It’s hard to believe that Nintendo’s legendary mascot Mario is over 40 years old. Harder, still, is that the NES killer app Super Mario Bros. is now 39, making it one step closer to being middle-aged. Certain events in life make you realize how old you’ve gotten and for me, seeing 39 next to Mario’s name puts into perspective just how long I’ve been playing video games for.
The original Super Mario Bros., which was technically a spin-off to the arcade game Mario Bros., was released in Japan on the Famicom on September 13, 1985. It would eventually make its way overseas to the US in October of 85 and take nearly two years to hit other regions. Once out in the wild, it changed the landscape of video games forever, turning them from a quick fad into a legitimate industry.
So much has been written about the impact of Nintendo’s plucky plumber that it would be pointless to recap all of that. We all know and love Mario and Luigi, so why go for the traditional sentimental retrospective? What I think is fascinating is that Mario has practically taken on a life of its own beyond the confines of video games. Just last year, an animated film from Illumination hit theaters and became the 4th highest-grossing animated film of all time. It came almost 30 years after a live-action flop that scared Nintendo away from non-gaming adaptations altogether.
Now? Mario is bigger than ever and has taken on a cultural status not dissimilar to Mickey Mouse. It’s practically impossible to imagine video games continuing into the 21st century without Mario’s presence. While The Legend of Zelda might be Nintendo’s most prestigious series, Super Mario Bros. is its most important and Mario will long outlive his creator and all of us currently living today.
So, here’s to Super Mario Bros. 39th birthday, which makes me realize that I’m also nearly middle-aged. When I enter the retirement home in my twilight years, I’m sure I’ll still be playing Mario with all of the other elders. Happy Birthday, Mario Bros!
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Written by Peter Glagowski
Peter has been a freelance gaming and film critic for over seven years. His passion for Nintendo is only matched by the size of his collection.
