Nintendo’s accounts of Mario’s beginnings reveal a character shaped by tight visual limits, practical design choices and experiments that changed as the games took form. Here are seven well-sourced facts about Mario’s origins and development, including one from the much later Super Mario Bros. Wonder.
Mario’s names and early history
1. Mario began as Jumpman in Donkey Kong
Nintendo’s company history says the hero of Donkey Kong, developed and distributed in 1981, was initially called Jumpman. Nintendo says the name Mario was later used in reference to Nintendo of America’s landlord, Mario Segale. That is Nintendo’s account of the naming; it should not be mistaken for independently verified etymology. Nintendo’s company history of Mario.
2. Shigeru Miyamoto had another name in mind
In a Nintendo interview with Satoru Iwata, Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto recalled calling the character “Mr. Video” and imagining he could reuse him in all his games. That working name is distinct from Jumpman, the name Nintendo associates with the character in Donkey Kong. Miyamoto’s interview with Iwata.
Why Mario’s design is so readable
3. The original Mario image was only 16 by 16 pixels
Nintendo describes the original Mario image as 16 by 16 pixels. At that scale, designers had little room for fine detail, making clear shapes and high-contrast cues especially useful. Nintendo’s overview of Mario’s platforming history.
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4. Gloves and overalls helped show movement
Miyamoto recalled that Mario’s gloves and overalls made his arms easier to distinguish from his body and the background. Nintendo also credits the white gloves with making movement easier to see. These were practical visual choices, not evidence that every part of Mario’s design came from a single technical constraint. Miyamoto’s interview with Iwata.
Experiments behind Super Mario Bros.
5. The game grew from a scrolling experiment
Miyamoto said he wanted a brighter game with a scrolling screen and larger characters, in contrast to the comparatively plain, non-scrolling Mario Bros. He described testing a simple moving shape before the idea developed into the platform game players know. Miyamoto’s interview with Iwata.
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6. A larger Mario came before the growing power-up idea
In a Nintendo anniversary interview, Miyamoto recalled testing a larger Mario around December 1984. He also described the later design choice to let a smaller Mario grow during play, making the change in size part of the game’s progression. Nintendo reports that Super Mario Bros. was released for Famicom in Japan in September 1985. Nintendo’s interview marking the game’s anniversary.
7. Mushrooms suggested magical realms, not an Alice in Wonderland origin
Miyamoto said mushrooms had long been associated with magical realms. He also clarified that, although he had discussed Alice in Wonderland in an interview, it did not inspire the mushroom design. The familiar connection between Alice and mushrooms should not be treated as the source of the game’s mushrooms. Miyamoto’s interview with Iwata.
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A much later Mario development story
8. Super Mario Bros. Wonder began with more than 2,000 ideas
Nintendo reports that the team behind Super Mario Bros. Wonder gathered and prototyped more than 2,000 sticky-note ideas in a session that included programmers and sound designers. This is Nintendo’s count for the 2023 game’s development process, not a figure about the original 1985 Super Mario Bros. Nintendo’s overview of Mario’s platforming history.
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