Mario Bros. History & Fun Facts
History of Mario Bros. & Super Mario Bros.
Many of our rental customers choose vintage arcade games for their event. Games like Mario Bros., Ms. Pac-Man, Frogger, and Whac-A-Mole bring a healthy dose of nostalgia to guests. Here’s a little history and some fun facts about one of the most popular and well-known games of our time: Mario Bros.
The original arcade game Mario Bros. dates back to 1983 when it was developed and published by Nintendo. Mario Bros. aptly follows Italian twin brother plumbers Mario and Luigi as they investigate sewers and exterminate a variety of creatures by knocking them upside down and kicking them away. The objective of the game is to defeat all of the enemies in each phase. The game has a point system and continues until the player loses all lives.
Mario Bros. was created by Shigeru Miyamoto and Gunpei Yokoi, two of the lead developers of the video game Donkey Kong in 1981. The character of Mario first appeared in Donkey Kong. Miyamoto originally wanted to use the established character of Popeye as the protagonist, but could not get the licensing rights, so he created Mario instead. Originally called “Mr. Video” and “Jumpman”, he was renamed Mario after Nintendo of America’s landlord Mario Segale.
Super Mario Bros., the successor to Mario Bros., was introduced in 1985. Players control Mario or Luigi in the multiplayer mode as they traverse Mushroom Kingdom to rescue Princess Peach Toadstool from King Koopa, later renamed Bowser, the primary antagonist.
More fun facts:
- On October 16, 2015, Steve Kleisath obtained the world record for the arcade version at 5,424,920 points verified by Twin Galaxies.
- Super Mario Kart, according to Guinness World Records, was named the Most Influential Video Game in History.
- The Super Mario Bros. Movie, which came out in April 2023, is the highest-grossing film based on a video game after just one week of release. As of November 16, 2023, the movie has grossed $1.36 billion worldwide.
Games are a unique addition to trade shows, weddings, or graduation parties. Lieberman Companies has a great selection of quality equipment to rent within the Twin Cities area that will add an extra element of fun to your special event! We even have Mario-themed prizes and plush to use in prize cranes.
If you are interested in renting Mario Bros., Donkey Kong, or any other retro arcade games we have available, give us a call at 952-887-5303 or fill out our game rental form online.
