Video Game Hero Character info file 1: Mario

Mario is the main character and protagonist of the long-running and highly successful Mario series. He was created by Japanese video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto and also serves as the main mascot of Nintendo. Mario made his first appearance as the protagonist of the arcade game Donkey Kong, released in 1981. Since Super Mario Bros., his trademark abilities have been his jumping and stomping powers, with which he defeats most of his enemies, and his ability to change size and gain powers with a plethora of items, such as the Super Mushroom and Fire Flower. Games have usually portrayed Mario as a silent character without a distinct personality (Fortune Street is a notable exception). According to Nintendo's philosophy, this allows Mario to fit in many different genres and roles. In most games, he is the hero that goes on an adventure to save Princess Peach from Bowser, but he has been shown doing other activities besides adventuring, such as racing and sporting with his younger brother and others.

Following the failure of Radar Scope in North America, Nintendo then-president, Hiroshi Yamauchi, requested Miyamoto's aid in converting unsold Radar Scope units into something that would sell well. Miyamoto conceived the concept of a love triangle and decided to make a game based on the Popeye character. He, however, was denied the rights for the Popeye franchise, so he decided to come up with a new idea using his own characters.

For use in his arcade game Donkey Kong, he created a character named Jumpman, who previously went under other names, such as Mr. Video, and originally, Ossan (the Japanese term for middle-aged man)^[2]. This character was given red overalls and a blue shirt in order to make the arms more visible as well as a cap and moustache, as hair and a mouth were impossible to animate on the arcade system.^[3] It is said that during the development for Donkey Kong Jr., the Jumpman character was renamed to Mario when an employee at Nintendo of America's office pointed out the similar physical appearances between Jumpman and Nintendo's Italian landlord, Mario Segale.^[4][5][6][7] This is later confirmed by Shigeru Miyamoto during a promotional video for Super Mario Maker, which celebrates Mario's 30th anniversary.^[8] While initially designed as a carpenter, after an employee noted that he looked more like a plumber, his occupation was changed and Mario Bros. soon followed^[9].

Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island depicts Mario's beginnings by delivery of a stork at nearly the same time as Luigi, suggesting a twin birth. Mario, however, receives help from Yoshis shortly after Luigi has been kidnapped by Kamek, pointing to them to Luigi's location. Although Mario can still use a power-up, Superstar Mario, the Yoshis must protect and guide him to Bowser's Castle. Once Mario and Luigi are rescued, the stork delivers them to their parents, although Yoshi's New Island later retcons by stating they are the wrong parents. Although Luigi is successfully kidnapped a few more times, Mario and Luigi are reunited with their true parents in Yoshi's New Island and Yoshi's Island DS.

Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island is usually considered as one of the first games chronologically in Mario's history, although a few other sources depict different beginnings. In Super Mario Momotarō, for instance, two elderly Hammer Bros. have found and raised Mario, who emerged out of a peach that has fallen from the sky.

At a later point in Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time, Mario's infant self and adult self unite to defeat the Shroobs and save Princess Peach, although the game takes place from Mario's adult self's setting by labeling his time period as the present and his baby self's time period as the past.