Before becoming the iconic star of Super Mario Bros., what was Mario originally named?

Mario was created by Shigeru Miyamoto in the early 1980s while he was developing Donkey Kong, Nintendo's breakout arcade hit. Interestingly, Donkey Kong was originally conceived as a game based on the Popeye comic strip, with Popeye, Olive Oyl, and Bluto filling the roles. When Nintendo couldn't secure the rights in time, Miyamoto pivoted and created new characters, giving birth to what would become Mario, Donkey Kong, and Pauline.

Initially, Miyamoto referred to his new character as "Mr. Video." His idea was to have a versatile, reusable figure who could appear in multiple games, much like a studio mascot. He later admitted that "Mr. Video" was too generic and lacked appeal, saying he was grateful the name didn't stick.

When Donkey Kong launched in arcades in July 1981, the character appeared as a carpenter (not yet a plumber) trying to rescue his girlfriend from a giant ape ...