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'Super Mario' celebrates 30 years

September 13, 2015

From 8-bit plumber to global phenomenon, Nintendo's video game icon Mario has come a long way in the past 30 years. Mario's maker Shigeru Miyamoto says that was his intention.

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Super Mario wird 30
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/P. Pleul

Kyoto-based video game giant Nintendo celebrated the 30th anniversary of 'Super Mario' on Saturday with its creator Shigeru Miyamoto and a host of artists, who performed the iconic gaming figure's theme music at the "birthday" event.

"I was touched when I sang a birthday song with all of you," Miyamoto told a crowd of Mario fans, reported AFP news agency.

"Happy birthday, Mario!"

Mario made his first appearance as "Jumpman" in the video gaming classic Donkey Kong.

However, it wasn't until the advent of "Super Mario" - the first game to feature the iconic figure as the protagonist - in 1985 that Mario assumed his now-cult classic identity.

Since its release, Mario has gained widespread notoriety across the globe, with Nintendo selling more than 310 million units featuring the mustachioed Italian plumber.

"I really wanted him to make my Mickey Mouse," noted Miyamoto during an interview translated by Nintendo of America's product marketing manager Bill Trinen.

"My hope was that 10 or 20 years down the road, he would be the iconic character of video games. I feel tremendously fortunate that's what came to pass," said Miyamoto.

Over the years, Mario has crossed several video game consoles, with an expected release on smart phones in a bid to offset a weakening demand for Nintendo's 3DS portable gaming system.

ls/rc (AFP, AP, dpa)