!!!!!!

  • iceanimal
    October 7th, 2007 at 12:33 pm

    @Jonathan: Your supposed to be a journalist, learn that Wikipedia isn’t a credible sourcing site you tool.

  • Get to work Mario Mario
    October 7th, 2007 at 3:50 pm

    Mario Mario Huard started and Herm’s clock needs cleaning.

  • BOB HOSKINS
    October 8th, 2007 at 8:55 pm

    The Super Mario Bros. Movie was awesome, cause it had Bob Hoskins.

  • Bob Lewis
    October 10th, 2007 at 3:25 pm

    My name is Bob Lewis and my brother is Louis Lewis so we’re really getting a kick out of these replies.

    /Louis brothers?
    //Lewis brothers?

  • heather
    October 12th, 2007 at 1:14 pm

    Geez people, Mario’s a FICTIONAL CHARACTER in a VIDEO GAME. Get over yourselves.

  • Elizabeth
    October 13th, 2007 at 12:19 pm

    Loved the symphony version! :)

  • Helder
    October 18th, 2007 at 11:04 pm

    Do you want to know why all of you are discussing Mario surname? Read this site:
    http://maltastar.com/pages/msfullart.asp?an=15214

  • kujikiri
    October 21st, 2007 at 7:19 pm

    “and even has his own TV cartoon show”

    Plus, he even had his own anime show. Mind you, I don’t know if this is the only episode or not, but it’s pretty cool.

    http://www.videogamesblogger.com/2006/10/08/classic-nes-review-super-m ario-bros.htm

  • Acronyms
    October 23rd, 2007 at 1:15 am

    Mario didn’t have a surname

  • Jake
    November 14th, 2007 at 3:31 pm

    Hey! well first of all awesome! lol i loved the Orchestra version of the Mario Theme Song, it is so awesome!!! i always listing to it, i love Mario !!! lol
    also people are saying that they don’t officially have a surname, well logically they do because in example

    Person one he is called “John Doe”
    He has a brother called “Joshua Doe”
    They will be known as the Doe brothers, not John brothers, not Joshua Brothers, just Doe brothers,
    to help prove this correct is the fact that a whole family there last name is erm “Flint” so there last name is now Flint lol, that means they are known as the Flint family just like the simpsons family, so it would be Homer Simpson, Marge Simpson, Bart Simpson, Maggie Simpson and Lisa Simpson, so why should it be any diffrent with the Mario Brothers, its not no diffrent!, for another example, lets say Mario and Luigi’s dad is called Ryan and there mother’s name is Rochelle, then they could be called the Mario Family?, making there names : Mario Mario, Luigi Mario, Ryan Mario, Rochelle Mario.
    i hope this helps anyone lol! =]

  • mario fanguy or sumthin
    December 23rd, 2007 at 4:58 pm

    maaaaan… would you guys PLEASE shut the **** up about mario mario or luigi mario >:-<
    (mario rules)

  • Die-Hard Mario Fan
    January 13th, 2008 at 7:23 pm

    Most of this stuff I knew, but still, good job! The orchestra thing was AWSOME! They took music from Super Mario Bros., Super Mario World, Super Mario 64, and Super Mario Sunchine! Every Nintendo Console! Sweet!

  • All Day Gamer
    May 14th, 2008 at 8:27 am

    That is some really interesting information. I have loved Mario Bros. since I can remember.

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