The ongoing 35th anniversary celebration of Mario is well underway, with some of the announced games at Nintendo's surprise direct already being available. Despite this, it isn't actually until today that the celebrated day has come along, as this day marks the 35th anniversary of Super Mario Bros. on NES.

The 35th anniversary celebration brings Mario fans all sorts of things to be excited about, including the new Super Mario 3D All-Stars collection, which brings back classic titles like Super Mario 64Super Mario Sunshine, and Super Mario Galaxy in one big package.

RELATED: Super Mario 3D All-Stars Represents 3D Mario Through Generations

While all the new and recycled content coming from this event is great, it's worth looking back and realizing why it should be celebrated in the first place. Nintendo has dominated the video game market as one of its strongest members for a while now, but it wasn't always that way. Mario's rise to fame is truly an inspiring story, and one that fans should know.

Super-Mario-Bros-35-Battle-Royale

This may be the 35th anniversary of Super Mario Bros., but it technically isn't Mario's 35th birthday. The mustached plumber first debuted in 1981 as the protagonist of the arcade game Donkey Kong and made a few other appearances before Super Mario Bros. Despite this, that title is still often considered the true start to Mario's journey, as it was the first time he was widely available in homes across the world in a video game.

Of course, over the next 35 years, Mario would only continue to grow in popularity, appearing in over 250 different games of various genres. This includes 3D Mario hits such as Super Mario 64classic 2D sidescrollers like the Super Mario franchise, and spin offs of varying kinds like Mario Tennis or Dr. Mario. His incredible growth is truly something to marvel at, and has led to him being one of the most recognizable video game characters of all time. One would be hard pressed to find someone who doesn't recognize Mario by name after seeing a picture of him, after all.

Aside from his own success, Nintendo owes much of what it has to this mascot. Classic game franchises like The Legend of ZeldaPokemon, and Animal Crossing may have never come to be if it weren't for Mario's rise to the top. With that in mind, the gravity of this anniversary seems even stronger. Of course, fans wanting to celebrate have plenty of options, and should check out any of the games being released in commemoration.

Super Mario Bros. is 35 years old as of today.

MORE: Controversial Super Mario 3D All-Stars Limited Release Compared to Disney Vault

Source: NintendoLife