This would be the only title to give Mario a villainous role. The sequel, Donkey Kong Jr., recast Mario as the antagonist, from whom the captured Donkey Kong must be rescued. President Minoru Arakawa and Don James thought it would be funny to name the character after him, thus creating the name and nationality of Mario. During production of the overseas release, Nintendo of America had a suspenders-wearing Italian American named Mario Segale as landlord of one of their warehouses. The player character was not named in Japanese materials, but the tentative name ' Jumpman' had been given for use in Nintendo of America's localization. In that game, a certain mustachioed carpenter was charged to rescue the beautiful Lady (later renamed Pauline) from a rampaging ape. The story of the Mario Brothers begins not in their own game, but in Donkey Kong. Created by Shigeru Miyamoto, the series both popularized and crystallized the Platform Game. The centerpiece of Nintendo's gaming empire, the biggest and most successful video game franchise to date, to the extent where its title character is often more recognizable to American children than Mickey Mouse. For the first NES platformer in the series, see Super Mario Bros.
