40 years later, Mario is still the ultimate gaming mascot: "He's got that Mickey Mouse effect"

There's a reason why Mario has graced the cover of Retro Gamer multiple times. He's become one of gaming's cornerstones, a character that's every bit as synonymous with videogames as Pac-Man, Lara Croft or those pesky little aliens from Space Invaders. There's a good chance that even your dear old nan will recognise Mario – that's how much of an important cultural icon he's become.

Originally making his debut in single-screen platformers like Donkey Kong and Mario Bros, in 1985 he starred in his first side-scrolling adventure, Super Mario Bros, and the moustachioed hero hasn't looked back since. For many gamers and developers, the Super Mario Bros series is considered a template for how to create the perfect platformer. Many have attempted to emulate Mario's success over the years and very few have succeeded – fewer still have actually bested him. Aside from the recent success of Crash Bandicoot and Spyro, only Sonic could be considered as Mario's biggest competitor today and even with all his popularity, he's rarely had the critical acclaim in his 3D adventures like Mario has had. Even an average Mario game can feel special when placed against the competition, and it's telling that of all the platform heroes of the Eighties and Nineties, only Sonic has endured for as long as Nintendo's lovable plumber.

From his 2D adventures of the mid-Eighties and early Nineties, to his innovative modern 3D outings of today – Mario's games have always managed to impress and it's a rare Mario adventure that isn't critically acclaimed by reviewers. Super Mario 64 for example, not only redefined platforming in a 3D space, but also set new standards for 3D games in general – particularly when it came to how characters should control in this exciting new environment.

In more recent years the adventures of Nintendo's evergreen star have veered off in two distinct directions: the New Super Mario Bros series, which debuted on the DS in 2006, is where you'll find his side-on escapades, while his 3D adventures are largely where all the series' new innovations can be found.

But what makes Mario's games so special and why have they constantly been considered the pinnacle of their genre for so many years now? We'll be answering those questions over the following ten pages [well, over the next few articles posted for us here – GamesRadar+ ed] by breaking down the many core aspects of Mario, from how his games control, to how they're designed, with input from a variety of industry veterans. We'll also be highlighting the sheer versatility of Mario and examining some of the many spin-offs he's appeared in, from the Super Mario Kart franchise, to RPG offerings like the Paper Mario series. Even if you're not the biggest fan of Mario, it's hard to deny the colossal impact he's had on videogame culture and the platforming genre and his recent billion dollar success at the box office would suggest that he's more popular than ever. So let's hear it for Mario, a true gaming superstar whose success has come along in leaps and bounds.

Captivating character

Ask someone who Mario is, and there's a good chance they'll be able to tell you at least a little something about him. When the 35th anniversary of Super Mario Bros rolled around in 2020, the Q Scores Company noted that 72% of Americans over the age of six were familiar with Mario, and that he was the most popular videogame character. It's likely that this figure has only grown since then – after all, his 2023 movie grossed over $1.3 billion.

But Mario hasn't always been the star that he is today. Indeed, Mario's name didn't even appear in the title of his debut outing, though his name wasn't exactly a fixed matter when Donkey Kong arrived in arcades – the American operating manual for the game referred to him as Jumpman. In an Iwata Asks interview on New Super Mario Bros, Shigeru Miyamoto noted that he referred to Mario as "Mr Video," a character intended for use across a variety of games. "Someone at Nintendo Of America actually came up with the name Mario," he noted, and a promotional flyer does indeed call him Mario.

Speaking of Donkey Kong, Mario wasn't even a plumber to begin with – he was a carpenter in that game. In a 2012 interview, Shigeru Miyamoto told Game Informer that, "There's really only one rule in terms of the things that Mario does. Generally, it's that he's more on the blue-collar side." You can see that in his early roles, as he worked in factories in his Game & Watch years and did demolition work in Wrecking Crew, reflecting Miyamoto's desire to use him in a variety of settings. In fact, the only major exception to that blue-collar preference is Dr Mario. The 1983 arcade game Mario Bros established Mario and his brother Luigi as plumbers, and that was the characterisation that ultimately stuck.

Though Mario's name and occupation weren't nailed down from the start, his look was almost complete from the very beginning. Take a peek at the cabinet artwork for Donkey Kong and though Mario's eyes were smaller and he looked a bit more riled up than he usually gets, he's in his iconic red hat and has a prominent moustache. He's wearing red dungarees and a blue shirt, and though the original Mario Bros artwork gives him a blue hat, blue dungarees and a red shirt, he swapped back to the Donkey Kong colour scheme for the first two Super Mario Bros games – it was Super Mario Bros 3 that introduced the colour scheme he wears today.

It might seem crazy that the process of solidifying Mario's character and appearance took over five years to achieve, but the result is a design that has stood up to decades of scrutiny and the introduction of 3D artwork. The effort was more than worthwhile. "I think a big part of Mario's appeal is what he represents – the heart of Nintendo! When you see Mario, your brain goes 'fun!'" says Daley Johnson, a game designer at Playtonic and platform game enthusiast. "He's got that Mickey Mouse effect. That, 'Oh I know what to expect.' Mario guarantees a quality stamp because he's an icon." He's a constant – a character that never needs to reinvent himself, because he's timeless.

Playing with Mario's appearance can even pay dividends in gameplay terms – the first time Mario had his hat stolen in Super Mario 64 was certainly memorable, as the sight of his hair was both unexpected and somewhat unsettling. Super Mario Sunshine allowed him to don some summer clothes if you were good enough to earn them, and Super Mario Odyssey even gave him beachwear to some level of online consternation. What were people expecting from a game that allowed Mario to take the form of everything from dinosaurs to Goombas, though? Indeed, it's the hat and moustache that keep him recognisable in those alternative forms that he adopts.

While it's not something that should be done too often, it's worth comparing Mario to Sonic here. Sonic's design has changed enough over the years that Sega went so far as to acknowledge the differences in Sonic Generations, with the shorter, mute version of the past meeting the streamlined version of the present. Nintendo has never felt the need to perform such a stunt – indeed, the furthest it has gone is updating Mario's colour scheme in older sprites in the Super Mario Maker games, in order to match his current appearance. Those games present the various looks of Mario not as a contrast to one another, but as part of one consistent identity that has persisted for decades. Given the strength of Mario's character design, we're sure it will last for decades to come too.

A Q&A with Craig Stitt

RG: This artist knows about running up against Mario, having worked on Sonic 2 and created Spyro. As an artist, what do you think gamers find appealing about Mario as a character?

Craig Stitt: I think for Mario it was the whole package. The simple, yet memorable worlds, the great music, and as the game progressed, Mario's voice and personality really came out.

I believe it's also that the game is, on one hand, very simple to play, but on the other hand, very difficult to master. This lets new and young players have fun, and keeps the dedicated players coming back.

RG: Do you think his everyman persona has become an important part of his appeal over the years?

CS: I would have to agree that his everyman persona is an important part of his longevity and popularity. You look back at games like Earthworm Jim, or ToeJam & Earl, and so many other awesome games, that all had great characters and great/innovative gameplay, but you couldn't really identify with the characters. I also think there is also a certain amount of 'genius dumb luck' that comes into play as to why some characters take off and others fall away.

You've worked on both 2D and 3D platformers. Did Mario's games or Mario as a character have any influence on games you were making like Sonic The Hedgehog 2 and Spyro The Dragon?

It would be hard to make a game and not have Mario have an influence on that game, be it 2D or 3D or VR. Mario is now cemented in our subconscious and is a part of that aspect of our brain that says, "This is fun, or this is not fun." Along with Mario, I also think Sonic and Spyro are part of that 'subconscious designer' in our heads.

RG: Why do you think that characters like Mario and Spyro were able to flourish in 3D worlds, while popular 2D platform mascots like Earthworm Jim and Bubsy floundered?

CS: I think one of the main reasons is that the gameplay and controls were very simple in those games. Little kids could play, as well as mums and dads. Yet the gameplay was also complex and hard enough to keep serious gamers engaged.

I used to answer the fan mail for Spyro and I got a lot of letters from parents saying how much their entire family enjoyed the game. They would then say that their son or daughter was stuck at a certain point and ask for hints. Then, many times, the parent would go on to say that they were stuck at a different spot and asked for help!

Sadly there are a lot of great games that didn't go as far as they could have, or should have, because the publisher messed up the marketing or simply didn't have any marketing.

Want to play some of the plumber's best games? Check out our best Mario games ranking!