Mario
Nintendo's mustached Italian plumber — the mascot of video games as a medium and probably the most recognized fictional character of the last fifty years.
Origin
Created by Shigeru Miyamoto in 1981 as 'Jumpman,' the protagonist of Donkey Kong. Renamed Mario, given a brother (Luigi), and starred in Super Mario Bros. (1985) — the game that revived the post-crash video game industry and shipped over 40 million copies on the NES. The franchise has since spanned roughly 200 games, an animated film (2023, $1.36 billion box office), theme parks, and a name recognition above Mickey Mouse in some polls. The look — red hat, blue overalls, brown mustache — is universally readable, even to people who've never played a game.
Modern usage
His name is shorthand for video games in general the way 'Hoover' is for vacuums. 'It's-a me, Mario' is the canonical voice-clip; the cap-and-overalls is a default Halloween costume. Often the visual stand-in when news graphics need to say 'gaming.'
Tags