Nintendo's most iconic character, Super Mario, is officially no longer a plumber. The character's official Japanese-language profile on the company's website has recently been updated to reflect this change.
While the profile does not clearly say what he does these days, it acknowledged that the popular character is doing a lot of things. "All around sporty, whether it's tennis or baseball, soccer or car racing, [Mario] does everything cool," reads the profile, as translated by Kotaku.
The profile also recognized the character's popularity as a plumber from the early Super Mario games. "As a matter of fact, he also seems to have worked as a plumber a long time ago," the profile continued.
While most popular as a plumber, Mario actually started out as a carpenter in 1981's "Donkey Kong," which takes place on a construction site. At the time, the character of Mario was simply known as the "Jumpman."
According to Nintendo executive and Super Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto, Mario's role is decided by the scenario of the game, noting the reason why he became a plumber in the first place. "With (1983's) Mario Bros., we brought in Luigi and a lot of the game was played underground so we made him to fit that setting and, we decided he could be a plumber," said Miyamoto during a past interview with USA Today. "The scenario dictates his role."
Miyamoto also believes that Mario's ability to adapt is one of the reasons why he remains a very popular character. "Mario really has grown and changed and evolved with the evolution of digital technology" he added. "He's a familiar character, but he is also fresh because he is always doing new things based on what the technology allows him to do."
Indeed, the beloved Mario has been cast in various games as a golfer, an Olympian, a baseball player, and a doctor.
Mario will be returning on Oct. 27 to Nintendo Switch with the brand new game, "Super Mario Odyssey."
