   #copyright

Mario

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Computer & Video games

   Mario
   For over 25 years, Mario has been
   Nintendo's official mascot.
   Game series Mario series
   First game Donkey Kong (1981)
   Creator(s) Shigeru Miyamoto
   Character designer(s) Shigeru Miyamoto (Donkey Kong),
   Yoichi Kotabe (Super Mario Bros. series),
   Shigefumi Hino (Super Mario World)
   Voice actor(s) (English) Peter Cullen ( The Saturday Supercade)
   (1983-1985),
   Lou Albano ( The Super Mario Bros. Super Show) (1989-1990),
   Walker Boone (later DiC cartoons) (1990-1991),
   Mark Graue ( Hotel Mario) (1994),
   Charles Martinet (games) (1995-present)
   Voice actor(s) ( Japanese) Tōru Furuya
   Motion capture actor Bob Hoskins (1993)

   Mario (マリオ, Mario^ ?) is a video game character created by Japanese
   game designer Shigeru Miyamoto and is the official mascot of Nintendo.
   Mario was originally portrayed with two-dimensional sprites, but in
   later games he is a three-dimensional, polygonal model. Because of the
   common reference to him and his brother Luigi as the "Mario Brothers,"
   it has been speculated his full name is "Mario Mario," and in certain
   non-game sources (comic books and the Super Mario Bros. film), this is
   the case. However, Nintendo of America stated in the 1980s that Mario
   and Luigi do not have last names.

   Mario is depicted as a short, pudgy, Italian plumber who lives in the
   Mushroom Kingdom, where he is regarded as a hero; he is best known for
   constantly thwarting the plans of the evil King Bowser to kidnap
   Princess Peach and subjugate the Mushroom Kingdom. He is well known for
   his plucky personality, enthusiasm and spirit in the face of enemies,
   unexpected physical agility, cooperation with his brother, Luigi, and
   his close relationship with Princess Peach whom he has repeatedly
   saved. He has an evil doppelgänger by the name of Wario.

   As Nintendo's mascot, Mario is one of the the most famous characters in
   video game history, and his image has become synonymous with video
   games. Mario games, as a whole, have sold more than 285 million units,
   making the Mario series the best-selling video game series of all time.
   Outside of the platformers with which he is traditionally associated,
   Mario has appeared in video games in different genres, including the
   Mario Kart racing series, Nintendo's arcade sports games (such as the
   Mario Tennis and Mario Golf series), and Nintendo's series of Mario
   role-playing games (including Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven
   Stars, the Paper Mario series, and Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga and
   its sequel, Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time). Outside the original
   games, television shows, film and comics, he spawned a line of licensed
   merchandise.

Conception and creation

   Mario first appeared in the video game Donkey Kong. The game was
   surprisingly successful, and when the Nintendo Entertainment System was
   released, Mario was given the starring role in the revolutionary Super
   Mario Bros..

   Mario's distinctive look is due to technology restrictions in the
   mid-1980s; with limited pixels and colors, the programmers could not
   animate Mario's movement without making his arms "disappear" if his
   shirt was a solid colour, they did not have the space to give him a
   mouth or ears, and they could not animate hair, so Mario got overalls,
   a moustache, sideburns, and a cap to bypass these problems. Mario's
   creator, Shigeru Miyamoto, has stated when interviewed that Mario wears
   a cap because he finds it difficult to draw hair.

   When Mario was first conceived, he looked, more or less, as he does
   today; a short, stubby man with the trademark hat, brown hair, black
   mustache, and overalls. He normally wears blue overalls on top of a red
   shirt, but such was not always the case. Originally, he wore red
   overalls on top of a blue shirt — exactly opposite what he wears now.
   The American Super Mario Bros. 2 was the first appearance of his modern
   outfit (the box had the red overalls-on-blue shirt, but the game itself
   had a blue overalls-on-red shirt);The boxart of Super Mario Bros. 3 has
   Mario's blue overall, red shirt and red hat combo; however, it was
   Super Mario World that standardized today's blue overalls-on-red shirt
   outfit. Incidentally, the original Super Mario Bros. has neither
   in-game; Mario wears a brown shirt with red overalls. (In the SNES
   remake of Super Mario Bros. as part of Super Mario All-Stars, Mario
   wears the original red overalls and blue shirt.) In the animated
   series, Mario was always depicted as having red overalls and a blue
   shirt. In the arcade Mario Bros., he wore a blue hat instead of a red
   one.

   Mario's standard outfit rarely changes, though he's known to change it
   on occasion if the situation calls for it. For example, in Super Mario
   Strikers (Mario Smash Football in Europe), Mario wears an Association
   Football (soccer) outfit as opposed to overalls. In Super Mario
   Sunshine, Mario wore a red T-shirt with his hat and overalls rather
   than a long-sleeved shirt. (It was possible to for him to put on
   sunglasses and a Hawaiian-style Shine Sprite shirt.) In some Mario
   games, Mario can transform into different forms, each with a different
   costume. These include Tanooki Mario, which allows him to fly and turn
   into a statue to hide from enemies, and Raccoon Mario, which allowed
   Mario to Fly for a limited time or until he got hit.

   Miyamoto created many of the elements in the Mario world from ideas he
   had seen in other media. One of his most recognizable contributions to
   the Mario universe is the Super Mushroom, which enlarges Mario until he
   is damaged by an enemy. There is also a Poison Mushroom, which is
   darker than the Super Mushroom and featured in the Japanese Super Mario
   Bros. 2, and consequently in the western Super Mario All-Stars and
   Super Mario Bros. Deluxe. When Mario takes it, he is either returned to
   small Mario (if he is Super Mario) or killed. The item makes an
   appearance in Super Smash Bros. Melee, wherein it shrinks combatants
   that touch in, with a resultant loss in power and weight.

          These ideas were derived from the "Eat me" cakes and "Drink me"
          potions in the Lewis Carroll story, Alice in Wonderland, after
          Miyamoto was forced to shrink the original sketches of Mario
          because they were too big. The concept behind warp pipes,
          colored tubes which sometimes transport Mario to another area,
          was inspired by Star Trek.

   The surname "Mario" (which would make his full name Mario Mario) was
   first used in The Super Mario Bros. Super Show, and then in the 1993
   feature film Super Mario Bros. This was meant to explain how both Mario
   and his brother Luigi could be known as the "Mario brothers". This
   surname theory has never been employed in official Nintendo games or
   media, however, and it is broadly accepted that Mario and Luigi are
   collectively called the Mario Bros. simply because Mario is the
   headliner of the pair.

   Mario has taken on the role of mascot of Nintendo and has since been
   extensively merchandised. Mario's major rival was Sega mascot Sonic the
   Hedgehog who debuted in the early 1990s; the two mascots competed
   head-to-head for nearly a decade afterward, until around 2001 when a
   Sonic game showed up on a Nintendo console due to Sega's new third
   party status, ending a lengthy rivalry.

Appearances

In video games

   Mario made his debut in the arcade game Donkey Kong in 1981 under the
   name "Jumpman". In Donkey Kong Junior, made in 1982, he was the
   villain, and in the ending cinematic, he is knocked out (although he is
   not dead because he is in future games). The games were so successful
   that he carried over into an arcade spin-off, Mario Bros. in 1983,
   which boasted a simultaneous two-player mode and introduced his taller
   yet younger brother Luigi. His next appearance was in Super Mario Bros.
   for the Nintendo Entertainment System. The game sold over 40 million
   copies (pack-in copies included) making it the best-selling video game
   ever, and the game has been ported to numerous Nintendo consoles since.

   Overall, Mario games have sold approximately 285 million copies
   worldwide, with Super Mario Bros. 3 holding the record for most copies
   of a non pack-in video game sold, selling well over 18 million copies.
   Mario and his friends also appeared in the later Game & Watch games.
   Mario has explored almost every genre of video games. Aside from action
   platformers, he has starred in puzzle games, racing games, sports
   games, fighting games, role-playing games, and even educational games.
   He has not yet appeared in a strategy game, however.

   Mario has appeared in both Super Smash Bros. and its sequel, Super
   Smash Bros. Melee, and will appear in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. He is
   considered the most well-rounded character in the series.

Appearances on non-Nintendo platforms

   Nintendo holds the copyright to Mario in many nations and retains these
   rights for its own use with few exceptions. However, Mario appeared in
   educational PC titles in the United States such as Mario Teaches Typing
   and in very early games for non-Nintendo systems such as the Atari 2600
   and the Mattel Intellivision. Philips made games, such as Hotel Mario,
   featuring Nintendo characters for its ill-fated CD-i console which was
   the result of a compromise with Nintendo over failing to release a
   joint CD-ROM product. Mario Is Missing!, another PC game, was later
   ported to the NES and SNES, along with its sequel, Mario's Time
   Machine. Super Mario Bros. Special, the first sequel to Super Mario
   Bros., was also on a non-Nintendo platform.

Cameos and allusions

   In the days of the NES and Game Boy, Mario made cameos. In sports
   titles, he was often depicted as the referee (e.g. Mike Tyson's
   Punch-Out!! and Tennis); sometimes, however, he was a playable
   character (e.g. Nintendo's early Golf title). Some of his other cameos
   were more bizarre, such as in the Breakout clone Alleyway, which
   featured Mario on the game's box-art and as the "pilot" of the paddle.
   He was also featured on the Game Over screen for the Game Boy version
   of Qix. Allusions to or parodies of Mario feature in a number of other
   video games, including World of Warcraft.

Characteristics

   Mario is a plumber motivated by a sense of justice, though at times he
   has been depicted as a doctor and numerous other professions. His
   distinctive appearance was defined somewhat by the limitations of early
   video game hardware. Though he began with the ability to jump high, in
   subsequent games, he received additional powers such as throwing
   fireballs ( pyrokinesis) and flight, and additional playable versions,
   including Frog suit Mario, Tanooki suit Mario, and Metal Mario, through
   the use of power-ups. In adventure games, he uses various techniques
   for defeating enemies and solving puzzles in his games, both by using
   his own abilities and the properties of items or abilities of allies he
   encounters.

   Mario's appearance has frequently altered ever since his first
   appearance. He originally wore red overalls over a blue shirt but that
   has changed to the inverse. However, Mario is depicted with red
   overalls over a brown shirt in the original Super Mario Bros.. His hair
   has also changed a bit. In promotional artwork for Super Mario Bros. 3
   and Super Mario World, he has very light brown hair. More recent
   depictions show it to be a darker brown. Over the years the promotional
   artwork style has changed, too. In the art released alongside early
   games he was shown in 2D. With the advent of the Nintendo 64 this
   changed, and he was rendered in 3D. Since then, successive 3D renders
   have depicted him with more detail and improved texturing. The Super
   Smash Bros. series has depicted him with still more detail, including a
   noticeable denim texture on his overalls.

   Mario's height has been of much debate in the fanbase. Nintendo
   Official Magazine in Europe produced a pack of cards stating that Mario
   is 135 centimeters (4 ft 4 in) tall. However, a Japanese shopping site
   known as Trend One announced a limited run of life-size Mario statues
   with a height of 155 centimeters (5 ft) licensed by Nintendo with
   claims that this height was based on actual background story. Fans
   believe Mario is usually "super" in his 3-D games based on his size
   compared to other characters in the game.

Personality

   Mario is always portrayed in games and other media as being a
   kind-hearted and brave hero, known to fight "to the bitter end," as
   Paper Mario states. He helps those in need without hesitation. Despite
   his status as a great hero, Mario is very humble. His cheerful
   personality and love of life make him a very approachable video game
   character. He has a love of pasta and pizza, as the stereotypical
   Italian does. This idea was started in the American cartoons, but soon
   afterward, Nintendo supported the idea by having Mario dream of pasta.
   Not much else is known about Mario's personality, as much of it remains
   hidden due to the fact that the character never openly converses in the
   games.

   Mario's cheerful personality is reflected in his voice, which, since
   Super Mario 64, has been provided by Charles Martinet. Although often
   limited to simple exclamatory noises ("Woo!", "Woohoo!" etc.), he often
   enthusiastically announces the titles of his games. A famous
   catchphrase used by Mario is "It's-a me, Mario". Although he largely
   speaks in English (with a thick Italian accent), he has been known to
   sporadically break into Italian (for example, in Super Mario Sunshine
   he occasionally says "arrivederci" upon losing a life), and naturally
   says "Mama mia!" when in distress.

Occupation and hobbies

   Despite Mario's given occupation as a plumber, he is almost never seen
   doing plumbing in his games. The closest Mario came to doing plumbing
   was clearing pipe levels of enemies in Mario Bros. and fixing pipes in
   the Mario & Luigi games. Pipes have, however, remained a mode of
   transportation in most Mario games. Mario was most often seen plumbing
   during the animated series. He was very knowledgeable about tools and
   fixing pipes in the movie. Both Mario and Luigi seemed to love their
   job as plumbers no matter how grueling it gets and have a deep passion
   for it as revealed in both the animated series and movie.

   The Super Mario Bros. Super Show delves deeper into Mario and Luigi's
   characters. It is revealed that Mario and Luigi are fans of Nicole
   Eggert and Baywatch, as well as Elvis Presley and the All-American
   sport of Baseball, and despite his age (by his looks, he is considered
   middle-aged), Mario is a fan of the cartoon series Inspector Gadget
   (most likely an inside joke since DiC Entertainment produced both
   shows). Mario considers himself the biggest fan of former WWF (now WWE)
   wrestler Captain Lou Albano (another inside joke since Albano himself
   was the one who portrayed Mario in the live action segments and
   provided his voice in the cartoon).

   Beginning with the Dr. Mario series of puzzle games which first debuted
   in 1990, Mario has been occasionally depicted as a medical physician as
   well. He fights various germs by throwing pills into an infected jar
   matches the color of the specific germ. When a certain number of
   colour-matching pills hit the germ, it is destroyed. In 2001, Mario
   appeared in Dr. Mario 64, an updated version of the original puzzle
   game (fighting an epidemic with Megavitamins that a scientist steals,
   and either Dr. Mario or Wario try to get it back.) Mario was in doctor
   form as a secret character in the Nintendo GameCube hit, Super Smash
   Bros. Melee. Dr. Mario was parodied in WarioWare, Inc.: Mega
   Microgame$! for the Game Boy Advance in a minigame called "Dr. Wario",
   an unlockable remake of the original game replacing Mario with Wario,
   using slightly different character designs for the viruses, and only
   the "Chill" music.

   His most time-consuming activity seems to be saving Princess Peach, the
   Mushroom Kingdom, and surrounding kingdoms from villains such as
   Bowser. As seen through character interactions in his role-playing
   games, Mario has achieved a level of fame among the kingdoms'
   populations due to his heroic deeds.

   However, Mario earns most of his money through the profits from his
   Mario Toy Company, which produces Mini Mario figures, which, as of
   Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis, has expanded to include
   similar versions of other characters, including Mini Peach.

   Mario and his friends are highly skilled in sports. The Mario franchise
   has spun off into games involving go-kart racing, soccer, baseball,
   tennis, golf, basketball and dancing. In most of these games where
   different characters may have varying levels of skill, Mario is
   typically the most balanced character in classes such as weight, speed,
   power, or other abilities.

Baby Mario

   Baby Mario is the infant version of Mario. Although he has
   paradoxically appeared alongside his older self in Nintendo sports
   titles such as Mario Golf, Mario Tennis, Mario Superstar Baseball and
   Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, these games are generally accepted to be
   outside the continuity of the main Mario series, and therefore do not
   suggest that Mario and Baby Mario are separate characters in the main
   storyline. An alternative solution is that the babies were present via
   time travel, as was the case in Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time. Like
   the older Mario, Baby Mario is voiced by Charles Martinet.

   Baby Mario first appeared in the Super NES game Super Mario World 2:
   Yoshi's Island where the Yoshis saved his brother Luigi from Kamek the
   Magikoopa. In Yoshi's Island, Baby Mario has a rather passive role,
   essentially being carried around by different Yoshis for most of the
   game. However, in some levels, a power-up resembling a starman allows
   him to transform into "Super Baby Mario", giving him very high speed,
   relative invincibility, and the ability to float for short distances
   (thanks to the Super Mario World yellow cape). Other than this, Baby
   Mario is remembered for his boisterous sobs whenever Yoshi ran into an
   enemy. When Yoshi took a hit, Baby Mario would float within a bubble
   while bawling loudly, and the player controlling Yoshi would have
   between 1-30 seconds to recover Baby Mario and hitch him safely on
   Yoshi's back. If the time ran out, he would be kidnapped by Kamek's
   Toadies and Yoshi would lose a life.

   Baby Mario also appeared in Yoshi Touch & Go and Mario & Luigi:
   Partners in Time for the Nintendo DS. In Yoshi Touch & Go he reclaims
   the role he held in Yoshi's Island; Baby Mario falls from the sky, this
   time held up by balloons, as the player guides him by drawing clouds
   down to the ground where Yoshi waits to catch him. He then rides on
   Yoshi's back for the rest of that level of the game. In some game
   modes, Baby Mario can again find the power-up that turns him into Super
   Baby Mario, making him temporarily invincible. In Mario & Luigi:
   Partners in Time, he appears alongside his adult counterpart, along
   with both respective versions of Luigi. The pair of brothers team up in
   order to save Princess Peach (the grown-up version) from a group of
   alien invaders known as the Shroobs.

   The Japan-only game Bio Miracle Bokutte Upa is sometimes referred to as
   "Mario Baby" due to that name being applied to a ROM hack of the game.

   In Yoshi's Island, Baby Mario was shown wearing just a diaper and his
   hat, but in games since then (except Yoshi Touch and Go, probably
   because it takes place at the same time as Yoshi's Island), Baby Mario
   has worn a red shirt and blue overalls—the same outfit he would wear
   later in life. Another side note is that his red "M" cap is the same
   size and is rather big for Baby Mario's head.

   According to the information revealed about Yoshi's Island DS at E3
   2006, Baby Mario was preschooled on Yoshi's Island. When a mysterious
   island appeared and kidnapped most of his schoolmates, he teams up with
   Yoshi, Baby Peach, and even Baby Bowser, Baby Donkey Kong and Baby
   Wario to save them.

   Baby Mario made a cameo alongside Baby Luigi in the first picture of
   the opening and ending intro of Mario Power Tennis.

Relations

   Ever since his first game, Mario usually has the role of saving the
   damsel in distress. Originally, he had to rescue his girlfriend Pauline
   in Donkey Kong from the clutches of DK. Pauline did not last long as a
   character and was soon replaced by new damsel in distress, Princess
   Peach, in Super Mario Bros. (She was initially referred to as Princess
   Toadstool in North America until the late 1990s). Pauline returned in
   the Game Boy remake of Donkey Kong and the recently released Mario vs.
   Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis, although their relationship is now
   merely that of friends.

   Mario has rescued Peach multiple times since Super Mario Bros., often
   receiving a kiss as a reward. Although the true nature of their
   relationship is never revealed (as is typical of most characters in the
   Mario-based games), it is evident that there is a mutual affection
   between the two characters. It has been revealed that Mario's nemesis
   Bowser is in love with Peach, which explains why he constantly steals
   her away from Mario. Oddly enough, in Super Princess Peach, the roles
   Peach and Mario usually have are reversed, and Peach gets to act as the
   hero.

   Mario once rescued Princess Daisy in Super Mario Land on the Game Boy,
   at the end of which Mario received a kiss. Additionally, the
   Japanese-only album Super Mario Compact Disco mentions Daisy as Mario's
   number-one girl (Peach does get a mention, but only once during the
   song "Super Mario USA"). In sports titles, though, Daisy frequents with
   Luigi more often, leading to some fan speculation that she may be
   romantically inclined toward Luigi rather than Mario. In Super Smash
   Bros. Melee, the text on Princess Daisy's trophy states that "after her
   appearance in Mario Golf, some gossips started portraying her as
   Luigi's answer to Mario's Peach."

   In the GameCube game Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, it is
   revealed that Mario is quite popular with the female characters. After
   Mario rescues Goombella from Lord Crump and his X-Naut soldiers at the
   beginning of the game, she rewards him with a kiss. Also, when Mario
   and his companions return Flurrie's necklace to her, she forcibly gives
   him a kiss. Another character who seemed to have a crush on Mario is
   [[List of characters in Vivian, one of the three Shadow Sirens. When
   Mario's name and body are stolen and he is turned into a shadow of
   himself, he helps her search for a bomb she needed, and she is touched
   by his kindness, even though she becomes aware that he has worse
   problems than her. Another recurring character, Ms. Mowz (who is an
   optional partner) is instantly smitten by Mario when she first meets
   him and his companions, and continuously flirts with him and kisses him
   before she leaves every time she runs into them, much to the dismay of
   Goombella, Flurrie, and Vivian. Even Beldam of the Shadow Sirens
   expressed that she found Mario attractive as well when she and her two
   sisters were glancing at the sketch of him that was given them to
   Grodus for them to find Mario and his friends.

   Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins for the Game Boy saw the arrival of
   Wario, Mario's demented and greedy alter ego. Though there is no
   official, tangible relationship between the two, some say Wario is
   Mario's cousin. It is clear that Wario is designed to act, in a way, as
   an anti-Mario, similar to the relationship between Bizarro, a Superman
   comic book character, and Superman himself.

Abilities and techniques

   During the development of Donkey Kong, Mario was known simply as
   "Jumpman", named for his keen ability to jump exceptional heights. This
   ability is still described as Mario's greatest talent in most forms of
   media in which he is portrayed, and jumping—both to access different
   areas of a level and as an offensive move—remains a core element of
   gameplay in most Mario games, especially in the Super Mario Bros.
   series.

   Mario's most commonly portrayed form of attack is jumping to stomp on
   the heads of enemies, first employed in Mario Bros. (but his main
   attack in this game was to hit the floor underneath the enemy, flipping
   them up-side-down) but better known from the later Super Mario Bros.
   game and its sequels. This jump-stomp move may entirely crush smaller
   enemies on the stage, and usually deals damage to larger ones,
   sometimes causing secondary effects as well. Most notably, this attack
   often enables Mario to knock the turtle-like Koopa Troopas back into
   their shells, which may slide across the stage, damaging other enemies,
   or Mario. Mario can kick or toss these shells at enemies or barriers in
   many games.

   Beyond this core mechanic, subsequent games have elaborated on Mario's
   jumping-related abilities. Super Mario World added the ability to
   spin-jump, which allows Mario to break blocks beneath him. Later, the
   Game Boy remake of Donkey Kong allowed Mario to jump higher with
   consecutive jumps, and perform a back-flip. Super Mario 64 continued
   the use of these abilities as well as a long jump, a sideways flip
   called a Side Somersault, and a ground pound. It made jumping off of
   walls much simpler to accomplish, and named it the "Wall Kick." Super
   Mario Sunshine then re-introduced the spin jump, but changed its
   function; in Sunshine, the spin-jump makes Mario jump a little bit
   higher and fall more slowly than after a normal jump.

   Mario makes use of a wide array of items in most games in which he
   appears. The most prominent and best known of these is the Super
   Mushroom, which allows Mario to grow to twice his size. In this form he
   is usually labeled "Super Mario", and receives an additional hit-point;
   sustaining damage from most enemies will only cause Super Mario to
   shrink back down to "regular Mario" size. Mario is apparently stronger
   in his Super form, too, having the ability to break bricks with his
   fist (or even head). Additionally, in many games collecting a Fire
   Flower transforms Mario into Fire Mario and allows him to throw
   fireballs at enemies ( pyrokinesis), and a Starman renders Mario
   temporarily impervious to harm. In addition, Super Mario Bros. 3
   introduced a Racoon Leaf which transforms Mario into Racoon Mario
   allowing him to fly for short distances. Super Mario World introduced
   Mario's dinosaur friend Yoshi to the game series, whom Mario can ride.
   When riding Yoshi, Mario can clear spiky terrain and stomp foes that he
   otherwise cannot. Various other Mario power-ups have been included, for
   example the Rare Suits forms: Frog Mario, has improved jumping and
   swimming abilities; Tanooki Mario has the same abilities as Racoon
   Mario and can become a statue; and Hammer Mario can throw hammers and
   protect himself from fireballs by ducking ( Super Mario Bros. 3). Other
   power-ups are the Cape Feather, that gives Mario a cape (Cape Mario)
   and allows Mario to fly, the Power Balloon, allows Mario to float
   upwards for a brief time ( Super Mario World) - a similar ability
   returned, except via the Power Flower, in Super Mario 64 DS (in Super
   Mario Bros.3: Super Mario Advance 4, Mario could become Cape Mario, by
   using a card-e reader with the GBA); a Power Carrot that made Mario
   sprout rabbit ears (Bunny Mario) allowing him to float down from high
   places ( Super Mario Land 2); and a Blue Shell that allowed Mario to
   transform into Shell Mario, and thereafter skid around levels in a
   manner similar to a kicked Koopa shell ( New Super Mario Bros.). New
   Super Mario Bros. introduced the Mega Mushroom, too, which causes Mario
   to grow to screen-filling proportions, and allows him to not only crush
   enemies, but even destroy level scenery; and the Mini Mushroom which
   makes him shrink into a very small size, allowing him to run over the
   water and pass tiny gaps.

   Originally, Mario could swim underwater indefinitely, but in Super
   Mario 64 and Super Mario Sunshine, he takes damage underwater, although
   he will instantly regain health when he reaches the surface. The lack
   of a separate underwater health gauge allows Super Mario 64 players to
   recover health by diving under water then returning to the surface,
   reducing the game's difficulty in some places. In addition, in these
   two games, unlike in other games, Mario has either 6 or 8 hit points
   and regains health by collecting coins, running through a spinning
   heart item, or collecting a Star or Shine Sprite.

   Mario's hat is very important. In Super Mario 64, Mario will take an
   extra point of damage if he is attacked without his hat, and in Super
   Mario Sunshine, Mario will automatically take damage after a few
   seconds when his hat is stolen. In addition to this, Super Mario 64
   features different boxes with hats (or 'Caps') inside that, when donned
   by Mario, offer him different abilities; the Wing Cap, for example,
   allows him to fly for a limited amount of time (in Super Mario 64 DS,
   he uses a Special Feather to become Wing Mario), the Metal Cap
   transforms him into Metal Mario, and the Vanish Cap into Vanish Mario.
   Mario can also join the Metal Cap and Vanish Cap, transforming into
   Ultimate Mario, whose abilities are similar to Metal Mario and Vanish
   Mario together.

   In Super Mario 64, the Metal Cap is found in Hazy Maze Cave, where
   there is a pool of swirling metal which holds a new area. Once a switch
   in that area is pushed, Metal Caps become available. Metal Mario is
   completely invulnerable. Similar to Sega's Super Sonic, Metal Mario can
   harm enemies by simply running into them. The ability has a time limit.
   When Metal Mario is hit, he will sometimes flinch, but will not lose
   health. Along with this, he does not have to breathe, which allows him
   to walk in noxious gas and water. His heavy weight allows him to be
   able to sink in water, helping in some missions. He loses the ability
   to speak (which, while not having significant impact on overall story
   or gameplay, only serves to show that Mario became composed entirely of
   metal). In the enhanced remake, Super Mario 64 DS, the ability to turn
   into a metal being is granted to Wario instead.

   In Super Smash Bros, Metal Mario makes a return appearance as a
   sub-boss. In Super Smash Bros Melee, the sequel to Super Smash Bros.,
   Metal Mario returns, and after unlocking Luigi, there is not only Metal
   Mario with which to contend, but the "Metal Bros." There is a power up
   that will turn any character into metal.

   Metal Mario also appeared as a secret unlockable character in Dr. Mario
   64 and Mario Golf. In Mario Golf he is very strong, having an even
   longer drive than Bowser.

   Although Mario is not usually portrayed using weapons in games, one
   exception is the use of hammers as weapons in some games, including
   Super Mario Bros. 3, the original Donkey Kong, Super Mario RPG, Mario &
   Luigi: Superstar Saga, and the Paper Mario series. In Super Mario RPG
   and the Paper Mario series, Mario uses his hammer to hit switches and
   solve puzzles as well as to hit enemies. In the Wrecking Crew series,
   Mario wields a hammer to break bricks. The other times that Mario uses
   weapons is in the Super Smash Bros. series, where he can wield weapons,
   such as bats, hammers, and laser guns.

In popular culture

   Mario in Kungsbacka, Sweden
   Enlarge
   Mario in Kungsbacka, Sweden

   Since his creation, Mario has established himself as a pop culture icon
   having starred in three television shows, comic books, and in a feature
   film where he was played by Bob Hoskins. Nintendo of Japan produced a
   60-minute anime feature starring Mario and his friends in 1986,
   although this film has never been released outside of Japan. He has
   appeared on lunchboxes, t-shirts, magazines, commercials, in candy
   form, and as a plush toy. The animated series The Super Mario Bros.
   Super Show featured a live-action series of skits starring former WWF
   manager "Captain" Lou Albano as Mario and Danny Wells as Luigi. There
   was even a book series, the Nintendo Adventure Books. In 1990, a
   national survey found that Mario was more recognizable to children in
   the world than Mickey Mouse. In addition, Mario made history in 2003 by
   becoming the first video game character to be honored with a wax figure
   in the legendary Hollywood Wax Museum. In 2005, Jonathan Mann even
   wrote an opera based on the character, and performed The Mario Opera at
   the California Institute of the Arts.
   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mario"
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   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
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