Super Mario is a long-running and critically acclaimed video game franchise created by Japanese game designer Shigeru Miyamoto and published by Nintendo. The franchise centers on the adventures of Mario, an Italian plumber, and his brother Luigi, as they travel through the Mushroom Kingdom to rescue Princess Peach from the villainous Bowser. The core gameplay typically involves running and jumping through side-scrolling or 3D platforming levels, defeating enemies, and collecting power-ups like the Super Mushroom and Fire Flower.
The franchise began with the arcade game Mario Bros. in 1983, but it was the 1985 Nintendo Entertainment System release of Super Mario Bros. that revolutionized the video game industry. Its precise controls, imaginative world design, and hidden secrets set a new standard for home console gaming and helped revitalize the market after the video game crash of 1983. The game's iconic music, composed by Koji Kondo, is among the most recognizable in entertainment history.
Over the decades, the series has expanded into numerous genres, including kart racing (Mario Kart), party games (Mario Party), role-playing games (Paper Mario, Mario & Luigi), and sports titles. Mario has become Nintendo's mascot and a globally recognized pop culture icon, appearing in over 200 video games that have collectively sold more than 800 million copies, making it the best-selling video game franchise of all time.
