Game news Almost 30 years later, we learn that a very specific animal is at the origin of the creation of Mario from Super Mario 64

Game news Almost 30 years later, we learn that a very specific animal is behind the creation of Mario from Super Mario 64

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Mario and the animals

Difficult to do more iconic than Mario in the world of video games. Originally created by Shigeru Miyamoto and integrated for the first time in a video game on Donkey Kong, the man we then called Jump Man quickly rose to fame to become the mascot of Nintendo, and even of video games in general in the eyes of the general public. Since his first official video game in 1985, Mario has appeared countless times, and in very different forms.

Because yes, even if Mario is supposed to be a simple plumber, the magical objects of the Mushroom Kingdom have allowed him to take on many appearances, including many animals. Bee, cat, frog, rabbit, penguin… The man in the red cap seems to have visited the pet store, from the legendary tanuki outfit that appeared on the cover of Super Mario Bros. 3 to the very recent elephant appearance in Super Mario Bros. Wonder. Yet, it’s a completely different animal that served as inspiration for the creation of the 3D model of Mario in Super Mario 64.

Mario is inspired by an animal, and it’s not the tanuki

While he had made his reputation in the world of 2D (like all video games up to that point), Mario was able to surprise the planet by delivering himself in all its forms during the release of Super Mario 64 in 1996. For the first time in the history of this mascot, the player could finally control him in a 3D world, which necessarily implied a complete character redesign. While many people were content to appreciate this platform video game monument, others focused on the face and posture of this new Mario and came to the conclusion thathe looked like a little animal.

It must be said that with his eyes fixed and close to each other and his particular posture, it almost seems as if he is constantly surprised to look at something, a bit like an animal discovering its environment. In any case, this is what many Internet users think, who compare it to a deer or a raccoon. If you too have always found that the Mario of Super Mario 64 looked like a small animal, know that there is a reason for that.

Indeed, in an interview given to Shigeru Miyamoto and published in 1997, the creator of Mario admitted to having been inspired by his own hamster when he imagined the design of the character in 3D. He wanted “create the sensation of controlling something truly alive” and had therefore chosen to leave his hamster free at home to observe his movements and expressions. An unusual inspiration for such an iconic character, but which perhaps explains his bewildered look. Fortunately, things have evolved since then and Mario is no longer the hamster he was in 1996.