05/04/2026
Super Mario, one of the most iconic video game characters in history, owes his name to a real person. According to FOX 11 Los Angeles, the character was originally called “Jumpman” when he appeared in Nintendo’s 1981 arcade game Donkey Kong. At the time, Nintendo of America was renting a warehouse in Tukwila, Washington, from a local real estate developer named Mario Segale.
According to ComicBook com, Segale once confronted Nintendo’s president Minoru Arakawa about overdue rent. After the heated exchange, the developers decided to rename Jumpman “Mario” in honor of their landlord. This story was later detailed in David Sheff’s book Game Over: How Nintendo Conquered the World.
Segale’s appearance matched the Italian‑American look Nintendo wanted for the character. He was described as short, stocky, and dark‑haired, which fit the design of the plumber who would go on to star in countless games. Segale himself never sought fame from the connection, but in a 1993 interview with The Seattle Times he joked, “You might say I’m still waiting for my royalty checks.” He passed away in 2018 at the age of 84, but his name lives on as part of gaming history.
