The History of Mario and Donkey Kong
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Questions and Answers

What was the original name of Mario before it was changed to Mario?

  • Radar Scope
  • Donkey Kong Jr
  • Miyamoto
  • Jumpman (correct)

    • Why did Miyamoto add an ape and rolling barrels to the game that later became Donkey Kong?

  • To introduce multiplayer mode
  • To speed up the gameplay
  • To make it more visually appealing
  • To ditch the shooting theme (correct)

    • Why did Mario originally wear a hat in the games?

  • Due to graphical limitations of the hardware at the time (correct)
  • To protect his head from falling objects
  • To match his outfit with his shoes
  • As a fashion statement

    • In which game does Mario officially star as the antagonist?

    <p>Donkey Kong Jr</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What was Miyamoto's role when he was hired by Nintendo in 1977?

    <p>Graphic artist</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Why did Mario wear dungarees in the games according to the text?

    <p>To emphasize his arm movements</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What mythological being inspired the Whomp characters in Super Mario 64?

    <p>Nurikabe</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Who was the inspiration behind the ghostly Boo enemies in Super Mario 64?

    <p>Wife of Takashi Tezuka</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which character in Super Mario 64 shrinks when Mario looks at it and grows large when Mario turns away?

    <p>Boo</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Who replaced Princess Peach as Mario's love interest in the Game Boy title Super Mario Land?

    <p>Princess Daisy</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which major Mario game was the first to be developed without Shigeru Miyamoto's involvement?

    <p>Super Mario Land</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which Hollywood movie was the first attempt to create a video game tie-in with Super Mario Bros?

    <p>Super Mario Bros</p> Signup and view all the answers

    In which game did Bowser appear as a good guy?

    <p>Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What was the original design of Bowser according to Miyamoto?

    <p>Ox</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which character was designed by Hiroji Kiyotake and is a nemesis in the Game Boy title Super Mario Land 2?

    <p>Wario</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What was the first game to be set in Mushroom World?

    <p>Super Mario Bros</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which game was designed as a tougher version of the original Super Mario Bros and was not released in the West initially?

    <p>Super Mario Bros: the Lost Levels</p> Signup and view all the answers

    'Ground Theme' is a famous piece from the soundtrack of which game?

    <p>Super Mario Bros</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which character was considered more recognizable to American children than Mickey Mouse in the early '90s?

    <p>Mario</p> Signup and view all the answers

    In what year did the genuine Super Mario Bros 2 get released in the West as part of the Super Mario All-Stars collection?

    <p>1993</p> Signup and view all the answers

    'The Wizard', an '80s movie, effectively acted as an advert for which game that appears in its climactic scene?

    <p>'Super Mario Bros 3'</p> Signup and view all the answers

    'Yume Kojo: Doki Doki Panic' was released to support which gaming add-on that was too difficult for Western release?

    <p>'Famicom Disk System'</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Study Notes

    Creation of Mario

    • Mario was created by Shigeru Miyamoto and first appeared in the 1981 arcade platformer, Donkey Kong.
    • Miyamoto was hired as a graphic artist by Nintendo in 1977 and was tasked with designing a game after several of the company's early coin-ops failed.

    Original Character

    • Mario was originally known as Jumpman.
    • He was later named Mario after Mario Segale, the landlord of Nintendo's US office.

    Mario's Professions

    • Mario was originally a carpenter, not a plumber.
    • He has also appeared as a doctor in the 1990 puzzle title Dr. Mario and its sequels.

    Design of Mario

    • Mario's design is a result of the graphical limitations of the hardware at the time.
    • He has a hat because realistic hair was difficult to portray, a mustache to accentuate his nose, and dungarees to make his arm movements more noticeable.

    Antagonist Role

    • Mario officially starred as the antagonist in Donkey Kong Jr, the 1982 sequel to Donkey Kong.
    • He trapped Donkey Kong in a cage, and the ape's son had to rescue him.

    Bowser

    • Bowser, the key antagonist of the Super Mario Bros series, has also appeared as a good guy.
    • He helped Mario in the 1996 title Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars.

    Super Mario Bros

    • Super Mario Bros was preceded by the 1983 arcade platformer, Mario Bros.
    • The game was designed by Miyamoto and Game Boy-creator Gunpei Yokoi and is set in the New York sewer system.

    Wario

    • Wario, the naughty version of Mario, first appeared as a nemesis in the Game Boy title, Super Mario Land 2.
    • He was designed by Hiroji Kiyotake and his name blends Mario with the Japanese adjective 'warui' meaning evil.

    Sales

    • The first Super Mario Bros game has sold 40.24 million copies.
    • It was until recently considered the best-selling game of all time.

    Mushroom World

    • Super Mario Bros was the first game to be set in Mushroom World, Miyamoto's long-running and ever-evolving fantasy kingdom.
    • When Mario 'eats' a super mushroom, he grows in size and ability.

    Other Appearances

    • Mario made his first appearance in a sports sim in the 1984 Nintendo Entertainment System game, Golf.
    • He appears on the cover in red and white striped overalls, with a blue starry shirt.

    Music

    • The iconic soundtrack to Super Mario Bros was provided by Nintendo composer Koji Kondo.
    • The main theme, known as 'Ground Theme', is one of the most recognizable pieces of game music ever recorded.

    Super Mario Bros 2

    • The original Super Mario Bros 2 was designed as a tougher version of the first game and released to support the Famicom Disk System.
    • The US and Europe got a tweaked version of the 1987 title Yume Kojo: Doki Doki Panic instead.

    Recognition

    • A Q Score survey in the early nineties revealed that Mario was more recognizable to American children than Mickey Mouse.

    Movie Appearances

    • Footage from Super Mario Bros 3 appears in the climactic scene of the 1989 movie, The Wizard.
    • The 1993 movie, Super Mario Bros, was Hollywood's first attempt to create a video game tie-in, starring Bob Hoskins and Dennis Hopper.

    Enemy Inspirations

    • The Chain Chomp enemies in Super Mario Bros 3 were inspired by an incident in Miyamoto's childhood when a neighbor's dog chased him.
    • The Whomp characters from Super Mario 64 were inspired by a mythological being known as the nurikabe, a 'wall ghost' that misdirects or impedes travelers at night.
    • The versions of the ghostly Boo enemies found in Super Mario 64 are based on the wife of the game's co-designer, Takashi Tezuka.

    Game Development

    • The Game Boy title Super Mario Land was the first major Mario game to be developed without Miyamoto.
    • Producer Gunpei Yokoi didn't do too badly, however, as the game shifted over 18 million copies.

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    Description

    Test your knowledge on the backstory of the iconic characters Mario and Donkey Kong. Learn about the creation of Mario by Shigeru Miyamoto and the development of the game designer's first title, Donkey Kong, in 1981.

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