Every year on March 10th, we get to celebrate the plucky plumber who plunges pipes- Mario! Of course, we can't talk about Mario without his fellow adventurers Luigi, Princess Peach, and Toad. And everyone's favorite towering terror, King Bowser! For this year's celebration, let's take a look at five fast facts about those Super brothers and their world.
- Nintendo was founded in 1889 - You've probably heard this one before, but it's still a fun fact! The company started in Kyoto, Japan as a playing card company. They would continue making different toys and games until becoming the video game giant of today.
- Mario was originally named "Jumpman" - Another oldie but goodie. In the original Donkey Kong game, the player character had no name, then he was Jumpman, and finally he got named little Mario. He was also originally a Brave Carpenter not plumber!
Not so Peachy - Like her leading man, Princess Peach has gone through several upgrades. Back in that original game, she was "The Beautiful Girl" being rescued by the Brave Carpenter. She became Pauline before finally becoming the blonde ruler we know and love today.
4. Luigi, is that you? - Mario's younger, but taller, brother started his life as a simple color swap because Nintendo wanted to incorporate two-player gaming options. Since the programming capabilities were low and the costs were high, the development team just used a green-colored Mario sprite for Luigi for most of his early appearances. He did not have superior jumping abilities until Super Mario Brothers: The Lost Levels and he did not appear taller than Mario until Super Mario Bros. 2. Nowadays, he has his own line of games where his unique abilities and personality can shine!
5. Nintendo owned a baseball team - You read that right! Long before athletes competed to be on the cover of the next sports game release, the President of Nintendo bought the Seattle Mariners. The team had been looking at leaving Seattle, the city that housed the American headquarters of Nintendo operations. And in a show of appreciation President Yamauchi became an owner. Who says video games and sports don't mix?
Bring Mario home!
Instead of just reading about Mario, check out one of his games! Or any other Nintendo game we have available here at the library. We also have titles for other systems like XBOX or PlayStation. Get out there and play more games!
