# Super Mario

Super Mario is Nintendo's flagship video game franchise starring the mustachioed Italian plumber who first appeared as 'Jumpman' in the 1981 arcade game Donkey Kong. The 1985 NES release of Super Mario Bros. turned Mario into a global mascot and seeded decades of internet remix culture, from Hotel Mario cutscene parodies to YouTube Poops.

## Origin
Mario debuted as 'Jumpman' in the 1981 arcade game Donkey Kong, where he climbs girders to rescue a woman from a giant ape[5]. Nintendo released a role-reversed sequel, Donkey Kong Jr., in 1982, in which a young gorilla frees the original Donkey Kong from Mario[6]. The 1983 arcade game Mario Bros. introduced Luigi and reframed the pair as Italian plumbers stomping creatures crawling out of pipes[3].

The franchise's breakout was Super Mario Bros., released on September 13, 1985 alongside the Nintendo Entertainment System[1]. It shipped with eight worlds of four levels each and made Bowser and Princess Peach household names[3]. Mario has since appeared in more than 200 games[3].

- **Platform:** Arcade (Donkey Kong, 1981) / YouTube (meme spread)
- **Creator:** Shigeru Miyamoto (character designer); meme derivatives by various fan creators
- **Date:** 1981

## Overview
Super Mario, also known as Super Mario Brothers or just Mario, is Nintendo's flagship game series built around the plumber brothers Mario and Luigi and their trips through the Mushroom Kingdom[1]. The character was designed by Shigeru Miyamoto and named after Mario Segale, the landlord of one of Nintendo's early American warehouses[2].

As a meme source, the franchise powers a huge chunk of gaming remix culture. The low-budget 1994 Philips CD-i title Hotel Mario is a favorite well for parody edits and YouTube Poop videos thanks to its stilted animated cutscenes[3]. Power-ups like the Super Mushroom and the Fire Flower, plus the antagonist Bowser kidnapping Princess Peach, are shorthand recognizable enough that even the Urban Dictionary entries for 'Super Mario' assume readers already know them[4].

## How to Use
Meme use of Super Mario typically involves recontextualizing sprites, sound effects (the coin ping, the 1-Up jingle, the death sting) or cutscene lines. Hotel Mario dialogue such as Luigi's 'I hope she made lotsa spaghetti' is a common YouTube Poop building block[3]. The term 'Super Mario' also gets used as slang for someone who constantly one-ups other people's stories, playing on the 1-Up mushroom mechanic[4].

## Frequently Asked Questions
### What is Super Mario?
Super Mario is Nintendo's long-running video game franchise starring Mario and Luigi in the Mushroom Kingdom, and a common source for internet parody edits like YouTube Poops[1].

### Where did Super Mario come from?
The character first appeared as 'Jumpman' in Nintendo's 1981 arcade game Donkey Kong, designed by Shigeru Miyamoto[5].

### What does Super Mario mean?
Beyond the game series, 'Super Mario' is also slang for someone who habitually one-ups other people's stories, riffing on the 1-Up mushroom power-up[4].

### How do you use Super Mario?
Meme creators reuse Mario sprites, sound effects and Hotel Mario cutscene lines in parody videos and YouTube Poops[3].

### Is Super Mario still popular?
Yes, the franchise is a classic with a dedicated fan wiki past 15,000 entries and continued Nintendo releases like Mario Maker[7].

## References
1. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Mario_%28series%29](<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Mario_%28series%29>)
2. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shigeru_Miyamoto](<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shigeru_Miyamoto>)
3. [https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/super-mario](<https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/super-mario>)
4. [https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Super%20Mario](<https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Super%20Mario>)
5. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mario_Bros.](<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mario_Bros.>)
6. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donkey_Kong_Jr.](<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donkey_Kong_Jr.>)
7. [https://www.mariowiki.com/](<https://www.mariowiki.com/>)
8. [https://www.facebook.com/SuperMario](<https://www.facebook.com/SuperMario>)
9. [http://www.fullscreenmario.com/](<http://www.fullscreenmario.com/>)

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Source: https://meme.com/memes/super-mario
Published by meme.com — The Internet Meme Library