As Shigeru Miyamoto, the iconic game designer behind classic Nintendo characters Super Mario and Zelda, turns 70 today, his most famous creation shows no signs of aging. Almost 40 years after making his debut in an arcade game in 1983, the world's most famous plumber ("It's-a-me, Mario!") is scheduled to make his second appearance on the big screen in 2023, when "The Super Mario Bros. Movie", co-produced by Miyamoto, is coming to theaters around the world.
With Super Mario, Nintendo has managed the rare feat of creating a video game character that bridges generations. “Super Mario Bros.”, the now second most successful game featuring Mario and his brother Luigi was published in 1985 and today, more than 30 years later, the release of a Super Mario game (or movie) still sparks excitement among millions of players around the world.
With more than 650 million copies sold, Super Mario is the best-selling video game character in the world, according to Guinnes World Records. The following charts ranks the most popular Super Mario games by the number of units sold.
