🎮 MARIO Day 2025 – Mar 10

Dedicated to CALEB

A True Fan of MARIO

🍄 MAR1O Day ORIGIN & HISTORY

Mario games have consistently outsold all other video game franchises including The Legend of Zelda and Pokémon. Shigeru Miyamoto created the Donkey Kong game in 1981 featuring MARIO, the most popular & iconic video game character of all time. Neither the founder nor the creative origin of this holiday has ever truly been established except to say that fans around the world simply started honoring Mario on their own for a number of years. Mario’s legion of fans even chose National MARIO Day to be celebrated on the 10th Day in March or March 10 stylized as “MAR10” which is the name of MARIO. Clever girl huh?

MARIO Makes an Appearance

Mario first appeared in the arcade game Donkey Kong as a carpenter named “Jumpman”. In Japan, he was called “Mr. Video”. Nintendo of America’s first president, Minoru Arakawa, later renamed him “Mario” in 1982 after Mario Segale the Italian landlord where their first offices were located. Arakawa was responsible for building the industry back up after the unfortunate Video Game Crash of 1983. For two years the market slumped due to over-saturation of consoles on the market. This was known as the Atari Shock in Japan.

SUPER MARIO is Born

Mario later appeared with his younger brother Luigi in their very own arcade game called Mario Bros in 1983. By 1985 Super Mario Bros was released at the same time as the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) console itself in the US and for the Famicom system in Japan. It was the successor to Mario Bros and the first in the Super Mario series. Players controlled Mario, or his brother Luigi in multiplayer mode, as they traveled the Mushroom Kingdom to rescue Princess Toadstool (Princess Peach within Japan) from King Koopa (later known as Bowser).

All of the Mario franchise spinoffs have similar gaming elements and concepts. Super Mario Bros also popularized side-scrolling stages for electronic games while avoiding hazards such as enemies and pits with the aid of power-ups like the Super Mushroom, Fire Flower, or twinkly Starman. Shigeru Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka designed the game as the final three-year-long pinnacle of exhaustive game mechanics and programming finally took shape. They drew on their experience with side-scrollers Excitebike and Kung Fu for platform gameplay.

🪠 HOW to Celebrate & Observe MARIO Day?

Not sure how to LOVE the day? We’ve got a few interesting ideas to consider that may help get you started.

Here are some activities that you can do on MARIO Day!

💙 PARTY like it’s 1981

Host a Mario-themed party by playing Mario games and dressing up as Mario cosplay characters. Why not have a room full of Mario, Luigi, Wario, Princess Daisy, Princess Peach, Toad, a Piranha Plant, Donkey Kong, sparkly Starman, a Super Mushroom, Goombas, Koopa Paratroopas, or even King Koopa himself … Bowser! What will the neighbors think?

And a party isn’t complete without Mario-themed party finger food. Some creative ideas include a mushroom cake, cloud meringue cookies, piranha plant-inspired fruit skewers, a flower power veggie & dip platter, or even Mario hats made from mini Babybel cheeses.

💙 WAIT for a sale

Some stores and gaming outlets have weeklong celebrations with big discounts on select game & console deals, specials, Mario gear including GameStop, electronics stores, and even Nintendo itself.

💙 TRIVIAL pursuit

Instead of game night, have the neighbors over and play video game trivia. Stuff the deck with as many Mario facts you can scribble down from iHEARTdays 😉

💙 The FINAL four

Invite family & friends to a video game tournament you’re hosting. *Sigh* yes you’ll have to blow the dust off the golden cartridge leads. Grab a whiteboard and some dry erase markers to keep up with the final four tally. Dust off your old Nintendo Power magazines. I got my Aunt Charlotte to put my initial subscription on her bank card. Spoiler alert: I still have my worn copies.

💙 DRESSED for success

Go to school dressed in the iconic red & blue outfit just like Caleb would do. Don’t forget your plumber’s hat, sideburns, and mustache!

💙 RAISE Social Awareness

Use social media posts with the hashtags #MarioDay, #NationalMarioDay, #Mar10, #Mar10Day, #EntertainmentHolidays, #MarchHolidays, #Holiday, #FindADayToLOVE, #iHEARTdays to support the importance of celebrating, promoting, and sharing with the world why you ❤️ MARIO Day.

LEARN more about SUPER MARIO & his friends

STORYTIME WITH LITTLE GOLDEN BOOK’S SUPER MARIO

SWEDISH RADIO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA PLAYS THE SUPER MARIO SUITE

TWELVE Fun Facts you never knew about MARIO Day

1. Mario first appeared as the hero in Donkey King in 1981 before headlining his own game. He was simply known as “Jumpman” on account of having to jump over obstacles, barrels, and climb ladders to reach his girlfriend locked away by Kong in a cage.
2. Mario’s girlfriend in Donkey Kong is named Pauline.
3. Donkey Kong, according to the game manual, was Jumpman’s pet and Kong abducted Pauline because of mistreatment he suffered at his hand. In the sequel, Donkey Kong Jr released a year later, players maneuver Junior to rescue his father imprisoned & captured by Mario. Yikes, it was a different time! Talk about animal cruelty.
4. Before Mario and his brother Luigi were plumbers, Mario was a carpenter in the game that started it all, Donkey Kong.
5. Mario’s creator, Miyamoto, wanted to initially create a Popeye game but Nintendo couldn’t secure the licensing. It was to be like Donkey Kong, but Brutus was Kong, Popeye was Mario, and Olive Oyl was Pauline. Popeye didn’t jump but rather punched his way through the levels. Well “Blow me down! That’s all I can stands, ’cause I can’t stands no more!”
6. There really is a Mario. In 1981 Nintendo of America was renting space in Washington State from a property magnate named Mario Segale before they moved to Redmond. He had a penchant for wearing suspenders with his short stature and would frequently storm in demanding rent. Mario left a lasting imprint with the employees and personified the company’s mascot.
7. There were technical limitations in the 1980s with video games including the designers giving Mario a cap because hair was too difficult to animate along with clothing, mustache, and sideburns. Again a nose and mouth would have been too hard as an animated sprite back then.
   

   Super Mario

8. Nowadays you don’t think twice about going to see a film originating as a game. Hollywood’s very first movie based on a video game was Super Maro Bros in 1993. It starred Bob Hoskins, Dennis Hopper, and John Leguizamo. Reportedly Dustin Hoffman was interested in the lead as Mario himself due to his children’s interest in the character. It was a flop.
9. The nefarious Koopa leader Bowser was originally slated to be an Ox. Yes, the character’s preliminary drawings looked more turtle-like even though Miyamoto wanted an Ox to portray Mario’s nemesis.
10. Universal Studios sued Nintendo claiming that Donkey Kong infringed on their King Kong. After it looked like it was headed to a lawsuit, Nintendo’s all-star lawyer Howard Lincoln took them on. He found out Universal didn’t own the rights and that they claimed it was in the public domain. Case dismissed and MCA Universal ordered to pay $1.8 million. Howard famously went on to become Nintendo of America’s controversial chairman.
11. Over the years Mario has had quite a few different jobs – 12 jobs in fact.
12. Charles Martinet has voiced all things Mario since 1995. He showed up uninvited to an audition at a trade show. They were leaving but decided to give him a chance much like my Amazing Race audition. He went with a lighter voice appealing to children instead of the rough and tumble New York Italian accent. He got the job.

Famous PEOPLE also born on March 10th

• Chuck Norris

  American martial artist & actor born Carlos Ray best known for being a popular albeit campy action star in the 1970s and 80s and for his TV series “Walker, Texas Ranger”. He has a black belt in Tang Soo Do, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, judo, and even developed his own discipline called Chun Kuk Do. Norris served in the US Air Force and later won many martial arts championships until Bruce Lee invited him to be one of the main villains in Way of the Dragon and Steve McQueen ultimately convinced him to continue with acting gigs. Born 1940.

  CHUCK NORRIS Quote

  “Men are like steel – when they lose their temper, they lose their worth.”

• Barbara Corcoran

  American businesswoman best known as the “third Shark” on Shark Tank and one of the most successful entrepreneurs in history by earning $30 million in a little over a decade with only a $50K investment. Her story begins with borrowing $1000 working as a waitress and building a real estate brokerage group, eventually selling for $66 million which gave her time to focus on a family as her parents had 10 children. This included seven failed fertilizations until her sister donated an egg to her. Born 1949.

  BARBARA CORCORAN Quote

  “Don’t you dare underestimate the power of your own instinct.”

  “The best time to expand is when people are asleep at the wheel.”

• Ferdinand II of Aragon

  King of Aragon and later the King of much of Italy who married his Queen Isabella I of Castile and began the unification of Spain as the first Spanish King. Best known for creating the Spanish Inquisition and sponsoring the voyages of Christopher Columbus and Amerigo Vespucci. Born 1452.

  KING FERDINAND II Quote

  “The King of France complains that I have twice deceived him. He lies, the fool; I have deceived him ten times or more.”

Future DATES for MARIO Day

🕹️ Super Mario FAQ

What is Mario’s LAST NAME?

• The CEO of Nintendo, Satoru Iwata, initially said Mario had no last name. Yet a couple months after his death, Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto while initially agreeing with Mr Iwata came out and confirmed that Mario’s last name is indeed Mario. So we celebrate Mario Mario the famous plumber/carpenter. I guess the Super Mario Bros movie is canon after all.

What is the RAREST Mario game?

• Nintendo World Championships 1990 is by far the rarest video game. Why? Because there are only 75 known in existence. It featured Super Mario Bros, Rad Racer, and Tetris as games that could only be played for a total of 6:21 minutes during competition, but this could be changed via DIP switches on the cartridge.

What is the MOST EXPENSIVE Mario game?

• An unopened copy of the game Super Mario 64 from 1996 became the most expensive video game ever sold for $1.56 million at auction in 2021. A month later Mario did it again with a copy of Super Mario Bros a company purchased for a cool $140K and resold for $2 million! With previous records set in the past, this made Super Mario Bros now the most expensive video game ever sold in the world 3-times over. And it only cost $25 brand new.

How many WORLDS are in Super Mario Bros?

• Eight. Each level contained four sublevel stages. Certain stages you could bypass by going through the right warp pipe portal.

How much did the ORIGINAL video gaming systems COST?

• The original Atari VCS launched in September 1977 at $199, which is equivalent to almost $900 today. It came with two joysticks and a Combat cartridge; eight additional games sold separately. It was renamed the Atari 2600 when the Atari 5200 came on the market.
• The original price of the ColecoVision was $175 in 1982. Coleco licensed Nintendo’s Donkey Kong as the official bundled cartridge for all ColecoVision consoles. Its main competitor at the time was the Atari 5200.
• When the Nintendo NES first sold in 1985, it was priced at $149.99 and came complete with none other than the outstanding Super Mario Bros, Duck Hunt, a light gun accessory for Duck Hunt using a photodiode to detect black & white and an extra controller. Refurbished systems on Amazon normally still go for the exact same price today!

Why we L💜VE MARIO Day

Any one of us including hardcore video gamers (I’m looking at you Michael B) can look back fondly on our days when Mario kept us company & appreciate what Nintendo most probably accidentally set out to build. Aren’t we all just looking for a hidden POWER UP in life before we get to the main level boss and complete the game to get our reward?

1. BENEFITS in a Healthy Way

   As long as you’re not playing it too much (which is easier said than done), the benefits might outweigh a cramped, spasmodic trigger finger. Studies have shown that playing video games regularly may increase gray matter in the brain and boost brain connectivity. Playing Super Mario Brothers, especially the more 3D games beginning with Super Mario 64, Mario Kart, and the Mario Galaxy series can be helpful to enhance your memory, spatial orientation, and developing fine motor skills. It’s the gray matter that’s associated with muscle control, memories, perception, and spatial navigation.

2. WHERE to Begin

   In the immersive “World of Nintendo”, Mario is everywhere. He’s like a little Italian Mickey Mouse with a staccato accent that anchors a vast bevy of games within your video game library. He’s starred in or had minor roles in over 255+ games & counting – everything from first-person POV role-playing games to sports & puzzles, group party games, and racing genres. There’s something for just about everyone in Mario land.

3. SOCIALLY Acceptable

   Unlike Wario, Mario likes to bring us all together. Ever since multi-player action was added to video gaming, the world hasn’t been the same since. Who hasn’t wanted to be player vs player? Race your friends or Luigi in Mario Kart and others right from your phone or laptop computer. When the virtual is done, why not head over to the new Epic Universe that Universal Studios is building in Orlando, Florida. Here you can actually visit Super Mario Land!

It’s A Me, M-A-R-I-O!