Who doesn’t know Super Mario? The answer is obvious, everyone knows Super Mario since according to a survey he is even more famous than Mickey Mouse. But are you convinced that you really know everything about the Nintendo mascot? We test you with three curiosities about Super Mario which you definitely don’t know.
No, Mario doesn’t smash blocks with his head
We all fell for it we’ve all believed that Super Mario smashes blocks with headbutts. True? Come on, confess… but no, in reality Mario (and clearly Luigi) smash blocks using their fist, at the time of the NES however the possible animations were extremely limited and therefore understanding this detail was very difficult. Over the years the mystery has been definitively clarified.
But what does Super Mario do?
Initially the character of Mario (or rather, Jumpman) was born as a carpenter and then became a plumber, but it seems that this has not been Mario’s profession for a long time.
“All-round sportsman: tennis player, baseball player, soccer player and go-kart driver, Mario does it all in the best way. By the way, it seems that a long time ago he worked as a plumber.“
According to the official character biography updated by Nintendo in 2017, Mario had at least ten different jobs: carpenter, plumber, doctor (in Dr. Mario), go-kart driver, martial arts master, sports referee, professional baseball, basketball, golf and soccer player. And of course, add us, globetrotters and saviors of princesses…
Super Mario is not Italian, but Japanese
Oh mama! Oh yes, come on, Super Mario is Italian… the name, the facial features, the typical expressions, there’s no doubt about this, Mario is 100% Italian.
“Super Mario Bros isn’t set in Japan but the character is Japanese, even if the name Mario sounds Italian, it’s not Italian. They were good at creating this very ambiguous situation.”
Yet, Miyamoto has previously stated that Mario is “an Italian plumber who lives and works in New York.” Who tells the truth? We don’t know, but in our hearts we have no doubts: Super Mario is Italian.
Bonus: Super Mario is the best-selling video game series ever
Super Mario games have sold over 760 million copies, the series entered the Guinness Book of Records as “best-selling video game series of all time“, a goal achieved thanks to the over 200 games published from the 80s to today.