Super Mario Bros. (Series)
The turning point that pulled the platform game out of the arcade and into the living room, and gave video games one of their most durable mascots.
The Super Mario Bros. series is the line of 2D side-scrolling platform games at the heart of the broader Super Mario franchise, following the plumber Mario and his brother Luigi through the Mushroom Kingdom to rescue Princess Peach from the turtle king Bowser.1 It began with Super Mario Bros. in 1985 and forms one branch of the larger Super Mario series, which is divided into these “2D Mario” side-scrollers and the “3D Mario” platformers begun by Super Mario 64 in 1996.1 Titles counted within the Super Mario Bros. line proper include the original, New Super Mario Bros. U, and Super Mario Bros. Wonder.1 Across the first four decades of the wider series, Mario appeared in hundreds of titles, but the core Super Mario platform line numbered just 22 entries.6
The character predates the series itself. Mario first appeared in the 1981 arcade game Donkey Kong, where he was a carpenter named “Jumpman” who jumped over barrels thrown by a giant gorilla to rescue a damsel.54 Between Donkey Kong and Super Mario Bros., Nintendo changed the character’s name — reportedly after Nintendo of America’s warehouse landlord, Mario Segale, who once appeared in person to demand late rent — and shifted his profession from carpenter to plumber.10 Nintendo of America’s president, Minoru Arakawa, was the source of the account that Segale had turned up to loudly demand overdue rent.10 A 1990 survey found Mario to be the second most recognizable character in the United States, behind only Mickey Mouse.4
The founding game
Super Mario Bros. was released in Japan on the Family Computer on September 13, 1985, and later on the Nintendo Entertainment System, with the North American release dated October 18, 1985.17 Its original instruction booklet framed the story around the Koopa, a tribe of turtles versed in black magic, who turned the peaceful Mushroom People into stones, bricks, and field horsehair plants, and captured Princess Toadstool, the daughter of the Mushroom King.7 The game established the template that later entries reused: Mario begins small, grows to “Super” size by collecting a mushroom — which effectively grants an extra hit, since being harmed reverts him to small Mario — and gains the ability to throw fireballs with a fire flower.5 According to IGN, the 1985 game inspired the 2D platformer genre and became a model for later Mario conventions, including size-altering mushroom power-ups and enemies such as the Koopa Troopas.11
The game set standards for side-scrolling gameplay, level design, and home-console success, and is widely credited with helping define modern gaming and revive the console market after the arcade era.4 Super Mario Bros. sold 40 million copies on the NES alone and has been re-released on nearly every Nintendo console since 1985.10 Its cultural weight is such that a sealed, mint-condition NES copy sold for $2 million in 2021.10 Game Informer ranked the game 66th on its 2018 list of the top 300 games of all time.6
Sequels and expansion
The Japanese sequel of 1986, later known in the West as Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels, was released on the Famicom Disk System and was judged too difficult for American players; Nintendo instead rebranded the Japanese game Yume Kōjō: Doki Doki Panic as Super Mario Bros. 2 for its 1988 North American release.65 That substitution gave the Western Super Mario Bros. 2 a distinct feel and, for the first time, differentiated Luigi from Mario, making him taller and able to jump higher while Mario ran faster.5 The Lost Levels itself later reached North America with enhanced graphics through the Super Mario All-Stars compilation on the Super Nintendo.6
Super Mario Bros. 3, released in 1988, is regarded as one of the best video games ever made and introduced a suite of new power-ups, including the raccoon suit for flight, the frog suit for swimming, and the hammer suit; a related tanooki suit also let Mario and Luigi turn to stone to avoid enemies.56 Game Informer placed Super Mario Bros. 3 second on its 2018 ranking of the top 300 games of all time, the highest of any Mario title.6
The handheld branch began with Super Mario Land in 1989 on the Game Boy, the first portable Mario adventure and an important early title for the handheld itself, though its short length and simpler graphics reflected the hardware’s limits.6 The Super Mario Land games were developed by Nintendo Research & Development 1 rather than the main studio.1 Super Mario World followed on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in 1990.5
In the 2000s and 2010s, Nintendo revived the 2D formula under the New Super Mario Bros. banner, a subseries whose entries — such as New Super Mario Bros. 2 on the Nintendo 3DS in 2012 and New Super Mario Bros. U — used side-scrolling mechanics with polished modern presentation.61 The mobile auto-runner Super Mario Run, released for iOS on December 15, 2016 and Android on March 22, 2017, adopted the art style and conventions of the New Super Mario Bros. subseries for one-handed play, and formed part of Nintendo’s mid-2010s push into the mobile market.6 Super Mario Bros. Wonder is a more recent 2D entry, in which Bowser pursues a goal other than kidnapping Peach.1
Development and characters
The main games have been developed by Nintendo’s internal divisions — historically Nintendo Entertainment Analysis & Development, and, following its September 2015 merger with Nintendo Software Planning & Development, Nintendo Entertainment Planning & Development.1 Key staff associated with the series include Shigeru Miyamoto, Takashi Tezuka, and composer Koji Kondo, along with artist Yoichi Kotabe and designers Yoshiaki Koizumi and Koichi Hayashida.1
Most installments follow Mario, often joined by Luigi, Toad, and Yoshi, in a quest to rescue Peach from Bowser, though several deviate: Bowser pursues goals other than kidnapping in Super Mario 3D World and Super Mario Bros. Wonder, and is absent entirely from Super Mario Bros. 2 and Super Mario Land, which feature different villains.1 Recurring characters across the franchise include Peach, Toad, Yoshi, Bowser Jr., and Rosalina, alongside spin-off figures such as Wario and Donkey Kong.8
Nintendo has marked the series’ anniversaries with commemorative releases. The 25th anniversary in 2010 brought a Wii port of Super Mario All-Stars packaged with a history booklet and a music CD, alongside a run of trick videos on the Wii’s Nintendo Channel.1 Later milestones were tied to Super Mario Maker for the 30th anniversary in 2015, Super Mario 3D All-Stars for the 35th in 2020, and Super Mario Galaxy + Super Mario Galaxy 2 for the 40th.1
Sources
Wiki encyclopedia documenting the Super Mario series history, games, developers, and major installments from 1985 onward.
mariowiki.com · retrieved Jul 27, 2026Comprehensive chronological list of all Mario games across platforms, genres, and release dates from 1981 to 2026.
thepopverse.com · retrieved Jul 27, 2026Article tracing Mario's visual and gameplay evolution from his 1981 Donkey Kong debut through his transformation into a video game icon.
jotform.com · retrieved Jul 27, 2026Game Informer's ranked list and reviews of the 22 core Super Mario series entries evaluating their design and cultural impact.
gameinformer.com · retrieved Jul 27, 2026Official Nintendo Mario history resource featuring game timelines, stories, and character information across decades.
mario.nintendo.com · retrieved Jul 27, 2026Official Nintendo guide to major Mushroom Kingdom characters including Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, Bowser, and supporting cast.
mario.nintendo.com · retrieved Jul 27, 2026Literary article examining Super Mario Bros.' origins, the character's name inspiration, and its impact on modern video game history.
lithub.com · retrieved Jul 27, 2026Medium essay analyzing how the 2-D Mario series' game design evolved while maintaining gameplay appeal across generations.
medium.com · retrieved Jul 27, 2026