Mario is a plumber who wears a red shirt with blue overalls, a red hat with the letter “M” on it, and a mustache. He is a famous video game character who has appeared in over 200 games since his creation.

Mario was created by Shigeru Miyamoto in 1981. Mario’s first appearance was in the game Donkey Kong. In that game, he was known as a carpenter named Jumpman. His goal was to rescue a damsel in distress named Lady from the clutches of an evil gorilla named Donkey Kong.

The next game featuring Mario was called Mario Bros. Released in 1983, the game would mark the first appearance of Mario’s brother, Luigi. The game also marked the first time where Mario was labeled as a plumber. The objective was to kick off pests that crawled out of pipes, like shellcreepers and sidesteppers. Also, since Luigi was introduced, two players could work together to kick off the pests.

The year 1985 saw the release of the very popular Super Mario Bros (SMB). The game saw the first appearance of King Koopa, also known as Bowser, Princess Toadstool, also known as Princess Peach, and more enemies such as Goombas, Buzzy Beetles, and Piranha Plants. Power Ups such as Super Mushrooms and Fire Flowers were also introduced.

In 1986, Super Mario Bros. 2 (SMB2), known as Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels in the United States, was released. It featured tougher levels and a deadly power up called the Poison Mushroom. Aside from the 32 original levels, there are four bonus levels if you make it through without going through a warp pipe in the warp zone, plus an additional 16 if the game is beaten eight times, bringing the level count to a grand total of 52 playable levels.

The American Super Mario Bros. 2, called Super Mario USA in Japan, was released in 1988, and it was based on the Japanese game Yume Kōjō: Doki Doki Panic. Both SMB2 and Doki Doki Panic were similar in many ways, but one difference involved the main characters. When Doki Doki Panic came to the United States, the main characters from that game were replaced with Mario, Luigi, Toad, and the Princess, and the game was renamed to Super Mario Bros. 2.

Super Mario Bros. 3 (SMB3), which was released later in 1988 in Japan and in 1990 in the United States, saw the first appearance of the Super Leaf, which would turn Mario into a racoon that had the ability to fly in the air for a short time. It also introduced the Tanooki Suit, which grants Mario the ability to fly and the ability to turn into stone, the Hammer Suit, which gives Mario hammers he can throw, the Frog Suit, which allows Mario to swim better underwater, and other cool items. Some new enemies and the Koopalings made their first appearance here, too.

Super Mario World, released in 1990, marked the first appearance of Mario’s dinosaur companion, Yoshi. It also introduced the Cape Feather power up, which gave Mario the ability to soar through the air, just like the Super Leaf and Tanooki Suit from SMB3. Again, new enemies appeared, and Koopa Troopas started to appear in different colors. Red and green have been around since the original Super Mario Bros, so the game introduced blue and yellow Koopa Troopas.

New Super Mario Bros. was released in 2006, ten years after the release of Super Mario Land 2: Six Golden Coins. The game gave Mario new abilities: the triple jump, the wall jump, and the ground pound. And, just like previous games, new enemies and power ups were introduced, like the Mega Mushroom, which turns Mario into a giant for a short period of time. This wasn't the first time the triple jump, wall jump, and ground pound were used, though. Super Mario 64, released in 1996, introduced these abilities.

For nearly 40 years, Mario has been the star of many games, and his popularity continues to grow. Aside from the aforementioned Super Mario series, Mario has also appeared in sports games, party games, and even alongside Sonic the Hedgehog. Whether he's stomping Goombas, fighting Bowser, or rescuing the Princess, Mario will hold a special place in our hearts for years to come.