[If You Didn't Know] The Beginning of 'Super Mario' Was a Tunnel Encountered During a Budget Trip (Part 2)

Animation Movie 'Super Mario Brothers'
'Popeye' Negotiation Failure Triggered Mario Production
'Super Mario Brothers 3' Hits Big as Theatrical Film
1990 Seoul Jamsil 'Super Mario Grand Festival'

'If you know', it delivers useful information in a somewhat disorganized manner. This is a tip for enjoying movies more interestingly.

* Following <'The developer of Super Mario does not have a cellphone (Part 2)'>

* In the early 1980s, Nintendo negotiated with King Features to acquire the rights to use the cartoon 'Popeye' for a video game. Shigeru Miyamoto was informed that he could use the characters, but the negotiations ultimately failed at the last moment (Nintendo later pursued renegotiations, secured the license, and produced the game). Miyamoto sought other ideas and recalled 'Beauty and the Beast.' He simplified the storyline and developed a gorilla character resembling King Kong. It was a funny and mischievous pet, neither exceptionally evil nor violent. The protagonist was also a 'funny and grumpy guy' no better than the gorilla. Miyamoto said, "That gorilla must have been humiliated. It was truly unfortunate to be raised by such a grumpy, short-statured protagonist." The gorilla, eyeing an opportunity, escapes and kidnaps the protagonist's beautiful girlfriend. The motive was not injury but revenge against the naughty protagonist.

* Miyamoto wanted a foolish and reckless protagonist, so he chose an ordinary carpenter who was neither handsome nor a hero. He wanted him to look like a common figure, similar to Walter Mitty. Mitty is the protagonist of the short story 'The Secret Life of Walter Mitty' by American cartoonist James Thurber. He is often referenced as a timid character who enjoys absurd daydreams. Miyamoto drew a nose on a large sketchbook and said, "Whether or not there is a nose makes a huge difference. The shape of the nose tells a lot." He added a thick mustache to emphasize a bulbous nose. From his old notebook filled with cartoon characters, he extracted large, comical eyes to create the prototype of Mario.

* Technicians advised that to capture gamers' attention in video games, the torso should be emphasized on the screen. Miyamoto dressed the character in a chubby body with bright carpenter overalls. He drew thick arms swinging back and forth to add liveliness. Due to the nature of video games, it was difficult to accurately depict hair. When the character jumped from a high place, the hair should flutter upwards. To solve this, Miyamoto put a red cap on him and said, "It's hard to create a cooler hairstyle than this."

* Miyamoto settled on a concept where the gorilla who kidnapped the girl climbs to the top of a building under construction, and the carpenter pursues him with a mobile operation. The gorilla throws construction materials like cement, oil drums, and beams at the short-statured carpenter following him into the building, while the carpenter dodges them and climbs ramps or ladders to approach the gorilla.

* Miyamoto named the fierce yet cunning gorilla 'Donkey Kong,' combining two words inspired by the stubbornness and craftiness of a donkey. When the news reached Nintendo's U.S. sales executives, they thought Chairman Hiroshi Yamauchi had gone crazy and were embarrassed. "Donkey Hong? Kongki Dong? Honky Dong?" The names of popular games at the time included words like cut, destroy, assassinate, and annihilate. Sales staff mainly sold games where aliens invading Earth were shot with laser beams. One of them criticized 'Donkey Kong,' saying he would have to look for a new job. Yamauchi ignored all complaints.

* Early in the planning of 'Super Mario Bros.,' Miyamoto sketched the protagonist wearing overalls who would appear in 'Donkey Kong' with a pencil. He named him 'Mario.' People who saw the drawing said he looked more like a plumber than a carpenter. Miyamoto took the feedback seriously and placed a large green sewer pipe in the background, serving as both an obstacle and an entrance to a secret world.

* Miyamoto freely borrowed elements from the movie 'Star Trek,' such as twisted space, and from the novel 'Alice in Wonderland,' like mushrooms that make you stronger when eaten, for 'Super Mario Bros.' His most attractive ideas originated from his unique methods and memories. Mario jumps frequently. If there is nothing above, naturally nothing happens. But in 'Super Mario Bros.,' mushrooms that increase strength or hidden doors to new worlds often appear. Miyamoto explained, "I exaggerated things I experienced and witnessed." "When I was a child, I once discovered a lake while hiking. That place I stumbled upon was very fascinating. I think I felt the thrilling excitement of enjoying an adventure during a hitchhiking trip. (...) The city where I attended university, Kanazawa, everything seemed fascinating. I always walked around, and each time I had new experiences. The most memorable place was a tunnel. I walked in for a long time and came out the exit to a new scene unfolding before my eyes." In his game, tunnels are gateways to new worlds.

* The game world Miyamoto created contains tremendous adventures and great dangers. He recalls, "I lived in an apartment in Kyoto, and there was a small manhole cover on a nearby building's fence. I often walked that way, so I knew about it. I was curious why there was a manhole on the fence and where it led." He never solved the mystery but tried several times through the 'Super Mario Bros.' game.

* Miyamoto was appointed head of Nintendo's Research & Development Department 4 and earned the title of producer. This was very meaningful to him because it made his title the same as his idol, director George Lucas. Miyamoto's favorite movie was 'Raiders of the Lost Ark' (1981), written by Lucas and directed by Steven Spielberg.

* 'Super Mario Bros. 3' attracted attention months before its release due to the 1989 winter release of the movie 'The Wizard.' Children recognized Mario instantly from a single scene. They also noticed the whistle sound changed when he jumped. They were excited to see Mario disguised as a raccoon flying in the sky. Rumors that new abilities would be reflected in the next game spread quickly through schools and playgrounds. Thanks to word of mouth, 'Super Mario Bros. 3' became the best-selling video game in history, selling 7 million copies in the U.S. and 4 million in Japan alone.

* The promotional strategy featuring 'The Wizard' led to results more valuable than any paid advertisement. Tom Pollack, president of Universal Pictures, told Nintendo he wanted to make a movie about video games. The planned 1989 release of the movie 'The Jetsons' was not ready, so they decided to produce a Christmas movie instead. Nintendo not only received license royalties from Universal Pictures but also gained the right to review the game's content and screen time inserted into the movie script and scenes. The most blatant promotional scene was filmed at the California CalArts University theater. Amid a noisy audience, an announcer declared enthusiastically, "The world's newest and coolest video game battle of the century begins!" Then the curtain opened, and monitors lined up side by side lit up. "Here it is, ladies and gentlemen, Super Mario Bros. 3!" Universal Pictures spent $100,000 just on this set installation. Nintendo could not have produced such an advertisement on its own. The movie was released four months before the game launch. The theaters received great attention not for the movie itself but for 'Super Mario Bros. 3' featured in it.

* Shortly after, Nintendo made a TV commercial. No game scenes appeared. Only thousands of children enthusiastically shouting "Mario! Mario! Mario!" were shown. As the camera pulled back, a huge crowd shouting "Mario!" was revealed. The camera continued zooming out into space, where the North American continent on Earth appeared as Mario's face. Besides TV commercials, Nintendo promoted 'Super Mario Bros. 3' in various ways, including partnering with McDonald's to release 'Mario Happy Meal' sets.

* The distributor of 'Super Mario Bros.,' released on the 26th of last month, is Universal Pictures.

* Side-scrolling action games like 'Super Mario' and 'Sonic' were once the most popular genre but faced a crisis with the advancement of 3D technology. However, side-scrolling action games such as 'Yachae Burakri,' 'Grand Chase,' 'MapleStory,' and 'Dungeon & Fighter' gained popularity again, emerging as a genre in the spotlight.

* In May 1990, the 'Hyundai Convoy Super Mario Festival' was held at Jamsil Students' Gymnasium. Ten thousand spectators entered for free and shouted "Mario!" in unison. Most were children accompanied by parents. Many parents immediately purchased the Hyundai Convoy, priced at 130,000 won, as a gift for their children. The average salary for new employees at large companies in 1990 was about 500,000 won. Many people earned less than 200,000 won a month. A 130,000 won video game console was a luxury item worth over 1.5 million won in today's money. At the pre-event, Shim Hyung-rae performed 'Chorus of Bugs' from 'Show Video Jacky,' a comedy corner featuring comedians dressed as dung flies, butterflies, grasshoppers, ants, beetles, and centipedes.

* 'Super Mario' became the basic nickname for all Marios. Formula One champion Mario Andretti was often asked if his name was inspired by Super Mario. He happily answered "Yes" to please the children who asked. Chef Mario Batali is also called Super Mario. Other famous people with the same name include hockey player Mario Lemieux, football player Mario Williams, mixed martial artist Mario Miranda, cyclist Mario Cipollini, and footballers Mario Basler, Mario Gomez, and Mario Balotelli. Mario is a variation of the Latin names Marius or Marcus, both derived from Mars, the god of war.

* 'Super Mario' features happy music. In World 1-1, a synthesizer salsa that spreads happiness plays. When Mario enters an underground level, tense, bass-heavy background music starts. Underwater, the music softens and almost sinks. When Mario obtains a power-up star, the music changes to a fast and excited rhythm, like Beethoven's 9th Symphony played at 33-1/3 speed. All these pieces were composed by video game composer Koji Kondo. He played each track as game background music and replayed them many times in his mind. He created several short mini-tracks and connected them. He cleverly linked popular musical hooks that subtly captivate people's ears.

* The voice actor for Mario is Peter Cullen. He has voiced characters such as Eeyore in 'Winnie the Pooh' and Optimus Prime in 'Transformers.'

* Miyamoto was the first game planner inducted into the U.S. Interactive Arts & Sciences Hall of Fame.

References: 'The Secret of Nintendo (2009)' by David Sheff, translated by Kim Sung-gyun and Kwon Hee-jung, published by Ire Media; 'Nintendo Story (2009)' by Kim Young-han, published by Korea Economic Daily; 'Mario Born in 1981 (2017)' edited by Humanities Cooperative, published by Yoda; 'Console Wars (2017)' by Blake J. Harris, translated by Lee Mi-ryeong, published by Gilbut; 'How Nintendo Conquered the World (2015)' by Jeff Ryan, translated by Park Ki-sung, published by Acorn; 'Planning and Scenario that Decide the Fate of Games (2018)' by Kim Jeong-nam and Kim Jeong-hyun, published by eBiz Books; 'Nintendo Complete Guide: Computer Games Edition (2021)' by Yamazaki Isao, translated by Jung Woo-yeol, published by Ra's Eye, etc.