Super Mario is probably the most famous video game character of all time. As a matter of fact a survey once determined that Mario is more recognizable than Mickey Mouse himself. Mario has provided us with decades of entertainment and we can’t thank this overall wearing plumber enough for his years of service. Today we’re going to repay the favor and spread the good word about the Mushroom Kingdom’s most notorious hero. Here are 10 spectacular facts about Super Mario.
#10 – You Can Jump Over The Flagpole
Climbing the flagpole is the classic ending to most Super Mario Bros. levels but did you know you can actually jump over the flagpole? It won’t do much for you as the only thing you’ll be able to do is continue running off screen.
#9 – Mario Was Originally A Carpenter
Mario was originally a carpenter before he was a plumber. The building which is used in Donkey Kong was supposed to be a building that Mario was working on. He was then changed to a plumber when he got his own game and pipes were integrated as a part of the levels.
#8 – Mario Is A Mass Murderer
The instruction manual for the original Super Mario Bros. game says that the koopas transformed all of the citizens in the Mushroom Kingdom into the blocks you see featured in the levels. Which means as Mario jumps and smashes those blocks he’s actually killing people. Shame on you Mario.
#7 – Mario Almost Had A Terrible Name
Mario is now world famous and we don’t think there’s anyone on the planet that would feel comfortable calling him by a different name. Mario just has such a nice ring to it but things were almost very different. Nintendo originally intended to name him Jumpman but they came to their senses and realized that name sucked. When they were brainstorming trying to figure out a better name they were interrupted by their landlord Mario Segale which is when they settled on the name Mario.
#6 – The First Super Mario Game Sold A LOT Of Copies
There’s no doubt that Mario is popular and arguably the most recognizable video game character ever. It’s no surprise that the first Super Mario Bros. game sold a lot of copies…like A LOT of copies. It sold 40.24 million copies and it was the highest selling game ever before it was dethroned by Wii Sports which sold 41.65 million copies.
#5 – Mario’s Theme Song Is A Very Popular Ringtone
[youtube_sc url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NTa6Xbzfq1U”]
This isn’t very surprising. The theme song for original Super Mario Bros. game known as “Ground Theme” which was composed by Koji Kondo held down a spot on the Billboard ring tone charts for 125 weeks.
#4 – Chain Chomps Can Break Free
Chain Chomps are one of the most feared enemies in the Super Mario universe but most people find comfort in the fact that they’re attached to a chain. Don’t get too comfortable, that chain won’t hold them forever. Chain Chomps can only tug on their chain 49 times before they break free and start chasing you.
#3 – Mario Has Had The Same Voice Actor Since 1995
Charles Martinet has provided the voice for Mario since 1995. He also voices Luigi, Wario, Waluigi, Toadsworth, Baby Mario, Baby Luigi and others.
#2 – Mario Got His Big Break Thanks To Popeye
Donkey Kong was originally supposed to be a Popeye game. For some reason the developers of the game weren’t able to use Popeye so they had to come up with something else. While deciding on a character to replace Popeye the creators of Donkey Kong put Mario in his place which is how he got his big break.
#1 – Mario’s Color Scheme Has Changed Over The Years
Before making the jump to the Super Nintendo console Mario used to wear a blue shirt and red overalls. After making the jump his color scheme was switched to blue overalls with a red shirt.
