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Where Did Mario First Appear? The Surprising Start (and Strange Early Days) of Nintendo’s Mascot
Before he was stomping Goombas and saving Princess Peach, Mario made his first appearance in Donkey Kong (1981) as a heroic carpenter named Jumpman. That’s right—Mario wasn’t a plumber yet, and he wasn’t saving the Mushroom Kingdom. He was rescuing a woman named Pauline from a big ol’ ape throwing barrels at him. Talk about humble beginnings.
Designed by Shigeru Miyamoto, Mario was born out of necessity when Nintendo couldn’t get the rights to make a Popeye game. So they invented their own characters—Donkey Kong, Pauline, and the soon-to-be-iconic Jumpman, who was quickly renamed “Mario” (inspired by a real-life landlord, Mario Segale, who apparently wasn't thrilled about overdue rent).
By 1983, Mario switched professions from carpenter to plumber (because of all the pipes in Mario Bros.) and even brought along his lesser-known brother, Luigi. The duo started appearing in all kinds of titles, not all of which you’d expect.
Here’s where it gets weird:
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In Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!! (1987), Mario randomly appears as the referee, calling knockouts with a cheerful little hop.
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He also showed up in the Game Boy Camera, photobombing your selfies if you clicked around long enough.
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And let’s not forget the educational phase—Mario Teaches Typing, Mario is Missing, and Mario's Time Machine, where he suddenly knew geography and ancient history.
Over the years, Mario has worn more hats than just the red one: doctor, referee, racing legend, party host, golfer, tennis pro—you name it. But no matter where he shows up, it all started with one pixelated leap in an arcade cabinet.
XOXO - Adam @ Video Game Gem Vault
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