The story of the adventures of the most famous plumber in the world dates back to the early 1980s. In 1981, Minoru Arakawa, head of the American branch of the Japanese corporation Nintendo, faced a real challenge. It turned out that the space shooter machines imported to the US Radar Scope are selling well below the manufacturer's expectations. While the game was a huge hit in Japan, it didn't appeal to American gamers, who complained that it was too reminiscent of cult classics Space Invaders.
As a result, to the salons with games Only one third of the 3,000 machines that arrived in the US arrived. Knowing that the future of Nintendo of America was hanging in the balance, the desperate Arakawa asked his father-in-law, Hiroshi Yamauchi, the president of Nintendo, for help. Engineer Gunpei Yokoi and a then inexperienced 29-year-old game designer, came to the US to help – Shigeru Miyamoto.
The plan was “simple”: Yokoi would convert 2,000 machines from Radar Scope, and Miyamoto will create a game that will be more interesting for US players. Okay, but what kind? Initially, the Japanese planned to adapt the adventures of Popeye, one of the icons of American pop culture. Unfortunately, the company failed to obtain the appropriate license.
So instead of Popeye, the players got Donkey Kong. The hero of Miyamoto's game was a likeable carpenter (he became a plumber later!) Jumpmanwho is trying to free his girlfriend Pauline at the hands of a giant gorilla, the titular Donkey Kong (the reference to the famous King Kong is not accidental here).
Released in 1981, the game was an instant hit. Slot machines Donkey Kong took American arcades by storm, players pulled tons of quarters out of their pockets, and Minoru Arakawa could breathe a sigh of relief: Nintendo of America was saved.
My name is Segale. Mario Segale
Even before the premiere Donkey Kong Nintendo's American division was having trouble with cash flow, to put it mildly. The company was behind on rent on a warehouse in Tukwila, Washington, where it kept 2,000 unsold arcade machines. Radar Scope. Production new the game consumed a lot of cash, and the budget was tight.
Delays in payments have made the owner very angry real estate, Mario Segalthe son of two Italian immigrants. So much so that one day Segale ruthlessly entered NOA headquarters and interrupted a meeting in progress, demanding repayment of the debt. Fortunately, the incident ended amicably. As Nintendo employees recalled years later, Segale turned out to be a really “nice guy” and eventually agreed to extend the repayment period.
The temperamental Italian, however, impressed Nintendo executives enough that, as a joke, they began calling Jumpman by his name. The nickname stuck so strongly to the pixel hero that when the sequel hit gamers in 1982, Donkey Kong Jr. Jumpman was no longer Jumpman.
Now his name was Segale. Mario Segale. Shigeru Miyamoto, at the urging of his colleagues, also changed his profession. They claimed that “this guy dressed in dungarees looks more like a plumber than a carpenter.”
In 1983, the game had its premiere (still on arcade machines) Mario Brosin which the likeable plumber and his brother Luigi defend the New York sewers from all sorts of creatures, including turtles that would later be known as “Koopas”. The title was warmly received by players and was released on Apple II and Atari computers the same year. A real explosion Mario's popularity, however, comes a bit later and is associated with three letters – N, E and S.
From NES to Super Mario Bros
Realizing that the era of arcade machines and parlors was slowly coming to an end, in the early 1980s Nintendo began working on a game console that could be connected to a television. This is how the famous Famicom was created, which in the United States and Europe would be known as Nintendo Entertainment System or simply NES.
Designed by Masayuki Uemura The console went on sale in Japan in July 1983, and in the US two years later. However, a big premiere needs a big game. And here Shigeru Miyamoto came to the rescue again.
The creative designer has been working on the sequel for some time Mario Bros. This title is meant to be something that gamers haven't experienced before – to delight with graphics, gameplay and scope. Released on September 13, 1985 Super Mario Bros met all these conditions. The game became a phenomenon almost immediately, synonymous with the ideal platformer. For decades, designers of other games drew inspiration from Miyamoto's work.
The idea for the game was simple: In Super Mario Bros. we take on the role of the titular plumber and set off to the right side of our TV screen to discover the world Mushroom Kingdoms (Mushroom Kingdom), defeat the hostile creatures and then save the princess Peach from the hands King Koopas, Bowser. Whenever we are close to victory, it turns out that… the princess is in another castle.
I think great video games are like favorite playgrounds, places you get attached to and return to again and again. Wouldn't it be great to have a whole drawer full of “playgrounds” at your fingertips?
– Miyamoto recalled years later, explaining what his goal is when creating new games.
Super Mario Bros not only delighted gamers, but also contributed to phenomenal sales of the NES itself, which reached the US in late 1985 and Europe the following year. Suffice it to say that to this day, the Nintendo console has sold almost 62 million copies. And this number does not include later clones of this device, including the popular Pegasus in Poland.
Also Super Mario Bros was a huge commercial success. Nintendo sold a total of 40 million copies of the game. As a result, Mario's adventures entered the Guinness Book of Records for many years as the highest-grossing video game in history. It was only knocked off its pedestal by Wii Sport, released in 2006.
Mario a pop culture icon
The Japanese realized that they had a character in their hands, which could become an icon games video or even more broadly – a pop culture icon. Before the end of the 80s, a number of other games were released under the brand Super Mario – starting with the sequel Super Mario Bros. 2 (it is widely considered to be a “too difficult” game), due to the phenomenal Super Mario Bros. 3 and ending with Super Mario Land.
The beginning of the 90s was the hottest stage of the famous “console war” between Nintendo and Sega. The already famous pixel plumber had to defend himself against attacks younger friend – hedgehog Sonic. Although at one point it seemed that Sega, famous for its controversial marketing, would win the clash with its great rival, Nintendo ultimately triumphed – largely because of its mascot.
After all, it was in the 90s that gamers were treated to some of the best-rated games featuring Mario and his brother Luigi – Super Mario World (1990), Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island (1995) and finally Super Mario 64 (1996). Mario also appeared on screens – first on TV (animation The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3), and then to cinemas, where the live-action film premiered in 1993 Super Mario Bros.
Unfortunately, the production with Bob Hoskins and Dennis Hopper turned out to be a complete commercial flop. Mainly due to the embarrassing plot and unconvincing special effects. We had to wait 30 long years for Mario's cinematic rehabilitation.
In 2023 it hits cinemas Super Mario Bros. Moviewhich turned out to be a gigantic hit. Suffice it to say that the production earned over 1.44 billion dollars worldwide and beat such films as the Oscar-winning Oppenheimer. Only one person earned more last year Barbie. T0 probably best illustrates how important a figure in the world of pop culture the likable plumber, now over 40 years old, still is.
Although Nintendo has had its ups and downs over the past decades, Mario has always remained one of the most valuable assets for the Japanese. Mario is also a sign of quality for gamers themselves. You can count on the fingers of one hand the productions with the lovable plumber that did not find recognition in the gaming community. And there are over 200 games in which Mario appears (not always in the main role). In total, they have sold over 900 million copies.
The newest one, released in 2023. Super Mario Wonderis the best proof that after almost 40 years since the premiere of the first Super Mario Bros The Japanese still have heads full of fantastic ideas. The title impresses with its graphics, music and many surprising solutions, at its core it is still based on the idea of a “playground” that Miyamoto presented in 1985.