This Fact Linking Mario Bros to Washington Will Make You Say WA-hoo!
The Original Mario Lived in Washington State
No, I am not talking about Chris Pratt or Bob Hoskins. I am talking about the original Mario character!
Mario's First Nintendo Game Appearance
The Super Mario Bros game was created in 1985, but that was not the first time Mario would star in a video game.
His origin really starts as a character in the legendary game Donkey Kong. Mario is the character that runs up the beams, jumps over the barrels, and saves Pauline but was originally called 'Jumpman' in the instruction manual.
The crazy thing is the games creator originally wanted Popeye as the hero but could not secure the rights, so he created the Mario character. His name was later changed and the reason has to do with Washington State.
Super Mario Bros Breaks Video Game Records
Any kid growing up since 1985 knows the name Mario Bros. It is arguably the most successful video game franchise of all time, making the Character Mario a mega superstar all over the world. I bet you know that he has sparked hundreds of games, multiple theme parks, and a brand-new movie out in theaters. But did you know that Mario was actually based on a real person and that they lived in Washington State?
Inspiration for the Original Mario Nintendo Character
Mario is known and loved all over the world and is arguably the most successful video game character of all time, but where did his inspiration come from? The character's creator Shigeru Miyamoto created the final design for Mario including his name after a story he heard from Nintendo President Minoru Arakawa.
Turns out the Nintendo President was renting a large warehouse in Tukwila, Washington from a man named Mario Segale. They were using the location as headquarters in the United States while they worked on developing new games.
The Nintendo President tells a story about how Mr. Segale yelled at him in front of Nintendo employees over late rent. The story was circulated around company employees and they then decided to change the name to Mario. Nintendo even confirmed that the Character Mario was named after Mr. Segal in 1993 according to Wikipedia.
Does this story mean the original creators thought Mario was the villain in Donkey Kong, or did they just use the name because it fit the Italian plumber design? Either way, it led to one of the most famous brands in the entire world! Wahoo!