11 If you look closely, there is an island in ‘Super Mario Bros. 3’  that is shaped like Japan and the location of Kyoto is marked by a castle. In real life, that castle would stand exactly where Nintendo is headquartered.

12 A study found that playing ‘Super Mario 64’ regularly improved spatial orientation, memory formation, strategic planning, and fine motor skills of the hands.

We know you don’t need another reason, but we can confirm that the benefits of playing ‘Super Mario 64’ far outnumber the benefits of not playing.(source)

13 Hollywood couldn’t get over Mario, either! The 1993 movie, ‘Super Mario Bros’, was Hollywood’s first attempt to create a video game tie-in.

Starring Bob Hoskins as Mario, John Leguizamo as Luigi and Dennis Hopper as King Koopa, the film-adaptation was a critical and commercial failure. The general consensus was that the film was “too light on story and substance to be anything more than a novelty.”

Rumor has it that Dustin Hoffman was very keen on playing Mario on-screen because his children were fans of the franchise.

14 More than 240 million units of the ‘Super Mario Bros.’ series have been sold worldwide. It is no surprise, then, that it made to the Guinness World Records as the ‘Most Successful Gaming Franchise of All Time’.

15 Widely popular, Mario has appeared in 200 video games.