Super Mario[a] is a Japanese platform video game series and media franchise created

by Nintendo and featuring their mascot, Mario. Alternatively called the Super Mario Bros.[b] series or

simply the Mario[c] series, it is the central series of the greater Mario franchise. At least one Super
Mario game has been released for every major Nintendo video game console. There have also been
a number of Super Mario video games released on non-Nintendo gaming platforms.[1]
The Super Mario games follow Mario's adventures, typically in the fictional Mushroom Kingdom with
Mario as the player character. He is often joined by his brother, Luigi, and occasionally by other
members of the Mario cast. As in platform video games, the player runs and jumps across platforms
and atop enemies in themed levels. The games have simple plots, typically with Mario rescuing the
kidnapped Princess Peach from the primary antagonist, Bowser. The first title in the series, Super
Mario Bros., released for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) in 1985, established gameplay
concepts and elements prevalent in nearly every Super Mario game released since. These include a
multitude of power-ups and items that give Mario special powers such as fireball-throwing and size-
changing into both giant and miniature sizes.[2]
The Super Mario series is part of the greater Mario franchise. This includes other video game genres
as well as media such as film, television, printed media, and merchandise. Over 330 million copies
of games in the Super Mario series have been sold worldwide making it the second best-selling
video game series in history, being surpassed only by Nintendo's own Pokémon series.
. Mushrooms

UGO described the Super Mushroom as "the quintessential power-up".[22]

Mushroom power-ups appear in almost every Super Mario game. The most iconic of these is the

Super Mushroom.[22][23] The Super Mushroom increases Mario's size, turning him into "Super Mario",
and allows him to break certain blocks. When hit by an enemy, Mario reverts to his smaller size
instead of losing a life.[22] When Mario is in his "Super" form, most blocks that would contain a Super
Mushroom instead offer a more powerful power-up such as the Fire Flower. The Super Mushroom is
similar in appearance to the Amanita muscaria, with an ivory stalk below a most commonly red and
white (originally red and orange) spotted cap. Created by chance, Shigeru Miyamoto stated in an
interview that beta tests of Super Mario Bros. proved Mario too tall, so the development team
implemented mushrooms to grow and shrink Mario.[24]
The Poison Mushroom, first introduced in the Japanese Super Mario Bros. 2, is a mushroom that
causes damage when touched. In later games, the Poison Mushroom looks almost exactly like the
Super Mushroom with a red cap but has a meaner-looking face.[citation needed]
The Mini Mushroom is a small blue mushroom, a recurring item in the New Super Mario Bros. series,
which shrinks Mario into miniature size, allowing him access areas and pipes that Mario normally
cannot reach. Mini Mario also jumps higher, floats midair, bounces off enemies without hurting them
except by ground pounding, and can run across the surface of the water and then jump from it as if
he was on land. Mario is more vulnerable in this form and loses a life upon receiving one hit in
miniature form. The Mini Mushroom in New Super Mario Bros. U allows Mario to run up walls.[25]
The Mega Mushroom, introduced in New Super Mario Bros. and further appearing in New Super
Mario Bros. 2 and Super Mario 3D World, is a more recent addition to the series that grows Mario
into a towering, invulnerable giant who destroys enemies and the environment by running through
them. It has an orange-yellow cap with red spots, like the Super Mario Bros. Super Mushroom, but
with an inflated cap. Super Mario 64 DS features an item simply called "Mushroom"[26] that grants the
same abilities as the Mega Mushroom.
In the Super Mario Galaxy franchise, the Bee Mushroom gives Mario the Bee Suit, and the Spring
Mushroom puts Mario inside a metallic coil. The Mystery Mushroom in Super Mario Maker (though
not in its 2019 sequel) provides a "costume" based on one of many characters in addition to the
abilities of the Super Mushroom.
1-Ups
The 1-Up is a common item shown as a green and white mushroom that gives Mario an extra life.
The 1-Up was introduced in Super Mario Bros., sometimes hidden in invisible item blocks, and
displayed as having an orange cap with green spots. In Super Mario Land and Super Mario Land 2,
the 1-Up is shown as a heart. 1-Ups can take other forms, such as the 3-Up Moon from Super Mario
World and New Super Mario Bros. U.
Projectile flowers
The flower power-ups let Mario shoot projectiles. The Fire Flower, introduced in Super Mario Bros.,
transforms Mario into Fire Mario, who can throw bouncing fireballs at enemies. Super Mario
Galaxy was the first 3D Mario platformer game to have the Fire Flower. In Super Mario
Land and Super Mario Maker 2, the Superball is a bouncing ball obtained from a Super Flower,
which Mario can use to defeat enemies and collect coins. The Ice Flower transforms Mario into Ice
Mario, where he can shoot balls of ice as projectiles similar to that of the Fire Flower; it freezes
enemies in a block of ice, to be used as platforms or as thrown projectiles, as seen in New Super
Mario Bros. Wii and New Super Mario Bros. U.[11] In Super Mario Galaxy, the Ice Flower turns Mario
into ice and lets him walk on lava or water for a limited time by freezing the surface. Lastly, New
Super Mario Bros. 2's Gold Flower lets Mario turn bricks into coins and earn bonus coins for
defeating enemies.
Invincibility
Invincibility is an effect first appearing in the three Super Mario Bros. games, where it is granted by a
"Starman",[27][28][29] an anthropomorphized, flashing star. The star has also been named the "Super
Star" in the two Super Mario World games as well as the New Super Mario Bros. games[30][31] and the
"Rainbow Star" in the two Super Mario Galaxy games. Picking up the star makes Mario
temporarily invincible, able to resist any harm. Use of the item is accompanied by a distinctive music
track that appears consistently across most of the games. The player character flickers a variety of
colors — and in some titles, moves with increased speed and enhanced jumping ability — while
under the Star's influence. While invincible, Mario defeats any enemy upon contact with it. In Super
Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island, the star gives the normally immobile baby Mario the ability to run as
well as become invincible. In Super Mario 64, invincibility is provided when Mario wears the metal
cap or the vanish cap. The Mega Mushroom provides temporary invincibility with the addition of giant
size and environment destruction (see Mushrooms).
Power Stars and course tokens
The games often feature collectibles found in levels in order to progress in the overworld, most
frequently with the visual motif of a star. They are typically situated in locations that are not readily
found or reached, or awarded for completing stunts, or objectives given by NPCs. They include the
Power Stars in Super Mario 64 and the Super Mario Galaxy games, Shine Sprites in Super Mario
Sunshine, Star Coins in the New Super Mario Bros. series and Super Mario 3D Land, Green Stars in
the Galaxy games and Super Mario 3D World, and Power Moons in Super Mario Odyssey. In Super
Mario Land 2, there are six Golden Coin tokens that must be collected to finish the game.
Flying
Flight is a common theme throughout the series, first enabled with the magic carpet item in the
international Super Mario Bros. 2. The Super Leaf and Tanooki Suit items, first appearing in Super
Mario Bros. 3 provide Mario with an animal-suited tail, which in turn acts as a flight propeller. The
Tanooki Suit returns in Super Mario 3D Land, and the Super Leaf returns in New Super Mario Bros.
2 and the Super Mario Maker series. In the New Super Mario Bros. series and Super Mario
Maker series, the Propeller Block and the Propeller Mushroom let Mario spin up into the air and
slowly descend. In Super Mario Land, Mario pilots a yellow airplane with unlimited ammunition called
the Sky Pop. Super Mario World introduces various forms of flight: the feather item provides a cape,
the P Balloon puffs Mario into a floating balloon figure, and Yoshi can carry a blue Koopa shell which
gives him wings. In Super Mario 64, flight that is granted by a Winged Cap. In New Super Mario
Bros. Wii, Mario has limited flight provided by the Propeller Cap. In New Super Mario Bros. U, Mario
has limited flight and gliding capabilities in a Flying Squirrel suit and can also command a pink Baby
Yoshi to puff up into the form of a floating balloon. In Super Mario Galaxy, Mario can obtain a special
red star that transforms him into Flying Mario for a limited time. Lakitu's cloud can be commandeered
in several of the side-scrolling games.
Power-up suits
Several suits work as power-ups, many of which are based on animals. Debuting in Super Mario
Bros. 3, the Raccoon Suit (provisioned by a Super Leaf) and the Tanooki Suit each provide Mario
with a tail which acts as a flight propeller. In addition, the Tanooki Suit lets Mario spontaneously
change into an invincible statue for about five seconds. In Super Mario 3D Land, the Raccoon Suit
reappears and is accompanied by a silver-colored variation called a Statue Leaf.[32] Super Mario
Bros. 3 includes a Hammer Bros. suit, which allows Mario to throw hammers as projectiles, to defeat
enemies at a distance, taking what the Hammer Bros does to Mario and turning it around. While
wearing the suit and ducking, Mario is invulnerable to fire attacks. The Hammer Suit was so powerful
that in later games, it was downgraded. Super Mario 3D Land features a "Boomerang Suit" which
provisions long-distance boomerang projectiles. Other animal suits include the Frog Suit, Tanooki
Suit, Penguin Suit, Cat Suit and Bee Suit.
Coins
Super Mario level design traditionally incorporates many distributed coins as puzzles and rewards.
Most Super Mario games award the player an extra life once a certain amount of yellow coins are
collected, commonly 50 or 100. Several coin variants exist, such as silver coins, dragon coins, star
coins, and more.
In Super Mario 64, Super Mario Sunshine, Super Mario Galaxy, and Super Mario Galaxy 2, coins
replenish health (and air, when Mario is underwater). In Super Mario 64 and Super Mario Sunshine,
collecting 100 coins in a level results in a Power Star or Shine Sprite respectively. There are also
stages in that game reward a Power Star for collecting eight red coins in a level, worth two normal
coins each. In Super Mario 64, a blue coin is worth five normal coins. In Super Mario Sunshine, blue
coins act as a side quest when brought to the Delfino Bank and for every ten blue coins deposited,
Mario will earn a Shine Sprite.
In the Super Mario Galaxy series, after finishing each game once, stages unlock where Mario can
collect 100 purple coins to earn a Power Star. In Super Mario Galaxy 2, they can also be used to
feed some hungry "Luma" characters that can turn into either an item or another planet.

Luigi and other playable characters

The series often features the option to play as other characters, Luigi in the most instances. Earlier
games have offered an alternating multiplayer mode in which the second player controls Luigi on
their turn. Luigi is often only playable by player one in a second, more challenging iteration of the
base game, such as in The Lost Levels, Galaxy 2, New Super Luigi U and the special worlds in 3D
Land; these feature lower gravity and reduced friction for Luigi. Later games allow four player
simultaneous play. Playable characters other than Mario and Luigi have included Toads, Peach,
Rosalina, Miis and Nabbit. Characters are sometimes differentiated by special abilities. Super Mario
Maker (though not Super Mario Maker 2) includes costumes that depict many more characters.

Warp Pipes and Warp Cannons

The Warp Pipe is a common method of transportation used in many of the Mario series games.
Warp Pipes are most often green but also appear in other colors (early games included silver pipes,
newer games have introduced red, green, blue and yellow pipes), and have many uses in the series.
Warp Pipes can also contain enemies, usually Piranha Plants, and sometimes launch the player into
the air (most commonly seen in the New Super Mario Bros. series). In early Mario games such
as Super Mario Bros., special, well-hidden areas known as Warp Zones contain pipes that allow
players to skip several worlds (handfuls of levels) at once.[33] In the New Super Mario Bros. series,
pipe-shaped Warp Cannons work similarly to the Warp Zones of the earlier games and are unlocked
by finding secret exits in levels. Cannons appear in most of the 3D games in the series starting
with Super Mario 64. Mario uses the cannon by jumping into the barrel, aiming himself and being
fired at a distant target. This allows Mario to progress through a level or reach otherwise
inaccessible areas.

Yoshi
Mario's dinosaur friend Yoshi has appeared as a mount to the player character in several Super
Mario games since Super Mario World. In the sequel, Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island, a tribe of
Yoshis finds Mario and helps him to save Baby Luigi. In this game and Super Mario 64 DS, instead
of the player merely riding on Yoshi's back, Yoshi is the player character. Yoshis generally have
abilities including eating enemies, flying, and breathing fire. Miyamoto had originally wished for Mario
to be able to ride a dinosaur in Super Mario Bros., but this wasn't possible due to the technical
restraints of the system.

Settings
 The Mushroom Kingdom[d] is the primary Super Mario series setting, having been
introduced in Super Mario Bros. The Mushroom Kingdom is also the setting for the
Japanese Super Mario Bros. 2, the New Super Mario Bros. games, Super Mario 3D
Land and Super Mario Run. It is a monarchy and its heir is Princess Peach. Though Princess
Peach, Mario and Luigi are human, most citizens of this area are the mushroom-like Toads.
While the main characters of the series reside in the Mushroom Kingdom, their adventures have
extended to other settings.
 Super Mario Bros. 2 introduced Subcon, a mysterious world issued from Mario's dream. It
was taken over by the frog king Wart.
 Super Mario Bros. 3 is set in the Mushroom World, a collection of eight kingdoms. Seven of
these are "Mushroom Kingdoms", ruled by their own kings. The different kingdoms are Grass
Land (a plains kingdom), Desert Land (a desert kingdom), Water Land (an ocean kingdom),
Giant Land (a kingdom where everything is larger), Sky Land (a kingdom which consists of a
peninsula at ground level, and a large plain amidst the sky), Ice Land (an arctic kingdom), and
Pipe Land (a small island kingdom filled with a maze of Warp Pipes). The eighth world is Dark
Land and is ruled by Bowser: King of the Koopas. The instruction manual for the game states
that the Mushroom Kingdom is a gateway to the Mushroom World.
 Super Mario Land takes place in Sarasaland. It is ruled by Princess Daisy. The species in
Sarasaland range from tiki monsters to aliens to gigantic sphinxes, as well as enemies similar to
enemies from other games in the series. The kingdoms that make up Sarasaland include
Birabuto (an Ancient Egypt-like kingdom), Muda (an ocean kingdom), Easton (an Easter Island-
like kingdom), and Chai (an Ancient China-like kingdom).
 Super Mario World introduces Dinosaur Land, a separate continent where Mario, Luigi, and
Princess Peach vacation after the events of Super Mario Bros. 3.[34] Yoshi's Island, the setting
of Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island, is located within Dinosaur Land. The other areas consist
of Donut Plains, Vanilla Dome, Twin Bridges, Forest of Illusion, Chocolate Island, Valley of
Bowser, Star World, and the Special Zone.
 Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins introduced Mario Land, a region which apparently
belongs to Mario.
 Super Mario 64 introduced Peach's Castle, which serves as a hub world. The worlds in the
game are reached by jumping into paintings, which are portals to imaginary worlds created by
Bowser. As such, the game is largely not set in the Mushroom Kingdom. However, Peach's
Castle itself is located in the Mushroom Kingdom as shown in games like Super Mario
Galaxy and its sequel.
 Super Mario Sunshine introduced Isle Delfino, a tropical island somewhere outside the
Mushroom Kingdom. It contains several harbors, beaches, hotels, parks, and villages. Instead of
Toads or humans, most of the residents on Isle Delfino are tropical creatures called Nokis and
Piantas. Its main village Delfino Plaza serves as the central hub world in Super Mario Sunshine.
Different areas of the island can be accessed through portals created by spray paint in different
parts of the plaza. Besides Delfino Plaza, the different locations of Delfino Island are Delfino
Airstrip, Bianco Hills, Ricco Harbor, Gelato Beach, Pinna Park, Sirena Beach, Noki Bay, Pianta
Village, and Corona Mountain. While Isle Delfino has only appeared in one game in the Super
Mario series, it has been commonly used in Mario spin-off games, especially the Mario
Kart series.
 Super Mario Galaxy and Super Mario Galaxy 2 are set in outer space and contain various
galaxies and planets.
 Super Mario 3D World takes place in the Sprixie Kingdom, where the Sprixies live.
 Super Mario Odyssey has Mario traveling across the globe in a hat-shaped airship called the
Odyssey; thus, several new regions known as "kingdoms" are introduced in the game, including
a New York-inspired urban area called the Metro Kingdom, a dry desert land called the Sand
Kingdom, and a food-filled world called the Luncheon Kingdom.