Fun Facts About Mario Bros.

Think you know Mario?

Released in 1983 by the legendary duo Shigeru Miyamoto and Gunpei Yokoi, Mario Bros. wasn't just a sequel to Donkey Kong—it was the birthplace of the franchise's most iconic DNA. From the debut of Luigi to the introduction of the POW Block, this arcade classic laid the groundwork for decades of gaming history. In this post, I will dive into the surprising secrets and development stories behind the brothers' first true plumbing adventure.

Fun facts

Background

• The game was not affected during the video game crash of 1983, being very popular in arcades and selling thousands of cabinets.

• The game was a precursor to Super Mario Bros. (released in 1985), introducing key characters and elements.

The game

• Upon starting the first phase, you may hear a familiar tune from Mozart’s Eine kleine Nachtmusik. You may also recognize this theme if you play Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix. This specific arrangement became a "victory" or "start" theme that persisted in several later titles.

• Mario is portrayed as a working-class plumber, establishing him as an everyday hero.

• The POW Block that stuns all onscreen enemies made its first appearance in this game, becoming a recurring item in the franchise.

Behind the scenes

• The game utilizes a mechanic called the "slippery floor effect," which was an accident that resulted from hardware limitations. It does, however, add a unique challenge. This became the "Ice World" physics we still see in modern Mario games.

• Manga-Inspired Pipes: Miyamoto’s inspiration for the iconic green pipes came from his childhood memories of seeing waste grounds in mangas, where pipes were often left lying around. They were added specifically to keep enemies from piling up at the bottom of the screen.  

• Joust: It was stated by Miyamoto that the 2-player mode and some aspects of the gameplay were inspired by the 1982 arcade game Joust.

• The "Superhuman" Jump: In the earlier Donkey Kong, falling from a height would kill Mario. For Mario Bros., legendary designer Gunpei Yokoi suggested that Mario should be able to fall from any height and survive. Shigeru Miyamoto was initially skeptical, fearing it would make the game too easy, but eventually agreed to give the brothers "superhuman abilities."

• A "Turtle" Origin Story: The idea for flipping enemies came from Yokoi watching a cartoon turtle struggle after its shell was removed. He originally wanted to make an entire game just about removing shells from turtles, which evolved into the "hit from below" mechanic we see in the game. This led to the creation of the "Koopa Troopa" ancestor, the Shellcreeper.

• Screen Wraparound: This is one of the few Mario games that features "wraparound" physics—walking off the left edge of the screen makes you reappear on the right side.

• The Rare Port: While the game was ported to many systems like the Atari 2600 and Commodore 64, the Atari 8-bit computer version is famous for being the only home port to include the falling icicle hazard from the arcade original.

• Mario's Palette: In the original arcade version, Mario wore red overalls and a blue shirt, which is the reverse of his modern look. His current color scheme (blue overalls, red shirt) was actually standardized in the NES port of this game. The technical reason for the swap was often to make them pop against the black background of the arcade screens.

To sum it all up...

While it may seem simple compared to the sprawling 3D adventures of today, Mario Bros. was the essential "Big Bang" for the franchise. It transformed Mario from a generic protagonist into a character with a world, a brother, and a unique set of abilities that defined a genre. These facts show that even the smallest development choices—like a "slippery" floor or a palette swap—can end up shaping gaming history for decades to come. Next time you see a green pipe or a POW block, you’ll know exactly where it all began.