The origin of Super Mario  

Wanna know how Nintendo's Mario got his name?


Regarding Mario’s origins, it’s common knowledge among game fans that legendary game designer Shigeru Miyamoto created him for 1981's Donkey Kong arcade game. But few know that Nintendo borrowed Mario’s name and Italian heritage from a real man.

I knew this, but there's more to the story...

That man’s name is Mario Segale, and he’s not a plumber. He’s a wealthy real estate developer in Tukwila, Washington. Segale unwittingly stepped into video game history by renting out a warehouse that served as Nintendo’s U.S. headquarters in the early 1980s. At that time, a financially struggling Nintendo of America (NOA) was preparing the U.S. launch of Donkey Kong. Legend has it that NOA President Minoru Arakawa noticed physical similarities between Donkey Kong’s short, dark-haired protagonist and the landlord. So the crew at NOA nicknamed the character Mario, and it stuck.
Full story: http://technologizer.com/2010/04/25/mario/

I find it interesting that Segale is fully aware of this story, yet hasn't approached Nintendo about some sort of payment for being their indirect, last minute muse. I guess the obsession with getting coins make more sense now. I still don't fully understand the magic mushrooms though.

I feel like playing Super Mario Bros. 3 for some odd reason.

Oh, does this mean Wario is supposed to be a slum lord or something? I should probably play through the Wario Land series again, just to see if I can find hints and subliminals.