Super Mario is a video game character created by Japanese game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. He is the protagonist of the eponymous video game series and has appeared in over 200 games since his creation in 1985. Mario has been described as one of the most influential characters in video gaming and has been honored with several awards.

1. Super Mario was not originally intended to be Italian.

2. The original name for Super Mario was Mr. Video Game.

3. Super Mario’s signature red color was chosen because it was considered to be a “lucky” color in Japan.

4. The famous Super Mario theme song, “Ground Theme,” was composed by Koji Kondo in just two days.

5. The original design for Super Mario was based on the character of Popeye.

6. Miyamoto has stated that he wanted Super Mario to be a character that could be easily recognized, even by people who are not familiar with video games.

7. The first Super Mario game was not released in the United States until 1985, two years after it debuted in Japan.

8. In the early days of development, Miyamoto had difficulty coming up with ideas for new Super Mario games. He has said that he sometimes resorted to looking at photos of nature for inspiration.

9. The name “Mario” was chosen because it is easy to pronounce in any language.

10. “Luigi” was chosen as the name for Mario’s brother because it is a homophone of the Japanese word for “help.”

11. The original version of Super Mario Bros. was released in Japan on September 13, 1985.

12. The game was an immediate hit, selling over 6 million copies in Japan.

13. Super Mario Bros. was released in the United States on February 12, 1986 and became the best-selling video game of all time.

14. In 1988, a sequel to Super Mario Bros., titled Super Mario Bros. 2, was released in Japan. The game was not released in the United States until 1992 due to its difficulty level.

15. In 1990, a third Super Mario game, titled Super Mario Bros. 3, was released in Japan. The game was an instant success, selling over 18 million copies worldwide.

16. Super Mario Bros. 3 is considered to be one of the greatest video games of all time.

17. In 1991, a fourth Super Mario game, titled Super Mario World, was released for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System.

18. Super Mario World sold over 20 million copies and is considered to be one of the greatest video games of all time.

19. In 1996, a fifth Super Mario game, titled Super Mario 64, was released for the Nintendo 64 console.

20. Super Mario 64 is considered to be one of the greatest video games of all time and has sold over 11 million copies.