(WJBF) – Gamers and fans around the world will celebrate the hero of one of the most famous video game series ever on March 10.
March 10 is designated as Mario Day. That’s because the abbreviated date, M-A-R 1-0, looks like the name Mario.
The day of Nintendo nostalgia is a time to pay tribute to Mario in all his incarnations including his early appearance in Donkey Kong and of course, the hit game Super Mario Brothers, featuring Mario and his brother, Luigi.
Mario, originally named Jumpman, was created by Shigeru Miyamoto while working on the first Donkey Kong game, released in 1981. He was finally named “Mario” in 1982’s Donkey Kong Junior.
Mario finally received his own game in 1983 with Mario Bros., featuring his brother Luigi.
But the game most people are familiar with came in 1985 with Super Mario Bros. for the Nintendo Entertainment System.
Since then, the mushroom loving plumber has starred in a number of games across multiple genres such as golf, kart racing and even teaching typing! In total, the Mario series has sold over 600 million games worldwide.
This April, you can catch Mario and friends on the big screen in The Super Mario Bros. Movie.
A number of Mario titles are seeing discounts to mark the occasion, too:
