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40 years of ‘Mario’ games that have grown up with fans

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40 years of ‘Mario’ games that have grown up with fans


The character’s first appearance came in 1981 arcade game “Donkey Kong”, when he was known simply as “Jumpman”

Surrounded by thousands of objects bearing the likeness of Nintendo’s mustachioed plumber, 40-year-old Kikai reflects that his “life would be totally different without Mario” who also marks four decades this week.

The colorful “Super Mario Bros.,” released for Nintendo’s home consoles in Japan on September 13, 1985, was a landmark of early video gaming.

Players controlled the eponymous character as he ran and hopped his way from left to right through a colorful world of platforms, pipes and scowling enemies—all set to the jaunty eight-bit music that has stuck in minds for decades.

“My father bought me the game, and I’ve been playing for as long as I can remember,” Kikai told AFP in his office lined with somewhere between 20 and 30 thousand Mario-related objects, from plastic figurines to plush toys and carpets.

Created by legendary game designer Shigeru Miyamoto, Mario has obsessed several generations of fans like Kikai.

The character’s first appearance came in 1981 arcade game “Donkey Kong,” when he was known simply as “Jumpman.”

Mario’s christening came in 1983 with the “Mario Bros.” arcade cabinet, but his true rise to fame was with “Super Mario Bros.” on Nintendo’s Famicom console (known as the NES in Europe), which has sold more than 40 million copies.

‘Lucky accident’

“It was a lucky accident, because at the start there was no plan for this character to become a video gaming icon,” said Alexis Bross, the French co-author of the book “Mario Generations.”

The plumber’s look was initially chosen to conserve scarce computing resources and make him stand out on screen, with bright blue overalls and a cap that saved on animating hair.

Miyamoto created Mario as “a completely functional character under very strict technical constraints” governing the few pixels making up his image, Bross noted.

But as the games endured through the years, their star became a “generation-spanning” and even “reassuring” presence, he added.

“He’s a regular man, not unlike us, who has no special powers at the outset and stays a bit frozen in time.”

Beyond Mario’s mainline adventures, spinoff games have dropped him, his buddies like brother Luigi and his rivals like dragon Bowser into “Mario Golf,” “Mario Tennis” and the vastly popular “Mario Kart.”

Graphics have evolved from 2D to 3D as the games’ reach has spread to many hundreds of millions of players worldwide.

But the original pixelated look has long inspired artists making their own riffs on the character.

Lyon-based street artist In The Woup, who declined to give his real name, has been mashing Mario up with other characters like Gandalf from “The Lord of the Rings” or “Star Wars” antagonist Darth Vader in guerilla mosaics dotting cities around the world for years.

“Bringing things from my games console out on the street means bringing immaterial things out into real life. I thought that was pretty crazy,” the 39-year-old said, a Mario mask securely concealing his face to keep up his anonymity.

Changing with the times

Many of today’s children and teens have turned towards more recent heavyweight gaming titles such as Fortnite and Roblox.

But Mario still enjoys a high “parental nostalgia” quotient, with those now heading into middle age still buying the games and playing together with their offspring, said Rhys Elliott of analytics firm Alinea.

Nintendo has looked to evolve along with its audience, recently launching a range of baby clothing and accessories in Japan.

Mario also graces goods from luxury watches to Lego, as well as being the star of theme parks in both Japan and the US.

And in 2023, the plucky plumber made a successful leap to the big screen after a 1993 flop that was one of the first ever game-to-movie adaptations.

The more recent film brought in over $1.3 billion, with a sequel in the works for next year.

With gender relations in a different light today than 40 years ago, Mario’s objective in- is no longer securing a kiss from a grateful rescued princess.

Nintendo’s princesses are more likely these days to star in their own titles, as the company “adapts to new audiences, following little by little developments in society,” author Bross said.

Even now, fans are eagerly awaiting a new Mario-led 3D adventure following the blockbuster release of the Nintendo Switch 2 console this June.

Bross hopes to see “a totally new idea that will be a new milestone in the history of videogames.”

© 2025 AFP

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Amazon’s Spring Sale Is So-So, but Cadence Capsules Are a Bright Spot

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Amazon’s Spring Sale Is So-So, but Cadence Capsules Are a Bright Spot


The WIRED Reviews Team has been covering Amazon’s Big Spring Sale since it began at on Wednesday, and the overall deals have been … not great, honestly. So far, we’ve found decent markdowns on vacuums, smart bird feeders, and even an air fryer we love, but I just saw that Cadence Capsules, those colorful magnetic containers you may have seen on your social media pages, are 20 percent off. (For reference, the last time I saw them on sale, they were a measly 9 percent off.)

If you’re not familiar, they allow you to decant your full-sized personal care products you use at home—from shampoo and sunscreen to serums and pills—into a labeled, modular system of hexagonal containers that are leak-proof, dishwasher safe, and stick together magnetically in your bag or on a countertop. No more jumbled, travel-sized toiletries and leaky, mismatched bottles and tubes.

Cadence Capsules have garnered some grumbling online for being overly heavy or leaking, but I’ve been using them regularly for about a year—I discuss decanting your daily-use products in my guide to How to Pack Your Beauty Routine for Travel—and haven’t experienced any leaks. They do add weight if you’re trying to travel super-light, and because they’re magnetic, they will also stick to other metal items in your toiletry bag, like bobby pins or other hair accessories. This can be annoying, especially if you’re already feeling chaotic or in a hurry.

Otherwise, Capsules are modular, convenient, and make you feel supremely organized—magnetic, interchangeable inserts for the lids come with permanent labels like “shampoo,” “conditioner,” “cleanser,” and “moisturizer.” Maybe you love this; maybe you don’t. But at least if you buy on Amazon, you can choose which label genre you get (Haircare, Bodycare, Skincare, Daily Routine). If this just isn’t your jam, the Cadence website offers a set of seven that allows you to customize the color and lid label of each Capsule, but that set is not currently on sale.



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Fellow Readers, Don’t Miss These E-Reader Sales

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Fellow Readers, Don’t Miss These E-Reader Sales


This is the older Kindle Scribe, but the price and features are the best you’ll get, especially when it’s on sale like this. I still reach for this model even though I have the newer third generation, and keep in mind the second generation will also get some of the newer software and experiences over time. With the sale, it’s half the price of the newer model.

Amazon

Kindle Colorsoft and Colorsoft Signature Edition

If you’re already a Kindle reader and looking to upgrade, it’s likely because you want a new feature like a color screen. While the Kobo above is the better buy, if you want to stay in the Kindle ecosystem but add some color to your books, both the Colorsoft and Colorsoft Signature are on sale.

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Kindle (2024, 11th Gen)

If you’re looking to spend as little as possible, the basic Kindle (11th generation) is still a great e-reader and is currently under $100. It can do almost everything the other Kindles can (except the Scribe) on a snappy black-and-white screen. It doesn’t have a warm front light either, but it’s still a great purchase for the price.


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This Speaker I Tried From Soundboks Can Handle a Real Party

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This Speaker I Tried From Soundboks Can Handle a Real Party


In addition to the rubber balls, there’s a nice physical interface on the side for adjusting volume and pairing multiple Mix speakers together if you have multiple on hand (I was only sent the single mono speaker). Setup involves installing the Soundboks app, pairing to the speaker via Bluetooth on your phone, and picking whatever you want to play. It’s all quick and painless, especially for my first-time pairing with a Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra.

Otherwise, it’s all very pro audio. Everything reminds me very much of the Peavey PA system I have in my music rehearsal space. The top of the speaker features a built-in carrying handle and a place for a strap (an accessory you have to buy aftermarket, or you can fasten it with any strap you have that fits through the hole). There are also top-hat mounts for the speakers to slide onto traditional PA pole stands, if you wanted to use them in that way at a party or event.

The grill is replaceable, as is the massive internal battery, which means that these things are pretty much indestructible as long as the amp and speakers themselves still work—the battery is the weak point of most portable speakers in 2026.

I bounced it around my yard, dropped it off my patio, and generally beat the crap out of it during my two-week testing period, and the thing just needed a little wipe down and a charge when it ran out of juice. The claimed 40 hours of battery at reasonable volume is accurate, but you’ll get about eight hours at max volume (which is very good for the category). If you need to bring some walk-out music to your kid’s all-day Little League tournament, this a great way to go.

Big Sound

Photograph: Parker Hall

Soundboks calls this speaker midsize, but at 21.4 pounds and the size of a medium-size cooler, I’d still call it a large speaker. That said, the size doesn’t make it any less portable than competitors from JBL and others; you still need a car or cargo ebike to take one of these with you, so what’s a couple inches here or there? The fact that this is a rectangle actually makes it easier to strap down than many others, especially with the holes for the strap and the built-in handle to tie down through.



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