When we think of Super Mario, the celebrated video game plumber, it’s hard to imagine that behind his iconic name lies the story of a real person. This most iconic of video game characters doesn’t owe his name to the creative whim of a designer, but rather to Mario Segale, a successful American real estate entrepreneur.
In the early 1980s, Segale leased warehouse space in Seattle, Washington, to Nintendo of America. At the time, Nintendo was struggling financially during the development of their breakthrough arcade game, *Donkey Kong*. When Nintendo fell behind on its rent payments, Segale visited their offices to demand payment.
To appease the landlord and resolve the dispute, Minoru Arakawa, the then-president of Nintendo of America, made a spontaneous decision. He decided to name the main character of their new game – who was originally known as “Jumpman” – after their landlord. Thus, “Mario” was born, an unexpected tribute that forever linked a businessman to one of the most beloved figures in video game history.
Mario Segale, who passed away in 2018, lived a private life and reportedly wasn’t keen on discussing his connection to the video game character. Despite this, his unlikely contribution cemented his place in pop culture history, proving that even the most fantastical characters can have surprisingly real-world origins.