Mario Day Date in the current year: March 10, 2024

Mario was created by Japanese video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto for Nintendo. He debuted in Donkey Kong, an arcade game released in 1981. The character was unnamed in the Japanese release, but he was named Jumpman in the English instructions and Mario in the sales brochure. Since then, Mario has become the protagonist of a video game franchise, as well as the official mascot of Nintendo.

Mario is an Italian-American plumber who lives in the fictional Mushroom Kingdom. He wears a red shirt with long sleeves, blue overalls, and a red cap. He has blue eyes, brown hair and a mustache. In 1983, Nintendo introduced Luigi, Mario’s younger brother and sidekick.

Mario is more than just a video game character. Since his inception, he has become a bona fide pop culture icon. Alongside video games, he has appeared in television shows, comic books, a feature film, commercials, as well as on various merchandise. Mario even appeared in the 2016 Summer Olympics closing ceremony.

Video game fans celebrate Mario Day on March 10. Such a date was chosen because when the date is written as MAR 10, it resembles the word MARIO.