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'Super Mario Bros.'"Super Mario Bros." is a video game designed by Shigeru Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka and published by Nintendo in Japan and North America in 1985. The game is considered one of the most important video games ever and one of the best-selling, with over 40 million copies sold.
Mario first appeared as a carpenter named Jumpman in 1981's "Donkey Kong," which was based on the popular "Popeye" franchise. In 1983, he received a spin-off called "Mario Bros.", in which he became a plumber.
1985's "Super Mario Bros." was designed for the home rather than the arcade and featured more sophisticated design and gameplay, thanks to director Shigeru Miyamoto and innovative musical accompaniment by Koji Kondo. Their contributions are credited with the game's success, which resurrected a flailing industry and inspired a younger generation of gamers and designers.Explore 'Super Mario Bros.'
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In 2021, someone paid $2M for an unopened 'Super Mario Bros.'The collectibles site Rally announced in 2021 that an unopened "Super Mario Bros." cartridge sold for $2M. That's the highest price ever paid for a video game. CNETThe mushrooms in 'Super Mario Bros.' are modeled after a real mushroomAlmost every mushroom in "Super Mario Bros." is based on the Amanita muscaria, sometimes referred to as the fly agaric, because it is known to attract flies. It's also the basis for the original mushroom emoji and the mushrooms from the popular game "Minecraft." Popular Science'Super Mario Bros.' helped save the video game industry A 1983 crash left the industry in tatters, desperate for a hit. Nintendo’s focus on a more immersive home experience was realized in “Super Mario Bros.,” bringing the industry from the arcade to the living room. The title eventually sold over 40 million units. HISTORY'Super Mario Bros.' was released in 1985The game was designed by Shigeru Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka and published by Nintendo in Japan and North America in 1985. It’s seen as a landmark in the history of video games and minted the Mario character as a pop culture icon.
IGN'Super Mario Bros.' teaches players its rules as they goRather than constantly climbing up the screen from platform to platform like “Donkey Kong,” “Super Mario Bros.” moves from left to right. In anticipation of gamers’ confusion with the new style, Miyamoto designed the first level as a walk-through, allowing players to learn the rules without reading a manual. VoxThe levels for 'Super Mario Bros.' were designed by handMiyamoto and codesigner Takashi Tezuka sketched the world of the game—called Mushroom Kingdom—by hand before handing it off to developers. In the interview below, they show off some of those original illustrations. Nintendo of AmericaInside a company making millions on retro, refurbished technology Retrospekt is one of the many companies flipping old, fan-favorite technology like Polaroids, cassette tapes, and Tamagotchis. Studies show that nostalgia can make people spend money and is one of the driving forces behind the demand for second-hand gadgets. HubSpotMario's archnemesis hosted a children's show in the 1980s"Super Mario Bros." grew so popular in the '80s, even King Koopa, the video game's villain, had his own television show, though it's been all but erased from TV history. There's good reason for that: It was a bizarre enterprise, featuring '30s cartoons, a grumpy stand-up comedian, and cheap production. CBRThe ‘Harry Potter’ franchise is valued at more than $32BCombining book sales, films, theme parks, and merchandise, Harry Potter ranks among the world’s highest-grossing media franchises—estimated at more than $32B in total value, alongside giants like Star Wars and Marvel. Visual CapitalistThe game turned Mario into a pop culture icon The character has appeared in over 200 games and has had his own movies, television shows, and other kinds of entertainment. BBCThe game’s theme was the first video game composition added to the Library of CongressKoji Kondo’s “Ground Theme,” the opening music for “Super Mario Bros.” was added to the National Recording Registry in 2023. “Having this music preserved alongside so many other classic songs is such a great honor,” Kondo said. “It's actually a little bit difficult to believe.” Library of Congress‘Super Mario Bros.’ was influenced by ‘Alice in Wonderland’In 1985’s “Super Mario Bros.,” Mario and Luigi grow larger—becoming “Super Mario Bros.”—if they ingested mushrooms. “...if you think of stories like ‘Alice in Wonderland’ and other types of fairy tales, mushrooms always seem to have a mysterious power, and so we thought the mushroom would be a good symbol for why they get it and get big,” Miyamoto told NPR in 2015. NPRThe game turned Japan into a major cultural exporter“Super Mario Bros.” kicked off decades of cultural ascendancy not only for Nintendo, but for Japan, which grew into one of the world’s major cultural exporters through anime, fashion, and music.
MercatorListen to the evolution of 'Ground Theme' Koji Kondo's "Ground Theme" is perhaps the most recognizable piece of music in all video games. As the Mario franchise expanded, the song remained, albeit with different arrangements and in different styles. You can browse every version of the song below. It's a fascinating decades-long evolution of a classic composition. Cube RobertmanMost of the ‘Super Mario Bros.’ sequel was borrowed from a preexisting Nintendo gameNintendo was eager to create a sequel following the success of “Super Mario Bros.,” but the original “Super Mario Bros. 2,” released in Japan, proved too difficult. Crunched for time, the company used the bones of a preexisting game, “Doki Doki Panic,” and inserted elements from Mario’s world for the US release of “Super Mario Bros. 2,” making for a follow-up that was drastically different from its predecessor. Everything 80s1993’s ‘Super Mario Bros.' was the first live-action movie based on a video gameThe 1993 live-action adaptation was supposed to be an easy hit, thanks to the brand Nintendo had already established. But the film, starring Bob Hoskins, John Leguizamo, and Dennis Hopper was a critical and commercial flop. Hoskins would later called it “the worst thing I ever did.” Gaming HistorianHow the inventor of Mario designs gamesShigeru Miyamoto has created some of the most iconic video games in history, from Super Mario Bros. and Donkey Kong to The Legend of Zelda. The game producer boils down his creative philosophy to three basic principles: story, simplicity, and... YouTube
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