with characters like Mario and Sonic the Hedgehog achieving the same recognition as Mickey Mouse, and "The Last of Us" ...

Created by Shigeru Miyamoto while he was developing Donkey Kong (which, incidentally, was supposed to be a game based on Popeye), Mario was first known as "Mr. Video" before ever appearing in a game.

All the way back in 1981, Mario first appeared as Jump Man in the Donkey Kong arcade game. In the decades that followed, he became Nintendo's main man, the mascot of their media empire.