donkey kong, nes version

enter to start, x for jump
via virtualnes


for original arcade code emulated click here

Mario first appeared in the arcade game Donkey Kong as a character named "Jumpman" according to Nintendo of America. In Japan he was known as "Mr. Video Game". Since the Japanese name was not properly communicated to the American branch, Nintendo of America named him Mario after Mario Segali, who closely resembled the character. Segali was the landlord of Nintendo of America's office, and once barged in on a meeting to demand an overdue rent payment.

The name stuck, and the game was surprisingly successful. Mario later paired with his brother Luigi in another arcade game entitled Mario Bros. When the Nintendo Entertainment System was released, Super Mario Bros. was the launch title for it with Mario as the protagonist.

With limited pixels and colors of the 8-bit NES, the games' programmers could not animate Mario's movement without making his arms "disappear". Making his shirt a solid color and giving him overalls fixed this. They also did not have the space to give him a mouth or ears, and they could not animate hair, which resulted in Mario getting a moustache, sideburns, and a cap to bypass these problems. Mario's creator, Shigeru Miyamoto, has stated when interviewed that Mario wears a cap because he finds it difficult to draw hair