Nintendo character Mario is one of the most popular and most famous gaming mascots. Mario is synonymous with the Nintendo brand and millions of Mario games have been sold.

From the Mario Party series and the Super Mario Bros. platformers to the Mario Kart arcade racers and the adventure of Super Mario Odyssey, there are many ways to learn more about the red and blue protagonist. However, there are some Mario facts that only real superfans of the character will know.

Mario's Surname is Mario

In 2012, Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto revealed that Mario and Luigi were given a surname just for the Super Mario Bros. movie released in 1993. The characters needed a surname and so someone suggested that, as they are the Mario brothers, their surname should be Mario.

Officially, on documents, they would put Mario Mario and Luigi Mario. "But, just like Mickey Mouse doesn’t really have a last name, Mario is really just Mario and Luigi is really just Luigi," said Miyamoto.

luigi and mario in super mario maker 2

Mario Was Briefly a Carpenter

The first time that Mario was in a game was in Donkey Kong, when the character was climbing ladders and dodging barrels as a protagonist named "Jumpman." In this game, he was also a carpenter, not a plumber.

Donkey Kong was set on a construction site and so Mario's profession's was to do with woodwork. Later, his profession was changed to a plumber as the Mario Bros. game was set in the underground.

Mario's Voice Actor Also Voices Luigi and the Antagonists

Mario fans know the famous phrase "it's a-me, Mario!" and the Italian accent given to the character by voice actor Charles Martinet who has voiced the character since 1990. However, only superfans may know that Martinet also voices several other characters in the series.

Mario's brother Luigi, and the brothers' antagonists Wario and Waluigi are also voiced by Martinet. This probably explains why all four characters have such good chemistry and why players enjoy their scenes together.

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Mario's Parents Haven't Been Shown

Mama and Papa Mario may have two of the most famous children in the world, but they prefer to stay out of the limelight. The parents of Mario and Luigi have never been shown in the games and the closest fans have gotten to seeing their full faces is in a live action scene of the The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! where Mario actor Lou Albano dons drag to play Mama Mario.

Outside of that, Papa Mario's moustache and nose are seen in fairy tale anime Super Mario Issun-bōshi and fans can also catch a look at Mama and Papa Mario's hands in Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island.

Super Mario Odyssey is the First Time Mario's Nipples Were in a Game

Super Mario Odyssey was a great game for fan ridiculousness, with the conspiracy theory about Mario and his hat being one. Another, was the excitement about Mario's nipples.

Mario's nipples can be seen in an unlockable costume in the game in which he dons a pair of swimming trunks. It was appropriate for the scorching hot weather in Bubblaine but some fans had a field day as they began to photoshop Mario's nipples onto everything such as, making his whole torso display the letter M but made up of nipples.

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Mario Doesn't Have a Belly Button

Another big reveal from Super Mario Odyssey is that Mario doesn't have a belly button. It's unclear why the character doesn't have a belly button, as fans know that he has two human parents.

While Mario's world is one of mushrooms with feet and anthropomorphic ball and chains, it is strange that Mario doesn't have a belly button.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie Was a Huge Flop

The Mario series of games is one of the most successful in history, but the same cannot be said for the movies. In 1993, a live action movie called Super Mario Bros. was released, starring Bob Hoskins and John Leguizamo.

It cost $48 million to make but it made just under $21 million at the United States box office. A new Super Mario movie is in development, though, and this may make more money.

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Mario Has Had Five Different English Voice Actors

The most famous English voice actor for Mario is Charles Martinet, who has voiced the character since 1990. However, Martinet is one of five actors who have lent their talents to an English language version of the character.

The other four characters are Ronald B. Reuben from Mario Teaches Typing, Walker Boone from The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3 and Super Mario World, Marc Graue from Hotel Mario, and Lou Albano from The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! With three more Japanese language voice actors, that's eight people doing all of the "it's a-me, Mario!" quotes that fans enjoy.

Mario Was Nearly Called Mr. Video

Mario's name is known all around the world but he could have been called something else. Shigeru Miyamoto once revealed that he thought about calling Mario Mr. Video and that the character would be used in all of his games, like the Alfred Hitchcock of video games.

It's just as well that Miyamoto didn't go with that though, as "Mr. Video" is nowhere near as memorable.

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Mario is Named After a Nintendo Landlord

Rumor has it that after dropping the Mr. Video name, Miyamoto turned to an unlikely source for a new name; Nintendo's landlord. Mario Segale was a businessman who was leasing a warehouse to Nintendo of America.

When Segale barged in, demanding an overdue rent payment from the company, the idea for Mario was born.

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