When I was kid I really liked mario cause of how happy and positive he looked all the time. another thing was I liked mario more than sonic cause sonic felt more like he was in your face constantly trying to be cool while mario was just being himself and just being happy which made me want more mario than sonic plus his round cute face w mustasch made it even more charming imo but idk the way mario came to be was pmuch just a little beautiful accident since I dont think they planned on having mario as a mascot in the first place
I wouldn't change Mario's design for anything. He's short and a little pudgy, he's Italian, and he's a plumber. It's like they picked the most utterly RANDOM person to draw in a colourful & cartoony way and bestow an incredibly cheerful & friendly persona onto (Watching Charles Martinet acting as him is depression curing.) Y'know who else is a random person? You. And me too. You don't _need_ to play as a fantasy, you just need to play! Maybe you're a fat Italian plumber, or a lanky Scottish caretaker, or a b-cup German technician, but no matter what you are, you can bring out you're inner child and immerse yourself in a fun, crazy world. That's what Nintendo is all about! Fun for everyone. Having their mascot be "some guy" is _perfect._
That statement is exactly why I don't understand when companies try to appeal to literally everyone with their characters. Do they not understand that people can like and have fun with characters that don't perfectly reflect them?
yeah i mean, i dont give a fuck about kirby because it's not very interesting. the only thing you can think of it is "aw cute" and not many other feelings..
Interesting reasoning. Though given your list of 'how to design a character', combined with Miyamoto's description of mario.... Mario was conceived as an 'everyman' kind of character. Which is one of your definitions for how to design a character. He was also designed with the idea that you could fit him into any genre of game. And well, they've done that, haven't they? Sure, it's always on the comical side of things, but sports games, strategy games, puzzle games, educational games... Recently a tactical squad battle game... RPG's.... He's been in ALL of them. Of course, so much of his design is rooted in technological considerations from the early 80's as well. He has a moustache because with so little detail it's the only thing that gives him a sense of having a mouth. His nose is this huge bulb because in an 8 bit sprite as huge as that is, it's only a few pixels in the design. He wears a hat because (and I wish I was joking) 'drawing hair is hard'. Even his combo of shirt and overalls was chosen because it was a high contrast combination that made his arm movements more visible. When you look at it that way, almost the entirety of Mario's design was dictated by 8 bit technology limitations, and what remained was dictated by the idea of a character that was universal and could fit into basically any scenario...
Love this. I think thays why most nintendo characters fromcthe 80s have such stayong power. Mario, peach, bowser, dk, link, kirby are all from that era and have transformed into their own present day design that keeps all their 8 bit designs in tac
Guys, this video is not saying Mario's design is BAD. It's actually kind of saying it's cool that Mario's design has become an icon and lasted all this time, even though it's "weird" compared to how these things are usually decided. Just thought I'd point that out.
Madeleine Fisher initially i thought that would be the point of the vídeo, but while watching i really felt like he was criticising the character because "there's no way young audiences would like a fat old man as hero instead of someone who's similar to them". Maybe he made that point at video's conclusion, but i couldn't understand everything he said at the final part
Leandro Peixoto de Melo Exactly. Kids don't have to personally identify with a character to like them. That kind of idiotic thinking is the reason kids' TV used to be flooded with shit like 'The Flinstones Kids' and 'Yo Yogi'. TV executives thought they needed to make their characters young, hip and trendy so that modern kids would like them. What they didn't realize was that kids already liked those characters exactly the way they were. They were trying to solve a problem that didn't exist.
Madeleine Fisher I think the weirdness actually helps. It makes him stand out in a world of perfectly pretty mascots. Also the moustache is pretty cute. :3
I think the video was about him being dumbfounded about a simply weird character which isn't even supposed to exist in the first place, being a popular and surprisingly successful mascot.
Yeah, except mario was quite explicitly (according to Miyomoto) an 'everyman' kind of character. Which is one of the things he described initially when talking about how to design a mascot. He may not be a child, but he's still designed along the idea of being sort of representative of everyone. A generic person. (and of being suited for use in just about any situation.) I mean, I'm not sure the character design is as out of step with expectation as you might think. It just seems to look more like a disagreement about what qualifies as a valid design for the listed criteria. That said, almost all of the elements of mario's design are based around the limitations of 8 bit sprite artwork. The moustache, the hat, the overalls, the nose. All of it is about creating something that is visually distinguishable as a sprite composed of just about 128 pixels in 3-4 colours. That means the design has to be visually simple, and have a lot of contrast.
Mario has like a “Santa Claus” or a “Monopoly Man” aesthetic going on, so I don’t think he’s a strange design at all. He’s a kindly, mustachioed gentleman, like the fisherman on the fish sticks box, or Uncle Ben.
I will never understand why people want blank slate characters that people can "identify with" or "insert themselves in their place." Isn't that like, the entire point of a good character? For them to have *character?* He's a middle aged man in overalls who's kinda fat because he's supposed to be an honest, hard working, blue-collar kinda guy, all of which is shown in his design.
I'll take either tbh. If the character is a "blank slate" (I have Skyrim or Saints Row in mind) I'm invested bc it's like I'm in the game, I'm in the characters shoes. If it's not a blank slate, like say BioShock, then I'm invested because I want to know more about the character
What about Doctor Mario? He has a white coat. Also, there are some theories going around that Doctor Mario isn't the Mario we know in a doctor suit, but it could be his cousin that became a doctor but wasn't as well-known as the Bros because all he does is stay in an office flinging pills at parasites, so he doesn't go on the exciting adventures as the Bros do. Plus his real name is Gissuppe.
I don't know. He's a cute, likable design with old-fashioned cartoon aesthetics. Nintendo held onto him because the early games were so good and people wanted more of them. Mario became a recognizable brand unto himself almost instantly.
Full agreed. Because afterall, Mario is a fantasy character. No someone you meet in the street. So all the video to justified for the look for Mario is not holding at all.
BayLaugh Animations Everyone should stop making characters and just Waluigi to everything. We should strive to waaaah as much as our Lord and savior Waluigi until our entire existence , the stars ,the universe and then the multiverse are all in the shape of Waluigi.
I gotta say, one of Mario's greatest strengths is his adaptability. He can be adorable in Paper Mario, charming in Odyssey, goofy in Mario & Luigi, or even downright intimidating in Smash Bros. People call him a blank slate, but I'd say he's more like fresh clay, able to fit any role whilst still retaining his identity as "Mario." Try imagining someone like Sonic filling all the roles that Mario has. Even his fellow Nintendo characters can't pull it off as easily. Link comes closest, but relies on a reincarnation gimmick that means many of the characters' appearances are unrecognizable from one another. TL;DR: Mario is eternal. Embrace Him, for His crimson eminence transpires our mortal plain.
Potato Patato You literally said the exact words I was thinking! I agree, I find it frustrating when people say he's blank-slate, he's not a Skyrim character you customize to your liking or someone like Gordon Freeman, he has his own life, goals, likes and dislikes. He has a very extraordinary personality. Some people think he's also a Gary-Sue, meaning he's too perfect and too happy all the time when he's not always happy-go-lucky. In the sports games, he can get really competitive and take something as simple as a game of golf to serious measures... to the point he'll fall to the ground crying from getting a low score. He can also be hot-headed and feisty at times. He also has snarky dialogue options in games like Paper Mario or Super Mario RPG or even Odyssey whenever he's talking to someone. He's for the most part a very good-hearted person, but he has flaws just like anyone else. While he has had a astonishing numerous amount of achievements and careers from being a race car driver, to a doctor, a boxer, party thrower, acrobatic performer, etc he still has flaws like anyone else. That's what makes Mario so well-loved and fun. Plus the environment of the Mushroom Kingdom has so much personality all in itself. I think some people just see Mario as plain compared to Luigi, and most people relate to characters who are timid/the underdog than happy-go-lucky characters. Characters like Superman, Goku, Sora, Spongebob, Mickey Mouse, Harry Potter, Luke Skywalker, Anna, Naruto, Thor are seen as bland/blank-slates compared to angsty/troubled/timid characters like Batman, Vegeta, Roxas, Squidward, Donald Duck, Draco Molfoy, Darth Vader, Elsa, Sasuke or Loki.
Not to mention that Mario has a lot of odd jobs over the years. Aside from being a (former) carpenter and a plumber, he can be a doctor, a kart racer, a martial artist, a sportsman, a chef, a Vietnam soldier, an artist, a composer, a toy maker, and many more. Some say that Mario is a generic protagonist with no personality, but he's definitely more of a "jack-of-all trades" type of character who happened to be designated as an "everyman".
@@poweroffriendship2.0 | Exactly. Even the character's age can easy shift to better fulfil a role. Sometimes he's in his 20s, sometimes his 40s, yet always he's Mario.
Actually Mario is a very clever design... "why?! HOW?!" you may ask, and the answer is "familiarity", he look like a person you can trust, like a father, a uncle, a family friend, a funny happy guy..... he is a simple character, and have a pretty good color pallet choice, but at the same time, don't was plan, just happen, is something to study, specially in psychology. Mario appeal to the fathers who buy the games, appeal to the children who play, because what i say before. Is a very interesting topic..... think about....
Donkey Kong was originally supposed to be a Popeye game, but they couldn't get the rights to use Popeye, so Nintendo used original characters. We can still see remnants of this origin from Popeye the Sailor-Man to Jumpman the Carpenter to Mario the Plumber. Mario was popular for the same reason Popeye was, that empathy that people have for these wacky characters, while they might not be completely relatable, the pieces are definitely there for people to compare the life of a sailor or a plumber to whatever occupation they have (if they're an adult) or whatever occupation they wish to have (if they're a child). The modernistic formula of Popeye (unorthodox underdog fighting macho bully and saving damsel) was bound to be auspicious if it was translated into the video game market. Also, Popeye's spinach can be seen as an inspiration for powerups and I just think that's super cool!
I think you don't give enough credit to how much Mario's design and personality is designed to appeal to people. While it's easy to dismiss him as "middle-aged" and "weird" at first glance, when you take a closer look, his design is actually quite youthful and childlike. He's taken more than a few cues from Mickey Mouse and has the proportions of a toddler, and his entire design has a strong circle motif, indicating openness and playfulness. His nose is cartoonishly big, giving him an oafish-ness comparable to, say, Spongebob. Spongebob is another weird character. He's a fully grown man with a huge overbite and dorky formal clothing. Yet his childish optimism and playfulness appeal to children and instantly. Mario's cheery, cutesy attitude makes him easily marketable to small children and parents. I could go on, but I guess what I mean to say is that, yes Mario is weird, and that's perfectly normal ;)
I love everything you said 100% you have a really good point. I mean just because the character is youthful that doesn't always mean it is targeted to the young demographic and that can be the same for an older character
hamed alzarooni Him being "happy-go-lucky" and cheerful is seen generic and bland, according to most people, but most don't realize he has a personality outside of the "generic, joyful plumber boy" persona. He has been shown to be selfish and greedy at times too, and someone who wants to be number 1, he is highly competitive and can take simple fun games like golf or even partying to a ridiculous, serious level. I mean, he cried hysterically and tripped over himself in one of the golf games, you'd think someone had insulted him badly or something! And he's shown to be snarky and radical at times too. The only reason why more people don't see this more often is because they only play the main games so they assume he's just that goofy happy-go-silly overgrown kid character. He doesn't always have to be that way though. In the spinoffs, he and the other characters show an incredible wide range of emotions, even if it is shown over something as simple as playing sports. In the Smash Bros series, folks are actually complaining about the fact that Mario is too serious and angry in that series.
Mario looks soft and adorable, not only that but his design stands alone iconically. I love mario, and we should appreciate how much he has impacted human society over the years.
i think what makes Mario work so well, is his charm and his voice he is just a joyfull jolly man, someone you can always hang out with (just make sure you have no pet turtles) and Charles Martinet is already a jolly man, always smiling
They made him Italian and called Mario, because the working place of nintendo was financed by an Italian called Mario. Guess making somebody the inspiration of one of the most popular video game Character in history is a nice way to say thank you.
Mario's design was accidental genius. Now, he doesn't have immediate appeal, but he grows more relatable with age and as a result a parent is more likely to grab a Mario game for their kid's birthday than any other, especially when they don't know or care all that much for games themselves. Mario's face is also a seal of quality, if Nintendo is willing to put their most iconic character on the line, then the game is almost always great. Mario was never designed to exploit children, his role as the company's mascot was accidental and organic, and as such his brand is as sensitive as a not particularly attractive celebrity.
This is the first comment section I have ever seen where people are saying more nice things about Mario than the "underrated" character Luigi. And I think I prefer dis 1.
Well when pushed come to shove as long as it doesn't have a big focus on Luigi you see how many fans like Mario more people like Mario but the haters of Mario are just louder in most cases.
@@aaronjones6299 But I don't hate Mario or Luigi. :( I love them both. They're family to each other and that makes them even more relatable. Even if I relate with Luigi more, I still relate to Mario. Why does loving Luigi and wanting him to be in the spotlight mean hating Mario and thinking he doesn't deserve his position? It's so weird cos like, I know that as a person who has an older brother who is a lot more successful than me, I don't want him to be any less successful than he is. I just want to be treated as important too and I want to someday equal him in success. That's how I feel about Luigi and Mario. Both are characters I like and that make me happy.
The big prominent nose + easily established common profession based on outfit both are derived from Popeye the sailor. It's not too confusing to see where the mindset was in the 1980s for Miyamotto to come up with a flag-ship character. Sega almost did the same thing- Eggman was meant to be the protagonist but then someone came up with sonic and thought it was cooler but they liked egg man so much they kept him as the villain. It was the 1980s standards were different and less informed about what we works NOW based on demogrpahics and based on what worked THEN demographically which was cartoons from the 40s-70s,
The video mentions something very though, Mario is basically the only original character from Nintendo that fits the "old standard" that gas survived all this time with no major changes. Link and Kirby, for example, already followed some pretty modern standards when first idealized but Mario remained big nosed, mustached, kinda fat middle age man. I think the reason why Mario is so successful as a character isn't its design but instead its personality and also because Japanese audiences tend to embrace this kinda of odd design maybe even more than a appealing, well-thought character design.
I can tell you exactly why mario is the front man: His games are dope. People don't care how he looks or what is background story is, people associate him with the fun they had when they played the game.
Electric KoatHanger I always assumed he *(and Luigi)* were around their 20s or 30s. I was always assuming they were more in their early 30s though, due to the 30th Anniversary thing.
@@user-nw3ol7fk1i Both Mario and Luigi were originally depicted to be middle-aged in the beginning *(in the 90s they were always played by older men in the live-action section of the tv show)* but since the early 2000s were aged down to be re-aged to be in their 20s, probably done so the younger generation could relate to them better, despite the fact their mustaches might make them look older...
Your video just proved why Mario became a success. In an industry flooded with idealized men and women, few of them stand out. Just like when you watch a Hollywood movie, all the women look like they came from the same 3-4 molds. So they all blend together and you don't really care about them. But someone like Mario (or in the world of cinema, someone like Bob Hoskins) go so far away from the idealized look that they stand out. They can't be considered attractive by any means. But they are distinctive. And sometimes being distinctive makes you stand out more. Everyone can recognize an image of Abe Lincoln, Albert Einstein or Winston Churchhill. They're ugly as heck! But they are instantly recognizable. Not as many people can recognize an image of Justin Trudeau. They're more likely to confuse him with some actor. "Isn't he that guy who's the bad captain in Pirates of the Caribbean or something?" Whoops. Having all the trademark attributes of a Hollywood actor isn't always a blessing when you're trying to get noticed by the general public. And of course, as the comments on this video are proving, eventually being distinctive can cause the reverse effect. People start to obsess over and get attracted to a person who isn't the idealized look. This pretty much made Sean Connery and Harrison Ford's career. If Orlando Bloom suddenly went bald and grew a scraggly white beard, no one would vote him sexiest man of the year. But Sean Connery on the other hand...
maxis2k But Mario's design is really not that ugly. It's pretty adorable. His earlier designs were pretty ugly though. And those famous real-life people you mentioned? Maybe when the got older they looked bad, but come on, everyone ages! Someday we're all going to lose our good looks *(unless you take care of yourself).* Look at the younger pictures of those famous people you aforementioned and they used to be quite lookers in their younger days! Now someone I would say is really bad-looking is Stephen King.
its kind of a fresh breath of air to have a relatable kinda cute character that isn’t an animal or some undefinable freakishly humanoid figure as a mascot...
Mario looks cute and huggable and he's a genuinely nice dude (yeah, that's right MATPAT) and that's all I'm ever gonna want in a character. I don't need him to be realistic or have depth to like him. He's as simple as can be and that's more than enough.
I mean, that's how luigi started out, he was originally a palette swap of mario, it wasn't until luigi's mansion that they actually started making his personality different from mario's
Mario actually wasn't supposed to be fat or even have a moustache in thr first place though. As a matter of fact, Mario wasn't even supposed to exist. He just somehow came together when Shigeru Miyamoto was trying to design a human character on screen back in the 80s and because he didn't know how to animate hair or a mouth, gave his then-at-the-time unnamed character a hat and a moustache. And he was supposed to be skinnier but the character wasn't appearing clearly on the screen as they expected so they added more pixels giving him a more rotund shape to make him appear on the screen better. Even Luigi was fat back then, until graphics got better and they were able to distinguish the two. So Nintendo didn't just say "let's draw a chubby plumber guy as our main protagonist." Mario just happened to come into existence when they were actually trying to go for something else entirely. And they weren't expecting the character to become a big hit with children or adults alike, but it did, much to Nintendo's surprise. Not to mention, Mario's not even that fat anymore in his newer games. Why do kids love a chubby white bearded man who climbs down people's houses again? Because he brings toys?
Actually Mario is kind of based on a real person. They decided to flesh Jump-Man out, improved his design. But they didn't have a proper name for him. Then someone realized "holy shit he looks like our land lord Mario" and thus he was named.
Mario's design worked because - 1. It was unique, not just any animal but a fat mustache man. 2. It has bright colours which appeal to children. 3. The cap stands out with iconic M logo. 4. It comes with iconic sounds.
tbh, I never saw Mario as "middle-aged", in fact, some times I would even see him as a... kid, so to speak. point being, I never saw him as having an age at all
40088922 As a kid, I had no idea what a plumber was, so I always thought he was a kid wearing a moustache. It didn't help he wore overalls, and growing up I mainly saw children wearing overalls. It was common. I understand now that adults wear overalls too. I never saw Mario as middle-aged, he's actually in his 20s by the way. I also don't get where people are saying he's fat, he doesn't look fat to me. Plus with all that energy and power how could he be?
@@briannawilson8845 Well like... he is fat. He's not extremely fat, but he's overweight. He's got a pudgy face and an extra 20lbs on the belly. And in the world of iconic heroes that's definitely fat. Compare and contrast with Link or Ryu or most other mascots and icons.
@@Soitisisit Well, yeah, back in the 90s he was definitely fat, in the old cartoons he was depicted with a huge potbelly and in the older games he was a middle-aged overweight character, but he wasn't meant to be that way, he was only made to be fat because he didn't appear visible well on screen enough so they added extra pixels to make him appear on-screen better which gave him a fatter appearance. But since the early 2000s, Mario was not only aged down to being in his 20s, but it seems that he appeared to have lost some weight. Most video game characters like Sonic, Megaman, Pikachu or the Pokemon trainers also went from a stubby, fat design to a more lankier, thinner version of themselves over the years. Link himself went from a short, squat design in the very first game to a more skinnier and taller version in Zelda II *(it's the same Link by the way)* In his newer games Mario doesn't really look that fat to me. In some games he appears fatter than others though. The only noticeably fat thing(s) about Mario are his face or his belly, but games like Odyssey or M&S: Tokyo Olympic Games have him shirtless and he doesn't even have a gut, which convinced me into thinking Mario isn't fat. He also looks pretty darn skinny in the Smash Bros series, which is the skinniest Mario will ever be, especially in Melee, but I think it was only done so he can be scaled up with the other fighters. Also, many characters in cartoons might only have a chubby face and chubby features to make them look more appealing and child-like, not that they actually are fat, like how in Steven Universe everyone looks fat but it's actually just only the art style. Same thing with Mario. Luigi looks like he's fat too because of the potbelly-like appearance, but he really isn't. But both Mario and Luigi look fat compared to Waluigi or the princesses who are very skinny, or if you were to compare them to other superheroes/characters like Link, Kratos, Ryu, Snake, Sora, Superman, Captain America, etc. for example, just like you mentioned. It's kind of like how people said Moana was fat compared to the more unrealistically skinnier Disney princesses. Also, Mario's porportions are so exaggerated, it's hard to tell if he's still fat anymore or not.
@@briannawilson8845 Fair enough, although I don't really think of the M&S Olympic Games as canonical. As of the New Super Mario games he still looks at least chubby to me. And yeah, the relativity is a thing. I'd say Mario is still a bit fat and that Luigi is simply normally proportioned for someone who isn't fit, as it were. That is Luigi is about 10 lbs. "overweight", but he's not really fat. Mario though still looks to be somewhat fat. Bringing it back to the relativity though, it really depends on who you're comparing them too now. If you compare them to Americans, they are definitely not really fat anymore because the average American has more body fat so the normal is higher.
@@Soitisisit I was mostly referring to Super Smash Bros, which isn't canon either, but Mario looks skinny in those games due to his lankier limbs. And I was mentioning in both M&S Tokyo Games and Odyssey when shirtless he doesn't have a gut. He and Luigi actually have the same body types. I think Mario just looks fatter than Luigi because Luigi has a more longer head and is more "stretched out" whereas Mario has a rounder head and slightly shorter stature so it gives him a more fat appearance. I do think in the New Super Mario Bros series he looks fat in his midget form but not when he gets the super mushroom. He looks fat in Super Mario Party as well. But in Galaxy he looks thin there. Luigi looks fat in his Smash Bros Ultimate render, but I think it's the wierd pose he's in that makes him appear that way. I think Mario kept some of his chubbiness to make him appear child-like, to look sort of like a kid with a moustache. But yeah, Luigi sometimes looks chubby too, like in Luigi's Mansion, his stomach even jiggles as he runs. But I agree that not too many Americans would consider the Bros to be fat. It's kind of like how in The Simpsons, Homer Simpson is considered to be so fat, although there's much more out-of-shape fatter characters on the show.
Mario wasn't designed to be mascotte. He just happened to became one because he starred in good games. So when people look at his face they don't see a mustached dwarf in hat and overalls, they see a well known character with a lot of history on his back. And that's why he's still the number one character of the company. Which doesn't mean the company can't make characters with a charismatic design. Look at Arms! Every single character is clearly the result of a long study.
I think the overalls/cap combo was brilliant. He was just a blue collar dude that was suddenly called upon to be a hero in a bizarre world. It’s weirdly appealing lol
They didnt choose his design to be relatable, they chose something they could make stand out with few pixels. you are thinking of mario now, but back then, with so little pixels you needed to be unique, but compact,. by the time they could have replaced him, he was already making a name for himself
A lot of the best characters were pretty much impossible to predict. Popeye started as a background character in a comic strip and completely took over.
I think it's his hat that really pushes his brand. How many times have you seen that hat, whether with or without the classic "M," and thought "Hey that's Mario's hat." Matter of fact, in most media whenever they reference Mario they ALWAYS reference his hat and moustache. Never anything else. It's weird.
I’ve been playing Super Mario Odyssey for like a week straight and I SWEAR I WAS THINKIJG THE SAME THING LIKE?? Why is this middle aged pudgy Italian man so appealing ? Why is he an icon? And honestly, we’re lucky to have this meatball boi.
This actually is a neat thing to think about. It just goes to show that you don’t have to follow the norm to achieve the same success. Literally just choose the most RANDOM thing you can imagine, and if you’re at the right place at the right time, it could sell.
@@MoonwalkerWorshiper he didn't say he was the only one. That's like looking at someone saying how sonic's design is made to be cool and just coming in and saying "but sonic isn't the only character made to be cool"
@@MoonwalkerWorshiper but, that is his appeal. Like if someone says "the appeal of Luigi is his cowardice" that doesn't mean the people is saying he's the only one with that appeal
I guess the odd design, gave it the benefit to stick out. i mean, spongebob is also an incredibly bizarre character in many many ways, but he fits the part and even if it weren't for how brilliant the show was in its first 3 seasons, it's still very iconic.
Mario is a great example of how to take advantage of limitations. I mean Miyamoto had to remove Popeye and make a new character from zero using a very limited technology. And now thanks to those legal and technical limitations we have an endearing character who has marked the childhood of millions of people worldwide (including me).
Nintendo: mmkay we need a mascot. Some guy in the back: A FAT MIDDLE AGED PLUMBER Nintendo: sold! Nintendo, some time later: alright, we need someone to share in Mario's spotlight Some other guy: MARIO BUT GREEN AND ALSO WIMPY Nintendo: _genius_ Nintendo: we need an anti-Mario Some guy: WE MAKE HIM FATTER Nintendo: brilliant.
4:05 was mind-blowing for me. Just the way you organized the characters made me realize just how similar they are despite the designers trying to make them unique.
The reason why they kept Mario and why he makes more business sense is because by the time the technology came about to allow for better character designs, Mario was already a well established icon. You can't just "replace" that anymore. Thats like saying lets replace Mickey Mouse or Bugs Bunny! Its not that simple.... there's more to this stuff than just the visual aesthetics and yeah like you said its great that Mario exists because he is unique in the regard that he doesn't fit the criteria of "good character design". This video seemed more on the analytical side which doesn't always hold true when it comes to how things end up happening.
As a character designer, this video blows my mind. I'm always stopping and evaluating character design in new franchises and the like, but Mario is so damn iconic and pervasive it literally never occurred to me to consider his design from a critical perspective. And you're 100% right, this is WEIRD.
Being red helps Mario to stand out. Not only does he stand out from the blue skies used in Super Mario Bros, but red is a very bright and noticeable color. Furthermore, red is the color of leadership, which helps cement Mario as the mascot of Nintendo.
I thought I was the only one who thought a fat, mustached, italian plumber who throws fire was kind of weird in hindsight when you realise that it represents all of video games.
I never considered him to be fat *(for me, that's Wario,)* but I do find it strange that a guy with a moustache somehow manages to be as "appealing" as a cute aninal mascot. I also noticed Mario was the only human video game mascot in the 90s whereas you had Sonic, Spyro, Banjo-Kazooie etc.
I feel like his unremarkability as a character is actually part of why he's so successful as a videogame protagonist. A Mario game is not about Mario; it's about the game. Mario is simply the piece with which you interact with the game and his design strikes a great balance of being appealing and not standing out more than he needs to.
I might be biased since Mario is my childhood, but I don’t mind his design too much. I mean, isn’t it kinda refreshing to *not* have some fancy main character for once? He’s a lovable fat Italian imo
mario is actually fucking hot. - thicc belly to fufill your daddy kink -italian -has a spicy sausage just waiting for you -good person overall, willing to save princess peach despite how many times she's been "captured" -he's fucking mario of course you if you're not into mario, you have luigi who is worse in every goddamn way
Idea: Mario became an icon by accident, just because Super Mario Bros was such a flipping fantastic game for its time (and still is, btw). Mario kind of made sense to use in that scenario, becuse they already had the sprite assets from the not-so-fleshed-out character in donkey kong, and might have wanted to re-use an already known character. Besides, the player character had to be small in Super Mario Bros, to fit eveything on the screen. Also, none of the other iconic ideas from Super Mario Bros made any kind of sense either. You hit your head against bricks, which most of the time produces coins, but sometimes mushrooms which make you bigger? Except if its a brown mushroom, then you have to jump on it to not die.. Flowers give you fire-powers and you go down gigantig pipes to the sewer to get... more money? It's a weird-ass game. Mario was never intentioned to be an icon, but the games he was in were so flipping great that he became one.
I think part of the reason I love Mario so much is that he's always been easy to draw for me, without being boiled down to the simplest of simple with kirby. and while the design was born of necessity, it turns out it's pretty darned expressive and hearkens back to designs like something you'd see out of a Popeye cartoon or Professor Ochanomizu from Mighty Atom. I think one of the reasons I love something like DK 94, especially with a greyscale color scheme Vs. any sort of coloring is that I can very easily envision that game being the sort of collection of black and white film serials that old cartoons were release don before you'd see a Laurel and Hardy film, especially given that the file select in that game clearly takes place on a stage of sorts and the sort of comical little jingles that play whenever Mario takes a deadly pratfall or gets smushed or such. Mario to me has always had this Fun-loving everyman feeling to me, an idealist hero of sorts, sorta like a less powerful and less immediately handsome Superman, in a sense. I think it's always bothered me when people have tried to depict him has being shlubby or sleazy or any of the other things one might associate with Captain Lou Albano. It'd be like depicting mickey mouse with a chain smoker's rhaspy voice and as a scavenging little homeless shit who can only afford to wear pants and shoes because he's so broke. I suppose that's the problem with nintendo having only defined who the hell Mario even is outisde of a very surface level and whatever insane and silly things that Charles Martinet wants to jabber on about when they let him have more than a 3 second sound byte to put into a game or it's promotion. in short, I think Mario kinda has a sort of timeless appeal to his design that not even the heavily and repeatedly redesigned Link can claim. Yes, Mario has gotten redesigned a fair number of times too, from his weirdo design on the arcade cabinets of Nintendo's arcade days, to the stockiness of the SMB1 and 2 design, and there's been very subtle proportioning here and there... but there hasn't been a need to do something TOO horribly drastic with him.
It's maybe the same thing as James Bond. The writer of James Bond picked the name because it was the most boring name he could think of, so maybe the most boring design would be more recognizable in the long run.
Actually I kinda agree with you, for a mascot, Mario has one of the weirdest design for a mascot I’ve ever seen, like you would think a knight would save a princess from a turtle dragon but nope a fat Italian plumber from Brooklyn would save her, but gosh dangit I love his design.
That's what makes the idea unique. You don't except an average blue-collar worker to come in saving the day compared to your Knight in shining armour. Never really considered Mario fat though. But I see what you mean.
No demographic? Don't worry, he has! Mario got Dadbod saving the princess which could be a representation of a daughter who likes to think they are princesses! Mario is a dad. Actually nevermind, i'll just sleep
When I was young, Mario was my favorite character over all. I don't know why, but he was not weird or overdoing something, and honestly, he's still one of my favorites
As a kid I didn't really like him. Not because I thought his design was weird but it was because I prefered animal protagonists rather than human ones, like Spyro for example. I started liking Mario when I got in middle school and I adore the character these days.
Canonically, Mario and Luigi are actually in their 20s. Also, I'd argue that Mario represents the "everyman" because he looks like an average person, making him relatable. Plus, the mustache and cap gives Mario an authoritative appearance, like an officer or a captain, making him look dependable and reliable. And finally, most other mascots clearly have a dated design, whereas Mario's design is timeless. Mario is the ultimate mascot.
2:17 Top left to right, then bottom left to right: Bionic Commando, Little Nemo, Kid Icarus, ???, River City Ransom, Punch Out, Metal Gear, Castlevania.
What's really interesting is that they took Mario's unconventional qualities and emphasized them even more with Wario. More fat, more ethnic, more gruff, more hairy, more gross. Granted, he's an antihero, so can get away with being not idealized, but you don't see Shadow the Hedgehog eating raw garlic and farting in people's faces.
I’m pretty sure replacing Mario wouldn’t be that easy: He was pretty iconic even in the NES years. In my opinion demographics are a lot less important for a well established character, and video games are very much the sum of many parts, with the demographics of a character being one part of many. In addition, gamers are aging - middle age gamers are becoming more numerous. Nostalgic games are becoming a pretty big deal as more gamers become older.
It's probably because he's so odd that he is so successful. It's because of his unconventional design that he sticks out like a sore thumb in the gaming market. There's several action heroes, talking animals, and talking animal action heroes that Mario's down-to-earth design look so striking and out of place, and that makes him, and Nintendo by extension, look unique amongst such homogeneity. His "everyman" appearance also sells an image of Nintendo not just being aimed at kids, but at everyone. He's a mascot that appeals to kids and adults alike, so he sells to everyone, not just kids.
Mario serves more as a father figure than someone to identify with. The awesome dad you wish you had. Playful but reliable, fun and competent. Playing as Mario is kind of like going on an adventure with your parent.
![เจ็บที่ยังฮัก - ม่อน วรวิทย์ [ Official Mv ] จอนนี่มิวสิค](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/KALIGSRSjFs/mqdefault.jpg)
When I was kid I really liked mario cause of how happy and positive he looked all the time.
another thing was I liked mario more than sonic cause sonic felt more like he was in your face constantly trying to be cool while mario was just being himself and just being happy
which made me want more mario than sonic
plus his round cute face w mustasch made it even more charming imo
but idk the way mario came to be was pmuch just a little beautiful accident
since I dont think they planned on having mario as a mascot in the first place
same, I've always thought he was just so cute and dope and happy.
Just Another Human Being mario doesnt smoke dope
I never really saw sonic as this in your face, radical person. I see him as more care free, and always seeking adventure.
But that's just me
RuggedALAN I didn't mean that kind of dope
why and how ya everywhere now?
I wouldn't change Mario's design for anything. He's short and a little pudgy, he's Italian, and he's a plumber. It's like they picked the most utterly RANDOM person to draw in a colourful & cartoony way and bestow an incredibly cheerful & friendly persona onto (Watching Charles Martinet acting as him is depression curing.) Y'know who else is a random person? You. And me too.
You don't _need_ to play as a fantasy, you just need to play! Maybe you're a fat Italian plumber, or a lanky Scottish caretaker, or a b-cup German technician, but no matter what you are, you can bring out you're inner child and immerse yourself in a fun, crazy world.
That's what Nintendo is all about! Fun for everyone. Having their mascot be "some guy" is _perfect._
That statement is exactly why I don't understand when companies try to appeal to literally everyone with their characters. Do they not understand that people can like and have fun with characters that don't perfectly reflect them?
yeah i mean, i dont give a fuck about kirby because it's not very interesting. the only thing you can think of it is "aw cute" and not many other feelings..
Comment of the year
He's just saying that it's a miracle for Mario to be so different, which brings that point.
unfunny meme nah dude, there's splatoon, arms, and breath of the wild that almost is a completely new game concept
9/10 doctors agree that Mario is a weird character design.
The tenth doctor is Mario.
Or literally any other Mario character considering just how many doctors have spawned in since Dr. Mario World.
@@giovannidotgen guess they have Phoenix Online in the Mushroom Kingdom
The 10th Doctor is Mario?
Holy shit
No the tenth doctor is David Tennant.
Looks like he's overdosed on pills again
Interesting reasoning. Though given your list of 'how to design a character', combined with Miyamoto's description of mario....
Mario was conceived as an 'everyman' kind of character. Which is one of your definitions for how to design a character.
He was also designed with the idea that you could fit him into any genre of game. And well, they've done that, haven't they? Sure, it's always on the comical side of things, but sports games, strategy games, puzzle games, educational games... Recently a tactical squad battle game...
RPG's....
He's been in ALL of them.
Of course, so much of his design is rooted in technological considerations from the early 80's as well.
He has a moustache because with so little detail it's the only thing that gives him a sense of having a mouth.
His nose is this huge bulb because in an 8 bit sprite as huge as that is, it's only a few pixels in the design.
He wears a hat because (and I wish I was joking) 'drawing hair is hard'.
Even his combo of shirt and overalls was chosen because it was a high contrast combination that made his arm movements more visible.
When you look at it that way, almost the entirety of Mario's design was dictated by 8 bit technology limitations, and what remained was dictated by the idea of a character that was universal and could fit into basically any scenario...
Thank you for this, character design is really interesting
Yes. Exactly this. His design was pretty much only caused by how limited video game graphics, especially platformers, were back then.
This comment had more thought put into it than the video
KuraIthys fax
Love this. I think thays why most nintendo characters fromcthe 80s have such stayong power. Mario, peach, bowser, dk, link, kirby are all from that era and have transformed into their own present day design that keeps all their 8 bit designs in tac
Guys, this video is not saying Mario's design is BAD. It's actually kind of saying it's cool that Mario's design has become an icon and lasted all this time, even though it's "weird" compared to how these things are usually decided.
Just thought I'd point that out.
Madeleine Fisher initially i thought that would be the point of the vídeo, but while watching i really felt like he was criticising the character because "there's no way young audiences would like a fat old man as hero instead of someone who's similar to them". Maybe he made that point at video's conclusion, but i couldn't understand everything he said at the final part
Leandro Peixoto de Melo Exactly. Kids don't have to personally identify with a character to like them. That kind of idiotic thinking is the reason kids' TV used to be flooded with shit like 'The Flinstones Kids' and 'Yo Yogi'. TV executives thought they needed to make their characters young, hip and trendy so that modern kids would like them. What they didn't realize was that kids already liked those characters exactly the way they were. They were trying to solve a problem that didn't exist.
Madeleine Fisher I think the weirdness actually helps. It makes him stand out in a world of perfectly pretty mascots. Also the moustache is pretty cute. :3
I think the video was about him being dumbfounded about a simply weird character which isn't even supposed to exist in the first place, being a popular and surprisingly successful mascot.
Yeah, except mario was quite explicitly (according to Miyomoto) an 'everyman' kind of character. Which is one of the things he described initially when talking about how to design a mascot.
He may not be a child, but he's still designed along the idea of being sort of representative of everyone. A generic person. (and of being suited for use in just about any situation.)
I mean, I'm not sure the character design is as out of step with expectation as you might think. It just seems to look more like a disagreement about what qualifies as a valid design for the listed criteria.
That said, almost all of the elements of mario's design are based around the limitations of 8 bit sprite artwork.
The moustache, the hat, the overalls, the nose.
All of it is about creating something that is visually distinguishable as a sprite composed of just about 128 pixels in 3-4 colours.
That means the design has to be visually simple, and have a lot of contrast.
Ug, I wish Mario was added to Smash Ultimate. He's such an iconic character.
I don’t think Ubisoft would want their main mascot to be in a Nintendo game after their big argument
Don’t forget to mention that Mario is a really old character and most people don’t like him 😔😔😔
They won't
I'll try not to say something stupid so I won't get r/woooshed
@@AymenZero r/ssssshhhhhhhiiiiiiiiiitttttttttttttt
This is the ideal male body
what do you suggest? xD
Hacks. Alt accounts. ANYTHING.
You may not like it, but this is what peak performance looks like.
I want mario to eat me out like how he eats his spaghetti.
Neon Majora what are you
Mario has like a “Santa Claus” or a “Monopoly Man” aesthetic going on, so I don’t think he’s a strange design at all. He’s a kindly, mustachioed gentleman, like the fisherman on the fish sticks box, or Uncle Ben.
So true!
He has the “humble middle aged man that invites you and your family to his BBQ every two weeks or so” kind of vibe
fish sticks box.
Fluffynator
That doesn’t make his design any less aesthetically pleasing or iconic. What’s your point?
With great power comes great responsibility
It's because Mario is a daddy all ages could appreciate
seju draike He's like a fun loving upbeat father figure that would be the best dad or are we talking about something else.
Sadly I think seju draike was talking of something else... 0-0
seju draike ni
He's MY daddy.
hell yeah Mario is daddy
I will never understand why people want blank slate characters that people can "identify with" or "insert themselves in their place." Isn't that like, the entire point of a good character? For them to have *character?*
He's a middle aged man in overalls who's kinda fat because he's supposed to be an honest, hard working, blue-collar kinda guy, all of which is shown in his design.
No. He is designed that way, because he created in the 80's era of gaming.
SHHHHH-
Stop that.
Stop that making sense thing. You know better.
Severo Cairon It's hard to think of him as an honest figure with how greedy Nintendo seems to be at times.
I'll take either tbh. If the character is a "blank slate" (I have Skyrim or Saints Row in mind) I'm invested bc it's like I'm in the game, I'm in the characters shoes. If it's not a blank slate, like say BioShock, then I'm invested because I want to know more about the character
mascot vs game character
Mario: red
Luigi: green
Power-up: white
🇮🇹
Oooh
Which power-up to be exact?
@@carracer41
Fire flower
Leavanny The Cute Mantis oh stfu
What about Doctor Mario? He has a white coat. Also, there are some theories going around that Doctor Mario isn't the Mario we know in a doctor suit, but it could be his cousin that became a doctor but wasn't as well-known as the Bros because all he does is stay in an office flinging pills at parasites, so he doesn't go on the exciting adventures as the Bros do. Plus his real name is Gissuppe.
I don't know. He's a cute, likable design with old-fashioned cartoon aesthetics. Nintendo held onto him because the early games were so good and people wanted more of them. Mario became a recognizable brand unto himself almost instantly.
I agree
Full agreed. Because afterall, Mario is a fantasy character. No someone you meet in the street. So all the video to justified for the look for Mario is not holding at all.
This is a glorified meme ya know. He says it in the description.
But realistic mario is pure nightmare fuel.
@@kaitlynwhalen5961 Mario in the Mario Kart 8 Mercedes commerical says hi.
They should have just swapped out mario for waluigi after the n64 era tbh
BayLaugh Animations Everyone should stop making characters and just Waluigi to everything. We should strive to waaaah as much as our Lord and savior Waluigi until our entire existence , the stars ,the universe and then the multiverse are all in the shape of Waluigi.
yes
TOO BAD!!!
WALUIGI TIME!!!
Maybe Mario looks like a dad and several people have daddy issues, who knows
*W*
*A*
*A*
*A*
*A*
I gotta say, one of Mario's greatest strengths is his adaptability.
He can be adorable in Paper Mario, charming in Odyssey, goofy in Mario & Luigi, or even downright intimidating in Smash Bros. People call him a blank slate, but I'd say he's more like fresh clay, able to fit any role whilst still retaining his identity as "Mario."
Try imagining someone like Sonic filling all the roles that Mario has. Even his fellow Nintendo characters can't pull it off as easily. Link comes closest, but relies on a reincarnation gimmick that means many of the characters' appearances are unrecognizable from one another.
TL;DR: Mario is eternal. Embrace Him, for His crimson eminence transpires our mortal plain.
Potato Patato You literally said the exact words I was thinking! I agree, I find it frustrating when people say he's blank-slate, he's not a Skyrim character you customize to your liking or someone like Gordon Freeman, he has his own life, goals, likes and dislikes. He has a very extraordinary personality. Some people think he's also a Gary-Sue, meaning he's too perfect and too happy all the time when he's not always happy-go-lucky. In the sports games, he can get really competitive and take something as simple as a game of golf to serious measures... to the point he'll fall to the ground crying from getting a low score. He can also be hot-headed and feisty at times. He also has snarky dialogue options in games like Paper Mario or Super Mario RPG or even Odyssey whenever he's talking to someone. He's for the most part a very good-hearted person, but he has flaws just like anyone else. While he has had a astonishing numerous amount of achievements and careers from being a race car driver, to a doctor, a boxer, party thrower, acrobatic performer, etc he still has flaws like anyone else. That's what makes Mario so well-loved and fun. Plus the environment of the Mushroom Kingdom has so much personality all in itself. I think some people just see Mario as plain compared to Luigi, and most people relate to characters who are timid/the underdog than happy-go-lucky characters. Characters like Superman, Goku, Sora, Spongebob, Mickey Mouse, Harry Potter, Luke Skywalker, Anna, Naruto, Thor are seen as bland/blank-slates compared to angsty/troubled/timid characters like Batman, Vegeta, Roxas, Squidward, Donald Duck, Draco Molfoy, Darth Vader, Elsa, Sasuke or Loki.
Not to mention that Mario has a lot of odd jobs over the years. Aside from being a (former) carpenter and a plumber, he can be a doctor, a kart racer, a martial artist, a sportsman, a chef, a Vietnam soldier, an artist, a composer, a toy maker, and many more.
Some say that Mario is a generic protagonist with no personality, but he's definitely more of a "jack-of-all trades" type of character who happened to be designated as an "everyman".
@@poweroffriendship2.0 | Exactly. Even the character's age can easy shift to better fulfil a role. Sometimes he's in his 20s, sometimes his 40s, yet always he's Mario.
Actually Mario is a very clever design... "why?! HOW?!" you may ask, and the answer is "familiarity", he look like a person you can trust, like a father, a uncle, a family friend, a funny happy guy..... he is a simple character, and have a pretty good color pallet choice, but at the same time, don't was plan, just happen, is something to study, specially in psychology.
Mario appeal to the fathers who buy the games, appeal to the children who play, because what i say before. Is a very interesting topic..... think about....
少女Larme I enjoyed reading your response. Made me smile! :-)
Junior Jr. I like both Mario and Sonic. And Sonic doesn't brag that much... that's Knuckles.
No love for crash here? :'(
D O N ' T W A S P L A N
Donkey Kong was originally supposed to be a Popeye game, but they couldn't get the rights to use Popeye, so Nintendo used original characters. We can still see remnants of this origin from Popeye the Sailor-Man to Jumpman the Carpenter to Mario the Plumber. Mario was popular for the same reason Popeye was, that empathy that people have for these wacky characters, while they might not be completely relatable, the pieces are definitely there for people to compare the life of a sailor or a plumber to whatever occupation they have (if they're an adult) or whatever occupation they wish to have (if they're a child). The modernistic formula of Popeye (unorthodox underdog fighting macho bully and saving damsel) was bound to be auspicious if it was translated into the video game market.
Also, Popeye's spinach can be seen as an inspiration for powerups and I just think that's super cool!
I give u a thousand likes
Yep and that game that introduced power ups that came from popeye was Pac-man!
I think you don't give enough credit to how much Mario's design and personality is designed to appeal to people. While it's easy to dismiss him as "middle-aged" and "weird" at first glance, when you take a closer look, his design is actually quite youthful and childlike. He's taken more than a few cues from Mickey Mouse and has the proportions of a toddler, and his entire design has a strong circle motif, indicating openness and playfulness. His nose is cartoonishly big, giving him an oafish-ness comparable to, say, Spongebob. Spongebob is another weird character. He's a fully grown man with a huge overbite and dorky formal clothing. Yet his childish optimism and playfulness appeal to children and instantly. Mario's cheery, cutesy attitude makes him easily marketable to small children and parents. I could go on, but I guess what I mean to say is that, yes Mario is weird, and that's perfectly normal ;)
I love everything you said 100% you have a really good point. I mean just because the character is youthful that doesn't always mean it is targeted to the young demographic and that can be the same for an older character
McShmoodle (Knuxfan10) Spongebob is a grown man?
@@yungmuney5903 old enough to have a job, live on his own and try to get a driver's license
Mario's personality? What type of "personality" Mario have?
hamed alzarooni Him being "happy-go-lucky" and cheerful is seen generic and bland, according to most people, but most don't realize he has a personality outside of the "generic, joyful plumber boy" persona. He has been shown to be selfish and greedy at times too, and someone who wants to be number 1, he is highly competitive and can take simple fun games like golf or even partying to a ridiculous, serious level. I mean, he cried hysterically and tripped over himself in one of the golf games, you'd think someone had insulted him badly or something! And he's shown to be snarky and radical at times too. The only reason why more people don't see this more often is because they only play the main games so they assume he's just that goofy happy-go-silly overgrown kid character. He doesn't always have to be that way though. In the spinoffs, he and the other characters show an incredible wide range of emotions, even if it is shown over something as simple as playing sports. In the Smash Bros series, folks are actually complaining about the fact that Mario is too serious and angry in that series.
Mario looks soft and adorable, not only that but his design stands alone iconically. I love mario, and we should appreciate how much he has impacted human society over the years.
dazzysnazzy I agree.
I guess you could say, Mario's design is an ODYSSEY!
kitsuneluigi99 JUMP AND DON'T BE SCARED
JUMP UP AND YOUR CARES WILL SOAR AWAY
DAMN IT!!
GhastlessGibus YOU KNOW THAT YOU'RE A STAR
ODD-ESY, YOU SEE...
ODD-ESY, YOU SEE...
ODD-ESY, YOU SEE...!
ODYSSEY. ODYSSEY!!!!
i think what makes Mario work so well, is his charm
and his voice
he is just a joyfull jolly man, someone you can always hang out with (just make sure you have no pet turtles)
and Charles Martinet is already a jolly man, always smiling
Martinet is such an enthusiastic individual.
Miyamoto said mario is 24 years old...
Maybe the stache just makes him look older? Perhaps that's why it's a different color from his hair, it's a fake mustache!
super captain Lyall man Just look at Mario's perfect hair, his mustache and that skin. He's a young fellow.
super captain Lyall man true
Poor diet will do that to you
This simply doesn't make any sense, considering that Cranky Kong is supposed to be the original DK Mario fought but is clearly very elderly now.
They made him Italian and called Mario, because the working place of nintendo was financed by an Italian called Mario. Guess making somebody the inspiration of one of the most popular video game Character in history is a nice way to say thank you.
epic
Mario's design was accidental genius. Now, he doesn't have immediate appeal, but he grows more relatable with age and as a result a parent is more likely to grab a Mario game for their kid's birthday than any other, especially when they don't know or care all that much for games themselves. Mario's face is also a seal of quality, if Nintendo is willing to put their most iconic character on the line, then the game is almost always great. Mario was never designed to exploit children, his role as the company's mascot was accidental and organic, and as such his brand is as sensitive as a not particularly attractive celebrity.
"Mario was never designed to exploit children"
LOL come on pal.
what about bootlegs?
1:35....
Since when was 25 considered old?
Senpai Mario XD
He *looks* old.
Diego Ruiz he looks YOUNG AND BEAUTIFUL LEAVE HIM *ALONE*
pesky pls actually he looks like a daddy-aged guy
From the target demographic of Mario's point of view, most likely
draw me like one of your cows from imagination 😍😰
Ok I'll draw you in a bagel
no
I think i'll draw you like a- BRUH
This is the first comment section I have ever seen where people are saying more nice things about Mario than the "underrated" character Luigi.
And I think I prefer dis 1.
shytoastgamer 4 Agree
Well when pushed come to shove as long as it doesn't have a big focus on Luigi you see how many fans like Mario more people like Mario but the haters of Mario are just louder in most cases.
Everyone already likes Mario, he's great. You just see more support for Luigi cuz he gets treated badly by Nintendo lol.
Fuck Luigi
@@aaronjones6299 But I don't hate Mario or Luigi. :(
I love them both. They're family to each other and that makes them even more relatable. Even if I relate with Luigi more, I still relate to Mario. Why does loving Luigi and wanting him to be in the spotlight mean hating Mario and thinking he doesn't deserve his position? It's so weird cos like, I know that as a person who has an older brother who is a lot more successful than me, I don't want him to be any less successful than he is. I just want to be treated as important too and I want to someday equal him in success. That's how I feel about Luigi and Mario. Both are characters I like and that make me happy.
Are you telling me you don't want a moustache ride from that hot italian daddy?
Jon Dunham Mamma mia!!
Jon Dunham WHY!?!!?!?! XD
YayasStuff Probably just to get a reaction.
how do i delete someone else's comment
LET'S-A GO
The big prominent nose + easily established common profession based on outfit both are derived from Popeye the sailor. It's not too confusing to see where the mindset was in the 1980s for Miyamotto to come up with a flag-ship character. Sega almost did the same thing- Eggman was meant to be the protagonist but then someone came up with sonic and thought it was cooler but they liked egg man so much they kept him as the villain. It was the 1980s standards were different and less informed about what we works NOW based on demogrpahics and based on what worked THEN demographically which was cartoons from the 40s-70s,
The video mentions something very though, Mario is basically the only original character from Nintendo that fits the "old standard" that gas survived all this time with no major changes. Link and Kirby, for example, already followed some pretty modern standards when first idealized but Mario remained big nosed, mustached, kinda fat middle age man. I think the reason why Mario is so successful as a character isn't its design but instead its personality and also because Japanese audiences tend to embrace this kinda of odd design maybe even more than a appealing, well-thought character design.
I can tell you exactly why mario is the front man: His games are dope. People don't care how he looks or what is background story is, people associate him with the fun they had when they played the game.
Mario is more recognized than Mickey Mouse worldwide
Who?
Deal me a card
Strangely enough, Mario's age is actually said to be 26.
24-25
Electric KoatHanger I always assumed he *(and Luigi)* were around their 20s or 30s. I was always assuming they were more in their early 30s though, due to the 30th Anniversary thing.
@@briannawilson8845 I agree
I’m not discriminating, but Mario’s cannon age is in his mid 20s, not middle aged like in his fifties as described in the video.
i'm sorry but i physically cannot register that information
@@user-nw3ol7fk1i Both Mario and Luigi were originally depicted to be middle-aged in the beginning *(in the 90s they were always played by older men in the live-action section of the tv show)* but since the early 2000s were aged down to be re-aged to be in their 20s, probably done so the younger generation could relate to them better, despite the fact their mustaches might make them look older...
Your video just proved why Mario became a success. In an industry flooded with idealized men and women, few of them stand out. Just like when you watch a Hollywood movie, all the women look like they came from the same 3-4 molds. So they all blend together and you don't really care about them.
But someone like Mario (or in the world of cinema, someone like Bob Hoskins) go so far away from the idealized look that they stand out. They can't be considered attractive by any means. But they are distinctive. And sometimes being distinctive makes you stand out more. Everyone can recognize an image of Abe Lincoln, Albert Einstein or Winston Churchhill. They're ugly as heck! But they are instantly recognizable. Not as many people can recognize an image of Justin Trudeau. They're more likely to confuse him with some actor. "Isn't he that guy who's the bad captain in Pirates of the Caribbean or something?" Whoops. Having all the trademark attributes of a Hollywood actor isn't always a blessing when you're trying to get noticed by the general public.
And of course, as the comments on this video are proving, eventually being distinctive can cause the reverse effect. People start to obsess over and get attracted to a person who isn't the idealized look. This pretty much made Sean Connery and Harrison Ford's career. If Orlando Bloom suddenly went bald and grew a scraggly white beard, no one would vote him sexiest man of the year. But Sean Connery on the other hand...
No and stfu
maxis2k But Mario's design is really not that ugly. It's pretty adorable. His earlier designs were pretty ugly though. And those famous real-life people you mentioned? Maybe when the got older they looked bad, but come on, everyone ages! Someday we're all going to lose our good looks *(unless you take care of yourself).* Look at the younger pictures of those famous people you aforementioned and they used to be quite lookers in their younger days! Now someone I would say is really bad-looking is Stephen King.
its kind of a fresh breath of air to have a relatable kinda cute character that isn’t an animal or some undefinable freakishly humanoid figure as a mascot...
I always used to prefer animal protagonists more, but I find Mario cool too.
*OH NO YOU-A DIDN'T!!*
Adam Smasher nicely done 😂
YES HE DIIID...
I DON'T KNOW WHAT HE DIIID. BUT HE DID...
Well, Mario wasn't intended to be a mascot. He just became it.
Stop Sonic fanboy
@@NinTestertsu What? I'm not a fanboy. I criticize the games all the time.
what the fuck happened here
Its almost like character designs back then didn't need to fill a demographic and artists created characters for themselves.
Mario looks cute and huggable and he's a genuinely nice dude (yeah, that's right MATPAT) and that's all I'm ever gonna want in a character. I don't need him to be realistic or have depth to like him. He's as simple as can be and that's more than enough.
"his name is luigi,hes the same person but hes green"
*TRIGGERED*
I mean, that's how luigi started out, he was originally a palette swap of mario, it wasn't until luigi's mansion that they actually started making his personality different from mario's
Nintendo: We need a character that appeals to kids.
Also Nintendo: huahehehe fat italian plumber huahaheheh
Buckaroo Man also Nintendo: huahehehe skinny clone Italian plumber huahahehe
Mario actually wasn't supposed to be fat or even have a moustache in thr first place though. As a matter of fact, Mario wasn't even supposed to exist. He just somehow came together when Shigeru Miyamoto was trying to design a human character on screen back in the 80s and because he didn't know how to animate hair or a mouth, gave his then-at-the-time unnamed character a hat and a moustache. And he was supposed to be skinnier but the character wasn't appearing clearly on the screen as they expected so they added more pixels giving him a more rotund shape to make him appear on the screen better. Even Luigi was fat back then, until graphics got better and they were able to distinguish the two. So Nintendo didn't just say "let's draw a chubby plumber guy as our main protagonist." Mario just happened to come into existence when they were actually trying to go for something else entirely. And they weren't expecting the character to become a big hit with children or adults alike, but it did, much to Nintendo's surprise. Not to mention, Mario's not even that fat anymore in his newer games.
Why do kids love a chubby white bearded man who climbs down people's houses again? Because he brings toys?
mario's design as a thought IS pretty weird, but he came out adorable
It’s impressive how Mario breaks all of those rules you mentioned, yet he’s *the* most recognizable video game character of all time
I wonder if that has something to do with his games being famous.
my brother always tell me that mario is ugly...saying
imagine him in real life...he is creepy.
Sosi Sosi He's smol but athletic.
Sosi Sosi We already have Mario in real life. His name is Joseph Stalin.
Actually Mario is kind of based on a real person. They decided to flesh Jump-Man out, improved his design. But they didn't have a proper name for him. Then someone realized "holy shit he looks like our land lord Mario" and thus he was named.
How do you think the guy feels to be the inspiration to one of if not the gaming icon?
I'd suck his Italian salami.
Mario's design worked because -
1. It was unique, not just any animal but a fat mustache man.
2. It has bright colours which appeal to children.
3. The cap stands out with iconic M logo.
4. It comes with iconic sounds.
I agree with everything you stated. I don't really think he's that fat anymore though, he looks like he slimmed down in the newer games.
Video: Mario isn't an appealing design.
Me: His design makes me happy.
tbh, I never saw Mario as "middle-aged", in fact, some times I would even see him as a... kid, so to speak. point being, I never saw him as having an age at all
40088922 As a kid, I had no idea what a plumber was, so I always thought he was a kid wearing a moustache. It didn't help he wore overalls, and growing up I mainly saw children wearing overalls. It was common. I understand now that adults wear overalls too. I never saw Mario as middle-aged, he's actually in his 20s by the way. I also don't get where people are saying he's fat, he doesn't look fat to me. Plus with all that energy and power how could he be?
@@briannawilson8845 Well like... he is fat. He's not extremely fat, but he's overweight. He's got a pudgy face and an extra 20lbs on the belly. And in the world of iconic heroes that's definitely fat. Compare and contrast with Link or Ryu or most other mascots and icons.
@@Soitisisit Well, yeah, back in the 90s he was definitely fat, in the old cartoons he was depicted with a huge potbelly and in the older games he was a middle-aged overweight character, but he wasn't meant to be that way, he was only made to be fat because he didn't appear visible well on screen enough so they added extra pixels to make him appear on-screen better which gave him a fatter appearance. But since the early 2000s, Mario was not only aged down to being in his 20s, but it seems that he appeared to have lost some weight. Most video game characters like Sonic, Megaman, Pikachu or the Pokemon trainers also went from a stubby, fat design to a more lankier, thinner version of themselves over the years. Link himself went from a short, squat design in the very first game to a more skinnier and taller version in Zelda II *(it's the same Link by the way)* In his newer games Mario doesn't really look that fat to me. In some games he appears fatter than others though. The only noticeably fat thing(s) about Mario are his face or his belly, but games like Odyssey or M&S: Tokyo Olympic Games have him shirtless and he doesn't even have a gut, which convinced me into thinking Mario isn't fat. He also looks pretty darn skinny in the Smash Bros series, which is the skinniest Mario will ever be, especially in Melee, but I think it was only done so he can be scaled up with the other fighters.
Also, many characters in cartoons might only have a chubby face and chubby features to make them look more appealing and child-like, not that they actually are fat, like how in Steven Universe everyone looks fat but it's actually just only the art style. Same thing with Mario. Luigi looks like he's fat too because of the potbelly-like appearance, but he really isn't. But both Mario and Luigi look fat compared to Waluigi or the princesses who are very skinny, or if you were to compare them to other superheroes/characters like Link, Kratos, Ryu, Snake, Sora, Superman, Captain America, etc. for example, just like you mentioned. It's kind of like how people said Moana was fat compared to the more unrealistically skinnier Disney princesses. Also, Mario's porportions are so exaggerated, it's hard to tell if he's still fat anymore or not.
@@briannawilson8845 Fair enough, although I don't really think of the M&S Olympic Games as canonical. As of the New Super Mario games he still looks at least chubby to me.
And yeah, the relativity is a thing. I'd say Mario is still a bit fat and that Luigi is simply normally proportioned for someone who isn't fit, as it were. That is Luigi is about 10 lbs. "overweight", but he's not really fat. Mario though still looks to be somewhat fat. Bringing it back to the relativity though, it really depends on who you're comparing them too now. If you compare them to Americans, they are definitely not really fat anymore because the average American has more body fat so the normal is higher.
@@Soitisisit I was mostly referring to Super Smash Bros, which isn't canon either, but Mario looks skinny in those games due to his lankier limbs. And I was mentioning in both M&S Tokyo Games and Odyssey when shirtless he doesn't have a gut. He and Luigi actually have the same body types. I think Mario just looks fatter than Luigi because Luigi has a more longer head and is more "stretched out" whereas Mario has a rounder head and slightly shorter stature so it gives him a more fat appearance. I do think in the New Super Mario Bros series he looks fat in his midget form but not when he gets the super mushroom. He looks fat in Super Mario Party as well. But in Galaxy he looks thin there. Luigi looks fat in his Smash Bros Ultimate render, but I think it's the wierd pose he's in that makes him appear that way.
I think Mario kept some of his chubbiness to make him appear child-like, to look sort of like a kid with a moustache. But yeah, Luigi sometimes looks chubby too, like in Luigi's Mansion, his stomach even jiggles as he runs. But I agree that not too many Americans would consider the Bros to be fat. It's kind of like how in The Simpsons, Homer Simpson is considered to be so fat, although there's much more out-of-shape fatter characters on the show.
Acually, i believe Mario Works exactly because he don't fit in any marketing standards. He is iconic, because there is no other like him.
1:09 This has opened my eyes. I never knew Sonic bended to the patterns of the fibonacci system. Nature truly is beautiful
Mario wasn't designed to be mascotte. He just happened to became one because he starred in good games. So when people look at his face they don't see a mustached dwarf in hat and overalls, they see a well known character with a lot of history on his back. And that's why he's still the number one character of the company.
Which doesn't mean the company can't make characters with a charismatic design. Look at Arms! Every single character is clearly the result of a long study.
I think the overalls/cap combo was brilliant.
He was just a blue collar dude that was suddenly called upon to be a hero in a bizarre world. It’s weirdly appealing lol
They didnt choose his design to be relatable, they chose something they could make stand out with few pixels.
you are thinking of mario now, but back then, with so little pixels you needed to be unique, but compact,.
by the time they could have replaced him, he was already making a name for himself
Every time I try to draw him I can never get his head shape correct because all of his facial features have weird proportions
He looks fun to draw but I agree. I'm horrible at drawing human characters anyways though. I can draw animals really good.
A lot of the best characters were pretty much impossible to predict. Popeye started as a background character in a comic strip and completely took over.
My beautiful boy beat the odds
I think it's his hat that really pushes his brand. How many times have you seen that hat, whether with or without the classic "M," and thought "Hey that's Mario's hat." Matter of fact, in most media whenever they reference Mario they ALWAYS reference his hat and moustache. Never anything else. It's weird.
The thing that always bothered me when I was younger is that his hair color and mustache color are different
1:20 should not be funny but it still is.
I’ve been playing Super Mario Odyssey for like a week straight and I SWEAR I WAS THINKIJG THE SAME THING LIKE?? Why is this middle aged pudgy Italian man so appealing ? Why is he an icon? And honestly, we’re lucky to have this meatball boi.
It's not weird because Mario is 'so odd', it's weird because he is the most normal out of them all.
This actually is a neat thing to think about. It just goes to show that you don’t have to follow the norm to achieve the same success. Literally just choose the most RANDOM thing you can imagine, and if you’re at the right place at the right time, it could sell.
Kirby isn't lovable and cute. He's a pink blob who consumes his enemies, _body and soul!_
Pixel Mario without a mustache and hat makes me cry
i think what helps mario standout now is the cartoonish appearance and bright color of his outfit.
The appeal of Mario is that just by looking at him you get the feeling that he would be really nice to you. Or something like that.
Except in Smash Bros. He looks mean in those games.
As if Mario is the only fictional character ever designed who looks like they could be nice to you.
I mean... fucking... people...
@@MoonwalkerWorshiper he didn't say he was the only one. That's like looking at someone saying how sonic's design is made to be cool and just coming in and saying "but sonic isn't the only character made to be cool"
@@Kobaaming090 He said "the appeal of Mario" as if it would've be a unique appeal.
@@MoonwalkerWorshiper but, that is his appeal. Like if someone says "the appeal of Luigi is his cowardice" that doesn't mean the people is saying he's the only one with that appeal
I guess the odd design, gave it the benefit to stick out. i mean, spongebob is also an incredibly bizarre character in many many ways, but he fits the part and even if it weren't for how brilliant the show was in its first 3 seasons, it's still very iconic.
Mario is a great example of how to take advantage of limitations. I mean Miyamoto had to remove Popeye and make a new character from zero using a very limited technology. And now thanks to those legal and technical limitations we have an endearing character who has marked the childhood of millions of people worldwide (including me).
Nintendo: mmkay we need a mascot.
Some guy in the back: A FAT MIDDLE AGED PLUMBER
Nintendo: sold!
Nintendo, some time later: alright, we need someone to share in Mario's spotlight
Some other guy: MARIO BUT GREEN AND ALSO WIMPY
Nintendo: _genius_
Nintendo: we need an anti-Mario
Some guy: WE MAKE HIM FATTER
Nintendo: brilliant.
ShadeShadow234
Nintendo: We need a anti-Luigi!
Some guy: WE MAKE HIM RIDICULOUSLY SCRAWNY AND LANKY!
Nintendo: Great!
Idk man I liked Mario because he seemed so happy. The more I think of it idk why I liked him so much. Maybe because he was Italian too
4:05 was mind-blowing for me. Just the way you organized the characters made me realize just how similar they are despite the designers trying to make them unique.
"Dankë Kong"
-Mattias Pilhede, 2019
The reason why they kept Mario and why he makes more business sense is because by the time the technology came about to allow for better character designs, Mario was already a well established icon. You can't just "replace" that anymore. Thats like saying lets replace Mickey Mouse or Bugs Bunny! Its not that simple.... there's more to this stuff than just the visual aesthetics and yeah like you said its great that Mario exists because he is unique in the regard that he doesn't fit the criteria of "good character design". This video seemed more on the analytical side which doesn't always hold true when it comes to how things end up happening.
As a character designer, this video blows my mind. I'm always stopping and evaluating character design in new franchises and the like, but Mario is so damn iconic and pervasive it literally never occurred to me to consider his design from a critical perspective. And you're 100% right, this is WEIRD.
Being red helps Mario to stand out. Not only does he stand out from the blue skies used in Super Mario Bros, but red is a very bright and noticeable color. Furthermore, red is the color of leadership, which helps cement Mario as the mascot of Nintendo.
Ok but who cares about arbitrary "colors of things that don't actually have colors".
I thought I was the only one who thought a fat, mustached, italian plumber who throws fire was kind of weird in hindsight when you realise that it represents all of video games.
I never considered him to be fat *(for me, that's Wario,)* but I do find it strange that a guy with a moustache somehow manages to be as "appealing" as a cute aninal mascot. I also noticed Mario was the only human video game mascot in the 90s whereas you had Sonic, Spyro, Banjo-Kazooie etc.
I feel like his unremarkability as a character is actually part of why he's so successful as a videogame protagonist. A Mario game is not about Mario; it's about the game. Mario is simply the piece with which you interact with the game and his design strikes a great balance of being appealing and not standing out more than he needs to.
I love the cute plumber man
I might be biased since Mario is my childhood, but I don’t mind his design too much. I mean, isn’t it kinda refreshing to *not* have some fancy main character for once? He’s a lovable fat Italian imo
He's better than all those generic serious faced miltary dudes that were overriding the game industry.
mario is actually fucking hot.
- thicc belly to fufill your daddy kink
-italian
-has a spicy sausage just waiting for you
-good person overall, willing to save princess peach despite how many times she's been "captured"
-he's fucking mario
of course you if you're not into mario, you have luigi who is worse in every goddamn way
Luigi is my Husbando!, like his green cucumber :3
what did you just
Pickle Inajar You forgot that he fought the nazis.
The Super Mario Bros Super Show was perfect.
But Luigi can do everything Mario can except Luigi can jump higher
Plup2King
I don't know what your talking about I don't about
*Hides mario body pillow*
Idea: Mario became an icon by accident, just because Super Mario Bros was such a flipping fantastic game for its time (and still is, btw).
Mario kind of made sense to use in that scenario, becuse they already had the sprite assets from the not-so-fleshed-out character in donkey kong, and might have wanted to re-use an already known character. Besides, the player character had to be small in Super Mario Bros, to fit eveything on the screen.
Also, none of the other iconic ideas from Super Mario Bros made any kind of sense either. You hit your head against bricks, which most of the time produces coins, but sometimes mushrooms which make you bigger? Except if its a brown mushroom, then you have to jump on it to not die.. Flowers give you fire-powers and you go down gigantig pipes to the sewer to get... more money? It's a weird-ass game.
Mario was never intentioned to be an icon, but the games he was in were so flipping great that he became one.
I think part of the reason I love Mario so much is that he's always been easy to draw for me, without being boiled down to the simplest of simple with kirby. and while the design was born of necessity, it turns out it's pretty darned expressive and hearkens back to designs like something you'd see out of a Popeye cartoon or Professor Ochanomizu from Mighty Atom.
I think one of the reasons I love something like DK 94, especially with a greyscale color scheme Vs. any sort of coloring is that I can very easily envision that game being the sort of collection of black and white film serials that old cartoons were release don before you'd see a Laurel and Hardy film, especially given that the file select in that game clearly takes place on a stage of sorts and the sort of comical little jingles that play whenever Mario takes a deadly pratfall or gets smushed or such.
Mario to me has always had this Fun-loving everyman feeling to me, an idealist hero of sorts, sorta like a less powerful and less immediately handsome Superman, in a sense. I think it's always bothered me when people have tried to depict him has being shlubby or sleazy or any of the other things one might associate with Captain Lou Albano. It'd be like depicting mickey mouse with a chain smoker's rhaspy voice and as a scavenging little homeless shit who can only afford to wear pants and shoes because he's so broke.
I suppose that's the problem with nintendo having only defined who the hell Mario even is outisde of a very surface level and whatever insane and silly things that Charles Martinet wants to jabber on about when they let him have more than a 3 second sound byte to put into a game or it's promotion.
in short, I think Mario kinda has a sort of timeless appeal to his design that not even the heavily and repeatedly redesigned Link can claim. Yes, Mario has gotten redesigned a fair number of times too, from his weirdo design on the arcade cabinets of Nintendo's arcade days, to the stockiness of the SMB1 and 2 design, and there's been very subtle proportioning here and there... but there hasn't been a need to do something TOO horribly drastic with him.
It's maybe the same thing as James Bond. The writer of James Bond picked the name because it was the most boring name he could think of, so maybe the most boring design would be more recognizable in the long run.
Actually I kinda agree with you, for a mascot, Mario has one of the weirdest design for a mascot I’ve ever seen, like you would think a knight would save a princess from a turtle dragon but nope a fat Italian plumber from Brooklyn would save her, but gosh dangit I love his design.
That's what makes the idea unique. You don't except an average blue-collar worker to come in saving the day compared to your Knight in shining armour. Never really considered Mario fat though. But I see what you mean.
No demographic? Don't worry, he has! Mario got Dadbod saving the princess which could be a representation of a daughter who likes to think they are princesses! Mario is a dad. Actually nevermind, i'll just sleep
When I was young, Mario was my favorite character over all. I don't know why, but he was not weird or overdoing something, and honestly, he's still one of my favorites
As a kid I didn't really like him. Not because I thought his design was weird but it was because I prefered animal protagonists rather than human ones, like Spyro for example. I started liking Mario when I got in middle school and I adore the character these days.
Canonically, Mario and Luigi are actually in their 20s.
Also, I'd argue that Mario represents the "everyman" because he looks like an average person, making him relatable.
Plus, the mustache and cap gives Mario an authoritative appearance, like an officer or a captain, making him look dependable and reliable.
And finally, most other mascots clearly have a dated design, whereas Mario's design is timeless. Mario is the ultimate mascot.
JanetFunkYeah Well-said!
Mario is an enigma of character design that just became iconic to the world by pure willpower
In a parallel universe where DK is Nintendo’s mascot
*Dr eggman is Segas*
A video about Mario?
Lets put up an ad for Yoshi!
Dude i saw that klonoa. Those games are badass
I love Klonoa, played it back on ps1
Omg klonoa was my favourite character! I didn't play the game because i didn't had a console. But... I did liked him for a long time Ago...
@@kaexewires7531 I think Klonoa ought to be in Smash.
2:17 Top left to right, then bottom left to right: Bionic Commando, Little Nemo, Kid Icarus, ???, River City Ransom, Punch Out, Metal Gear, Castlevania.
Mario wasn't designed as a mascot, he just was designed as a recognicable sprite
What's really interesting is that they took Mario's unconventional qualities and emphasized them even more with Wario. More fat, more ethnic, more gruff, more hairy, more gross. Granted, he's an antihero, so can get away with being not idealized, but you don't see Shadow the Hedgehog eating raw garlic and farting in people's faces.
"Link is a young hot stud"
Well
I think Mario more just developed into their mascot unknowingly.
3:33
if that wasn't an intended pun, I don't believe you.
Mario isn't middleaged, he's in his 20s.
I’m pretty sure replacing Mario wouldn’t be that easy: He was pretty iconic even in the NES years. In my opinion demographics are a lot less important for a well established character, and video games are very much the sum of many parts, with the demographics of a character being one part of many. In addition, gamers are aging - middle age gamers are becoming more numerous. Nostalgic games are becoming a pretty big deal as more gamers become older.
It's probably because he's so odd that he is so successful. It's because of his unconventional design that he sticks out like a sore thumb in the gaming market.
There's several action heroes, talking animals, and talking animal action heroes that Mario's down-to-earth design look so striking and out of place, and that makes him, and Nintendo by extension, look unique amongst such homogeneity.
His "everyman" appearance also sells an image of Nintendo not just being aimed at kids, but at everyone. He's a mascot that appeals to kids and adults alike, so he sells to everyone, not just kids.
Mario serves more as a father figure than someone to identify with. The awesome dad you wish you had. Playful but reliable, fun and competent. Playing as Mario is kind of like going on an adventure with your parent.
"Nice colours"
As he shows a painting of hell