Since debuting back in 1981, Super Mario has become one of the most recognizable characters in the world. While Mario is best known for Nintendo’s video games, the character has also appeared in cartoons, a live-action movie, and even comics. Despite Mario’s appearances in other mediums, creator Shigeru Miyamoto doesn’t think the mascot would have had as much staying power if he had made his debut anywhere besides video games. Speaking to NPR, Miyamoto attributed the character’s enduring popularity to his growth through various video games.
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“And I really think another factor is the fact that Mario was created as acharacter within an interactive medium. So for example, if I maybe, youknow, drew Mario as a comic book character, I don’t think he would havehad this much staying power. You know, there was a time when peoplemight have compared Mario with Mickey Mouse,” said Miyamoto. “And, you know, Mickey Mouseis a character that was born, you know, 50 years before my time and wasobviously still around in my generation. And I really felt like MickeyMouse as a character grew alongside the medium of animation. And in thatsame vein, I feel that Mario is growing alongside this digital medium.”
Mario actually has a very long history in comics, going back decades. Mario comics were published in North America in 1990 by Valiant Comics, and a Super Mario Adventures comic ran in Nintendo Power from 1992-1993. Most notably, a manga series based on the character began in 1991, called Super Mario-kun. The series continues to loosely adapt Mario games after all these years, but has seen limited release outside of Japan. A collection of stories finally released in North America in 2020, but only one volume has been made available.
It’s hard to say whether Mario would have been as popular if he had debuted in something other than video games, but the character has clearly found a lot of success in different mediums. With The Super Mario Bros. Movie set to release in April, it will be interesting to see if the character can find success in theaters!
Do you think Mario would have been as popular as a comic character? Are you looking forward to The Super Mario Bros. Movie? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp to talk all things gaming!
