If you’ve ever touched a video game controller, you know the name. Mario. The red hat, the mustache, the "it’s-a-me" catchphrase. He’s more recognizable than Mickey Mouse in some parts of the world. But the story behind who is the creator of Mario isn't just a simple "man makes game" tale. It's actually a weird series of accidents, a failing company, and a young artist who didn't even know how to program a computer.
That artist was Shigeru Miyamoto.
Back in 1977, Nintendo wasn't the titan it is now. They were struggling. They hired Miyamoto as their first "staff artist," mostly because his father knew the president of the company, Hiroshi Yamauchi. He wasn't a software engineer. He was a guy who made toys and drew pictures. Honestly, if a different arcade cabinet had sold better in America, Mario might never have been born.
The Popeye Problem and the Birth of Jumpman
In 1980, Nintendo had a huge problem. They had a game called Radar Scope that was a total flop in the U.S. Thousands of arcade cabinets were just sitting in a warehouse, collecting dust and costing money. Yamauchi needed a new game to "overwrite" the old ones. He tapped Miyamoto for the job.
Initially, Miyamoto didn't want to make Mario. He wanted to make a Popeye game.
He envisioned a love triangle between Popeye, Olive Oyl, and Bluto. But there was a snag. Nintendo couldn't secure the rights to the Popeye characters at that exact moment. Instead of giving up, Miyamoto just swapped the characters out. Bluto became a giant ape (Donkey Kong). Olive Oyl became Pauline. And Popeye? Well, he became a squat little guy in overalls named "Jumpman."
That was the first version of the character. He wasn't even a plumber yet; he was a carpenter. Why? Because the game Donkey Kong took place on a construction site. It was practical. Miyamoto’s design philosophy has always been about "form following function." The character looks the way he does because of the technical limitations of 1981.
He has a mustache because it was too hard to draw a mouth with such few pixels. He wears a hat because animating hair that moves when he jumps was a nightmare for the hardware. He has overalls so you can see his arms moving against his body. It’s brilliant, really. The creator of Mario didn't set out to make a fashion icon; he was just trying to make a character that people could actually see on a grainy screen.
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Shigeru Miyamoto: The Man Behind the Mustache
Miyamoto isn't your typical tech CEO. He’s famously quirky. He’s known for measuring things in his spare time—literally carrying a measuring tape to guess how long a table is and then checking to see if he’s right. This obsession with physical space and "feel" is exactly why Mario games feel so good to play.
When people ask who is the creator of Mario, they often forget the "team" aspect, but Miyamoto was the spark. He brought a cinematic sensibility to games that didn't exist before. Before Donkey Kong, most games were just Pong or Space Invaders. There was no plot. Miyamoto added a story. A simple one, sure, but it gave players a reason to care.
The Evolution of the Plumber
By 1983, Jumpman got a name change. During the development of Mario Bros. (the arcade game, not the NES one), Nintendo of America was working out of a warehouse in Washington. Their landlord, a man named Mario Segale, allegedly stormed in one day demanding overdue rent. The team started calling the character "Mario" as a joke, and it stuck.
Miyamoto also decided that if Mario was going to be running around in sewers with green pipes, he shouldn't be a carpenter anymore. He should be a plumber. This kind of "logical" world-building is a Miyamoto staple.
Why Miyamoto’s Approach Changed Everything
Most developers at the time were focused on high scores. Miyamoto was focused on kyokan—a Japanese term for a sort of shared emotional resonance. He wanted you to feel the weight of the jump.
In Super Mario Bros. (1985) on the NES, the very first level, World 1-1, is a masterclass in teaching without words. You start on the left. You see a Goomba. You either jump or you die. If you hit a block, a mushroom comes out. It bounces off the pipe and moves toward you. Because of the way the screen is laid out, you're almost forced to collect it. You grow big. You learn.
Miyamoto didn't write a manual for that. He designed the space so you'd figure it out yourself. This "player-first" mentality is why he is regarded as the "Father of Modern Gaming." He didn't just create a character; he created a grammar for how we interact with digital worlds.
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The Collaboration: Gunpei Yokoi and Takashi Tezuka
While Miyamoto is the face, he had incredible mentors. Gunpei Yokoi, the man who created the Game Boy, was the one who taught Miyamoto the "Lateral Thinking with Withered Technology" philosophy. This means using cheap, well-understood tech in creative new ways.
Then there’s Takashi Tezuka. He’s been Miyamoto’s right-hand man since the beginning. Tezuka brought a lot of the whimsy and "cuteness" to the series. If Miyamoto is the structure, Tezuka is often the soul. They’ve worked together for decades, refining what it means to be a "Mario game." It’s a level of consistency that you almost never see in any other medium.
The Jump to 3D: A Risky Gamble
By the mid-90s, everyone was terrified of 3D. Most 3D games back then were clunky, ugly, and impossible to control. But the creator of Mario did it again with Super Mario 64.
Miyamoto spent months just perfecting how Mario moved in an empty room with a tree. He didn't care about the levels yet. He just wanted the act of moving the analog stick to feel joyful. If running in a circle isn't fun, the whole game fails. That was his logic.
He also drew inspiration from his own life. The famous "Chain Chomp" enemy? That came from a childhood memory of a neighbor's dog chasing him and being snapped back by a chain just in time. The ghosts (Boos)? They were based on Takashi Tezuka’s wife, who was normally shy but exploded in rage one day because he was working too late. Miyamoto takes the mundane bits of life and turns them into gameplay mechanics.
The Legacy of a Designer Who Still Plays
Today, Miyamoto is in his 70s. He’s transitioned more into a "Creative Fellow" role at Nintendo, overseeing things like the Super Nintendo World theme parks and the Super Mario Bros. Movie. But his fingerprints are everywhere.
He’s famously strict. He’s been known to "upend the tea table," a phrase used at Nintendo to describe Miyamoto coming in at the last minute and demanding a total redesign because a game isn't "fun" enough. It sounds stressful, but it's the reason Nintendo games have a level of polish that few others can match.
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There’s a common misconception that Mario was a corporate calculation. It wasn't. It was the result of a guy who liked gardening, dogs, and drawing cartoons being given a chance to save a failing company.
Moving Beyond the Basics
If you want to truly understand who is the creator of Mario, you have to look past the credits on a screen. Miyamoto is a philosopher of play. He believes that games should be intuitive enough that your grandmother could pick up a controller and "get it" within thirty seconds.
If you’re a creator, developer, or just a fan, there are a few real-world takeaways from Miyamoto’s career:
- Constraints breed creativity. Mario has a mustache because of pixel limits. Don't complain about your limitations; use them to define your style.
- The "Feel" is everything. In any project, whether it's an app or a book, the user's immediate experience matters more than the features.
- Draw from life. Don't just look at other games for inspiration. Look at your hobbies, your fears, and your daily walks.
To see Miyamoto’s genius in action today, you don't even need a console. You can look at the design of the Super Nintendo World parks. He insisted that the "Question Mark Blocks" be at a height where people would feel a physical urge to punch them. He understands human instinct better than almost anyone in the entertainment industry.
Actionable Insights for Enthusiasts:
- Watch "High Score" on Netflix: The first episode gives a great visual breakdown of the early Nintendo years and Miyamoto’s entry into the company.
- Study Level 1-1: If you’re interested in design, play the first level of Super Mario Bros. and pay attention to how every enemy and block is placed to teach you a lesson.
- Read "Game Over" by David Sheff: This is widely considered the definitive book on Nintendo’s history and provides deep context on the Miyamoto/Yamauchi relationship.
Shigeru Miyamoto didn't just create a character. He created a way for us to play together. Whether it's Mario Kart ruining friendships or Super Mario Odyssey sparking wonder, his influence is permanent. Next time you see that red cap, remember it started with a guy who couldn't get the rights to Popeye and decided to draw a man with a mustache instead.