Similar gameplay, reoccurring characters and power-ups link the games of the main Mario series. The game takes place in the mythical Mushroom kingdom and stars Mario as he attempts to save Princess Peach from an antagonistic, anthropomorphized turtle named Bowser. In 1985, Miyamoto produced the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) game Super Mario Bros. In certain advertisements, Jumpman was named Mario, after the landlord of Nintendo of America's offices, and the name stuck. As his name suggests, the character completed levels by jumping over barrels and climbing ladders to rescue the Lady kidnapped by Donkey Kong.

Created by Shigeru Miyamoto in 1981, Mario first appeared as the protagonist Jumpman in Donkey Kong. The franchise further includes television shows, a live-action movie, comics, and promotional materials. While the Mario series mainly features platform adventures, often involving the safe rescue of Princess Peach, it also includes role-playing, puzzle, racing, and educational games.

The character Mario appears in over 200 games on every Nintendo console ever made, and in the 1990s, a survey discovered more children recognized Mario than Mickey Mouse. Mario is the most popular video game franchise of all time, selling over 260 million games worldwide.

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