Mario is a long-running multi-billiondollar media franchise developed and produced by Nintendo, and is the company's main flagship series. The franchise's titular main character is Mario, an Italian plumber who lives and acts as the hero for the Mushroom Kingdom and he himself is Nintendo's mascot. The franchise debuted by now-legendary game designer Shigeru Miyamoto with the first installment being Mario Bros., a Game & Watch game released in early 1983, with an arcade version following shortly after (despite the arcade version was in development first), itself known as the first appearance of Mario's twin brother Luigi. The parent franchise to Mario is Donkey Kong, which had its very first installment, Donkey Kong, released on July 9, 1981 for arcade systems, and the game itself widely known as the grand debut of Mario and Donkey Kong.
The games were primarily developed and self-published internally by Nintendo, while other companies such as Hudson Soft, Square Enix, AlphaDream, Retro Studios, and several more developed Mario games under Nintendo's supervision. Beginning with the era of the Nintendo Entertainment System onward, most installments in the series have been developed for various Nintendo game systems and handhelds.
Since the release of Super Mario Bros. in 1985, Super Mario series became the primary series of the franchise, despite Mario Bros. is the first actual Mario series, to the point of the franchise itself often being branded or marketed Super Mario. The Super Mario series usually revolves around Mario and Luigi protecting the Mushroom Kingdom and rescuing Princess Peach from the evil Koopa King Bowser - the main antagonist, and his Koopa Troop. Both brothers make use of their trademark jumping ability that effectively allows them to proceed through levels, and are also able to acquire a variety of useful power-ups. The franchise also consists of other genres which include racing games such as the Mario Kart series, part games such as Mario Party, sports such as Mario Tennis, role-playing games (RPG) such as the Mario & Luigi series, and several educational games within the Mario Discovery series.
The Mario franchise totals over 250 video games, with a combined selling of over 879 million copies as of 2024. Mario also has appearances in other media such as comics, television series, books, and two different feature films in 1993 and 2023. Due to its incredible success and innovation over the decades, Mario has garnered massive critical acclaim, and it is highly recognized worldwide as the best-selling video game franchise of all time.
Because Mario is Nintendo's primary flagship franchise, even spawning a few spin-offs starring a different mainline Mario character (such as Luigi or Princess Peach), media focused on Nintendo franchises in general usually have more Mario representation than its other popular series such as The Legend of Zelda or Pokemon. One notable example of this is the crossover Super Smash Bros. series, but there are also smaller-scale instances of this such as the NES Remix series, Art Style: PiCTOBiTS, Tetris DS, and even the Play Nintendo website. While both the Mario & Sonic and Mario + Rabbids series feature Mario in the title, these are crossover series designed to have exactly half Mario representation and the other half for Sonic the Hedgehog and Rabbids respectively.
During the 1990s, specifically in North America, Nintendo had a notorious rivalry with Sega, in which the Mario franchise directly competed with the Sonic the Hedgehog series, leading to an intense competition with their respective Super Nintendo Entertainment System/Sega Genesis and to an extent the Nintendo 64/Sega Saturn, as well as their mascots Mario and Sonic, known as the "Console Wars". Eventually, by the release of the GameCube in 2001, Nintendo ultimately won greater sales, and the two companies settled their score with Sonic games being released onto Nintendo systems and crossovers between their franchises later occurred.
Another long-running and very successful Nintendo franchise, The Legend of Zelda, although not actually part of Mario, is related, as this action-adventure series was created by the same development team and even shared many parallel elements or connections with each other since their origins, often as Easter Eggs.
History[]
Early beginnings (1981 - 1983)[]
Mario's very first appearance in 1981, as seen in Donkey Kong
The Mario and Donkey Kong franchise simultaneously began in 1981 with Donkey Kong, in a particularly early era where the Atari 2600 (released in 1977) by Atari was the dominant home console and in the golden age of arcades. Created by Shigeru Miyamoto, Donkey Kong was Nintendo's first major success worldwide, in spite of Sheriff in 1979 was relatively popular in Japan. Originally, the character Mario was known as "Mr. Video Game" then "Jumpman", but it was later changed to the former when Nintendo of America nicknamed him after their landlord at the time, Mario Segale. In this title, Donkey Kong appeared as the titular antagonist (where his role would be as such until the release of Donkey Kong Country in 1994).
In the arcade's sequel the following year, Donkey Kong Jr., Mario appeared as the villain (exclusively), while Donkey Kong Jr. serves as the protagonist. However, he was replaced by Stanley the Bugman in Donkey Kong 3.
NES and Game Boy Era (1983 - 1990)[]
The Mario series released its first true installment in 1983 when Mario got his own game, Mario Bros., also being the first game to feature his twin brother Luigi. This game, alongside the previous Donkey Kong games, were released on the Famicom (the Japanese version of the NES) as launch titles.
Mario and Donkey Kong also appeared in several Game & Watch games.
Super Mario Bros, a groundbreaking game that would set the 2D template for the rest of the franchise
Mario's first breakthrough title was Super Mario Bros. on the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1985. With its then-revolutionary gameplay and music that would set the standard for the franchise as a whole, it sold around forty million copies worldwide, making it the best-selling game of all time during its era. The game introduced many of the hallmarks of the long-running series including Princess Peach, Bowser, Toads, Mushrooms, Fire Flowers, Starmen, Koopa Troopas, and Goombas.
In the wake of the critical success of Super Mario Bros., a supposed direct sequel, Super Mario Bros. 2, was released in the following year in Japan on the Famicom Disk System. the game was quite similar to Super Mario Bros., but features significantly higher difficulty compared to the original, and it was ultimately deemed too difficult to be released internationally (despite this, it was later released to the West in 1993 in the remaster Super NES compilation Super Mario All-Stars and eventually the Wii's Virtual Console in its original FDS form in 2006, as Super Mario Bros. The Lost Levels). This installment introduced Luigi's signature high jumps and low traction as well as the infamous Poison Mushroom. In 1988, a different Super Mario Bros. 2 released for North America, which itself was based on the Japanese game Doki Doki Panic, but with the four protagonists being replaced with Mario characters. The American version allowed players to play as Princess Peach and Toad for the first time and was re-released in Japan as Super Mario USA in 1992.
Another Super Mario game, Super Mario Bros. 3, was released in 1988 in Japan and in 1990 in the United States. The game returned to the formula of Super Mario Bros with great success and is often considered one of the best 2D Mario games ever made. It introduced many new powers such as the Super Leaf, Tanooki Suit, Hammer Suit, and Frog Suit. It also marks the first appearance of the Koopalings. It sold 17.8 million copies.
_(Rev_A).2023-04-23_18.03.05.png){kind=link}
Super Mario Land, the Mario franchise's first mainline handheld game and the debut of Princess Daisy
In 1989, Mario made its debut on the Game Boy with Super Mario Land. It sold 18.06 million copies, making it the best-selling game not bundled with a console in history. This game introduced the good friend of Mario's, Princess Daisy. The sequel was Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins, released in 1992, which introduced Mario's rival, Wario, as well as the Wario series.
In 1990, Mario became a doctor with the puzzle game Dr. Mario.
Super NES Era (1990 - 1996)[]
Super Mario World, the game where Yoshi makes his first appearance
In 1990 for Japan and 1991 in North America, Mario debuted on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System with Super Mario World as one of its few launch titles. This game introduced Mario's companion, Yoshi, and a new power-up called the Cape Feather. Like the earlier NES titles, it was met with critical acclaim and sold 20.60 million copies worldwide. In 1992, the franchise set the standard for go-kart racing games in general with the then-revolutionary Super Mario Kart, the first major Mario spin-off game and introducing the Mario Kart series. It was considered at the time (and some say, still is) the best racing game available.
The following year, a game collection called Super Mario All-Stars contained the previous NES titles Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels, Super Mario Bros. 2 and Super Mario Bros. 3 with upgraded 16-bit music and graphics, released. Today, most fans considered it to be the most definitive way to play those titles due those improvements and save feature in one cartridge. In 1994, a rare bundle of this game was released known as Super Mario All-Stars + Super Mario World, where latter game included has Luigi's sprites (originally a palette swap of Mario) reworked to match his official appearance like the other games.
In the same year, Toad and Wario closed the NES with a bang with the puzzle game, Wario's Woods. It is the only game to star Toad as the only hero.
In 1995, Mario returned to the Super Nintendo as a baby in Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island, introducing the Yoshi series. Instead of controlling Mario, the player controls Yoshi, as the green dinosaur is the game's main protagonist. Luigi and Bowser also had their baby selves introduced and Kamek the Magikoopa serves as the main villain.
The Mario series' final game on the Super NES had him delve into the RPG genre with Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars in 1996 with the co-development of Square (who created the Final Fantasy series). The game is fondly remembered by fans and is often listed as one of the top games for the iconic 16-bit console. Interestingly, this is the first mainline game that lets players play as Bowser.
Nintendo 64 and Game Boy Color Era (1996 - 2001)[]
Super Mario 64 the first major 3D game of the Mario franchise
Like the previous NES and Super NES eras, the Nintendo 64 was a landmark console for the Mario franchise. Its release in late 1996 was the year that Super Mario 64 was released as a launch title, introducing the transition from 2D to 3D for the series with massive success in a manner similar to Super Mario Bros.. It set an example for how 3D platformers should feel. The game sold 11.62 million worldwide, making it the bestselling game for the N64, and is considered one of the greatest video game games ever created, on-par with Nintendo's own The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (also released on the console in 1998).
The next game in the Mario Kart series, Mario Kart 64, was released in 1997. Although successful, the game has been criticized for not feeling as speedy as Super Mario Kart and having rubberband AI. This title is also where the infamous Spiny Shell (often called "Blue Shell" by fans) makes its first appearance.
In 1999, Mario was once again pushed in a new direction. Mario Party was an odd concept: a combination of a board game and video game. However, it was very well done and a good game to play with friends. Therefore, the Mario Party series was introduced.
Another new idea developed in the same year was Mario and sports. Mario Golf was released and well received, introducing the Mario Golf series.
Perhaps the strangest departure was a crossover fighting game. While Super Smash Bros. isn't technically a Mario game, it is still noteworthy. Introducing the Super Smash Bros. series, this title featured characters from some of Nintendo's most popular franchises, specifically Mario, Zelda, Metroid, Star Fox, Earthbound, and Pokemon. It went on to become the fifth best-selling game for the Nintendo 64.
In 1999 and 2000, Mario became a sport hero with Game Boy Color titles Mario Golf and Mario Tennis (Game Boy Color). In the latter year, Mario tried out another sport in the Nintendo 64. Mario Tennis was as successful as Mario Golf was before it. Therefore, the Mario Tennis series as well as Luigi's rival Waluigi was introduced. Princess Daisy makes a long-awaited return in this game.
In the year 2001, Mario returned to the RPG genre, but with a new twist. Paper Mario featured the characters as a paper cut out, unlike the previous Super Mario RPG on the SNES. On its own, the Paper Mario series was introduced.
The Nintendo 64 continued to release more games until it retired in 2002, with its last Mario game being Mario Party 3.
Nintendo GameCube, Game Boy Advance, and Nintendo DS Eras (2001 - 2011)[]
The Game Boy Advance was released on March 21, 2001. In its launch was Super Mario Advance, which was a remake of the American Super Mario Bros. 2, adding new graphics and a few new additions, such as a remake of Mario Bros. that could be played with four players.
Luigi's Mansion, a Mario game specifically for Luigi
In the same year, Luigi got his first established game, Luigi's Mansion, as a launch title for the GameCube, Nintendo's first CD-based console. The game strayed away from platforming and focused on the use of the Poltergust 3000 to solve puzzles and capture a haunted house's ghosts.
2001 also saw the sequel to 1999's fighter Super Smash Bros. with Super Smash Bros. Melee, which became the best-selling game on the GameCube.
Also in 2001, the sequel to Mario Kart 64, Mario Kart: Super Circuit, released. This installment was very similar to the previous two games, but has its own distinctive gameplay. Super Mario Advance 2 came out early in 2002. A remake of Super Mario World, it had new graphics, but unlike the original Advance, it had many new features.
Super Mario Sunshine, the mainline Mario game for the GameCube
In 2002, Mario returned in Super Mario Sunshine, the next major 3D game of the franchise. Like his brother Luigi, Mario was wielding a new device, in this case, F.L.U.D.D.. Although critically acclaimed, it received mixed reactions for its story and unique use of full voicing in cutscenes. Bowser's bratty son, Bowser Jr., was introduced in this game, who himself served as the main antagonist.
Also in 2002 was Super Mario Advance 3. It was a port of the Super NES title Yoshi's Island. However, unlike the previous two Advance games, it had almost nothing new, not even improved graphics.
In mid-2003, Mario Golf had a huge update on the GCN with Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour. It did not have any of the unique humans from the original, but it added tons of new features to add to its wackiness, plus a new, easier mechanic for swings.
Mario had his first RPG on a portable system in 2003. For the Game Boy Advance, Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga featured both of the brothers fighting simultaneously.
.png){kind=link}
Mario Kart: Double Dash, a unique Mario Kart title featuring Karts riding two characters each
Another game released in late-2003 was Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, the sequel to Mario Kart: Super Circuit. It is now considered the most unique installment of its series, as this title featured unique go-karts where two characters would team up together as they race tracks. It is also the first game where the Spiny Shell has the ability to fly and produce an explosion on the lead racer.
2004's Super Mario Advance 4 was more or less a remake of Super Mario All-Stars' remaster of Super Mario Bros. 3, but it had a few tiny changes, such as yet another Mario Bros. remake addition.
The same year, Mario Golf: Advance Tour was released. It was a lot like the GBC version of Mario Golf, but now it has new characters, courses, and 3D graphics. There were RPG elements to the game, too, which meant one's character stats could be totally different from others of the same character. It was possible to link to Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour and transfer characters to it.
Mario went back to his roots and went up against his original antagonist Donkey Kong for the first time in ten years in 2004. Mario vs. Donkey Kong's gameplay was similar to Donkey Kong '94's gameplay, but with entirely new levels.
Also in 2004, the sequel to Paper Mario was released: Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door played similarly to its predecessor, but in a new setting with an unrelated story.
Mario Power Tennis, the sequel to 2000's Mario Tennis, was released, once more in 2004. it featured several new characters and modes, along with Power Shots.
Super Mario 64 DS, the DS remake of the critically acclaimed N64 title featuring playable characters other than Mario
On November 21, 2004, Nintendo released its new console, the Nintendo DS, with a remake of Super Mario 64 for the Nintendo 64, Super Mario 64 DS. Its dual-screen design was inspired by the Game & Watch.
2005 stretched Mario's boundaries a bit further by adding rhythm games to his resume. Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix featured remixed games as well as characters from the Mario series.
Mario also tried a couple of new sports in 2005. Mario Superstar Baseball mixed the great American pastime with Mario. Super Mario Strikers, on the other hand, mixed the Mario series with the excitement of soccer/football.
Although not part of the Mario franchise, Mario, Luigi, and Princess Peach are featured as guest stars in two separate sports games, snowboarding and basketball, by Electronic Arts exclusively on the GameCube in 2005, namely SSX on Tour and NBA Street V3.
The GBA version of Mario Power Tennis was released in 2005, called Mario Tennis: Power Tour. It was much like the GBC Mario Tennis, with RPG elements and humans. Unfortunately, the GCN version could not link up to it.
Late in that same year, two DS titles featuring Mario were released. They were Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time, which was the sequel to Superstar Saga, throwing time travel and Baby Mario and Luigi into the RPG fray, and Mario Kart DS, which was the very first Nintendo online game. It included, along with 16 new courses, 16 old favorites, four from each of the past Mario Kart titles.
Super Princess Peach, a Mario specifically for Princess Peach
Princess Peach officially got her own game in 2006. Super Princess Peach is an easier platformer than the previous Mario platform-based games, but it has its own unique characteristics.
2006 was the year of the Nintendo DS for Mario. The Mario Bros. series has been continued in a unique way with the New Super Mario Bros., to modernize the Super Mario Bros. formula from the NES. With new abilities and the old platforming action, the game is truly a worthy successor and became the best-selling game for the Nintendo DS.
Mario tested his skills on the courts with Mario Hoops 3 on 3. Along with his usual friends, he also went up against some opponents from the RPG series Final Fantasy.
The SNES' Yoshi's Island was succeeded with Yoshi's Island DS. This time, the game featured the younger versions of several favorite characters, including Baby Peach, Baby DK, and many others.
Wii Era (2006 - 2012)[]
Super Mario Galaxy screenshot featuring Roslina
2007 brought on new sequels to classical Mario games, such as Super Paper Mario (Paper Mario series), Mario Party 8 and Mario Party 9 (Mario Party series), Mario Strikers Charged (Mario Strikers series), Super Mario Galaxy (sequel to Super Mario Sunshine). Rosalina was introduced in the latter.
Later in 2008, Super Smash Bros. Brawl (Super Smash Bros. series) and Mario Kart Wii (Mario Kart Series) were released. Mario Super Sluggers (Mario Baseball series) was also released. In 2009, New Super Mario Bros. Wii was released.
In 2010, the sequel to Super Mario Galaxy, Super Mario Galaxy 2, was released.
The first Mario & Sonic game, a summer Olympic based game where Mario had a surprising crossover with his former rival, Sonic the Hedgehog
In 2007 and 2009 respectively, Mario, Sonic the Hedgehog, and several mainline Mario and Sonic characters compete for the IOC Olympics with Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games and Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games. During the release of the former game which marked the first time Mario and Sonic are officially featured in a crossover, the world, especially North America, was in an unexpected shock, as Nintendo and Sega once had a heated rivalry during the SNES era in the early 1990s.
Nintendo 3DS Era (2011 - 2019)[]
The Mario series added a new game to the Super Mario Land series for the Nintendo 3DS with Super Mario 3D Land. Two spin-off games, Paper Mario: Sticker Star and Mario Kart 7, were also announced. In August 2012, a new game for the New Super Mario Bros. series, New Super Mario Bros. 2 was released. In 2013, the very popular Mario & Luigi: Dream Team and not so known Mario Party: Island Tour was released. Also, remakes for the old Mario & Luigi RPG series were released: Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions and Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey in 2017 and 2019 respectively.
Wii U Era (2012 - 2017)[]
New Super Luigi U, a unique Super Mario game where Luigi is the sole hero
Near the end of 2012, Nintendo released a new Super Mario installment for the Wii U, called New Super Mario Bros. U. There was a different, special version of New Super Mario Bros. U, called New Super Luigi U, released for the Year of Luigi. This is the first and so far only game where Luigi goes to save the Mushroom Kingdom from Bowser without Mario being present, making it a must-have for fans of the character.
Another game, Super Mario 3D World, was released as well. In 2014, a spin-off, Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker was released for Wii U consoles. Also in 2014, Nintendo released Mario Kart 8. It went on to become the best-selling Wii U game with over 7 million units. Mario Party 10 was released in 2015. Also in 2015, the Super Mario series turned 30 years old. To celebrate this, Nintendo released Super Mario Maker. The game was a level designer, that allowed users from all over the world to submit creative, and, unfortunately, virtually impossible levels. The game itself, through the Costume Mario item, featured many Nintendo-related characters as well as others from different media (such as Sonic, Pac-Man, or even Hello Kitty) as playable characters.
Nintendo Switch Era (2017 - Present)[]
Mario in Super Mario Odyssey
The first Mario game for the Nintendo Switch was Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle, releasing five months after the system launched in 2017. The first mainline Mario game released for the system, however, was Super Mario Odyssey which is met with success. A remake for the not-so-successful platformer New Super Mario Bros. U was released in January 2019, titled New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe. Another installment to the Yoshi series was also released, called Yoshi's Crafted World. A sequel to Super Mario Maker, named simply Super Mario Maker 2, was also unveiled for the Switch in June 2019, and a third Luigi’s Mansion title, Luigi's Mansion 3, was presented in October 2019.
A new Paper Mario game titled Paper Mario: The Origami King released on July 17 in 2020. In 2021, Mario Golf: Super Rush took part on golf courses, and Mario Party Superstars was partying.
In October 2023, a new mainline Super Mario game, Super Mario Wonder, was released. It is the first game to feature Kevin Afghani as the voice of Mario and Luigi, as the longtime actor Charles Martinet has officially retired.
Trivia[]
- Two recurring Mario elements, Chain Chomps and Fire Bars, were originally created for The Legend of Zelda series before they were given to the former due to the development team find it more suitable.
- Mario Kart 8/Deluxe of the Mario Kart series, combined, is the best-selling game of the Mario franchise, with over 73 million copies sold.