Mario Segale It was the man who inspired the name of Super Mario. However, it was not a plumber, he didn’t have a mustache And it certainly did not have a dinosaur as a pet. What made him special was not his physical appearance, but the crucial role that played in supporting Nintendo in a moment of difficulty, thus gaining the honor of giving the name to the most iconic character in the history of video games.
The birth of a pop myth
In 1981, Nintendo decided to expand in the United States by opening a branch, Nintendo of America, under the guidance of Minoru Arakawa. To establish the headquarters, the company rented a warehouse in Tukwila, in the state of Washington. The owner of the property was Mario Segale, a successful entrepreneur and son of Italian immigrants.
Although Nintendo today is one of the most important companies in the entertainment sector, at the beginning he encountered numerous financial difficulties. The company was still working on his new game, Donkey Kong, when Segale showed up in the warehouse to demand the payment of backward rents. Nintendo, at that moment, was unable to pay the debt, and the risk of eviction was concrete.
Minoru Arakawa, however, managed to convince rye to grant more time for payment, thus avoiding a crisis that could jeopardize the future of the company. This gesture of patience and understanding left an indelible mark between the leaders of Nintendo. To honor the entrepreneur who, indirectly, contributed to the survival of the company, decided to change the name of the protagonist of Donkey Kong, Initially called Jumpman, in Mario.
So it was that the name of Super Mario was bornthe most important character of the Nintendo It is one of the most recognizable icons of world pop culture. As a simple figure in an Arcade video game, Mario soon became the symbol of the entire videogame sector, accompanying generations of players and contributing to the planetary success of the Japanese company.
Although Mario Segale has always maintained a low profile, avoiding taking advantage of his connection with Nintendo for fame or profit, his story remains a fundamental piece in the legend of Super Mario and the world of video games.
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