(1985) on the Nintendo Entertainment System. The main core series, Super Mario, began with the platformer game Super Mario Bros.
The franchise consists of several sub-series in different genres, including racing, sports, role playing, puzzle, party, and even has games starring Mario side characters like Luigi and Captain Toad.
The franchise originates from the arcade game Donkey Kong (1981), which stars Mario as the player character trying to rescue Pauline from the villain Donkey Kong, before Mario appeared again as a player character in the arcade game Mario Bros. The titular protagonist, Mario, is arguably the most recognizable video game character of all time, rivaled only by Pac-Man, Sonic, and Pikachu. It is the best-selling video game franchise in the world, appearing in over 200 video games and selling more than 800 million units.
Mario is a platform franchise created by Nintendo.
