Before he became the red-capped hero of the Mushroom Kingdom, Mario was just a nameless figure leaping over barrels in a game called Donkey Kong. Well—not exactly nameless. In his 1981 debut, the character we now know as Mario was simply referred to as “Jumpman.” No overalls. No mustache legacy. Just a carpenter (not yet a plumber!) whose job was to rescue a damsel from a giant ape.
But everything changed when Nintendo decided to bring Donkey Kong to the American market.
Enter: Mario Segale
At the time, Nintendo of America was still finding its footing. The company had set up its U.S. headquarters in a warehouse in Tukwila, Washington—a space they were renting from a local real estate developer named Mario Segale.
As the story goes, Nintendo had fallen behind on rent. When Segale came to collect, there was tension—but rather than evict them, he gave the fledgling game company more time. In a strange and fateful twist, Nintendo decided to rename Jumpman to “Mario,” reportedly as a nod of gratitude to Segale for his leniency.
Tribute or Inside Joke?
Depending on who you ask, the decision to name the character “Mario” may have been less about honor and more about humor. Some former Nintendo employees have said that Segale’s physical resemblance to the animated character—combined with his Italian heritage—made the name a funny, fitting in-joke among the team. Regardless of the intent, it stuck.
Mario Segale never sought the spotlight. He rarely gave interviews about his accidental brush with gaming history and returned to a quiet life in real estate development. He passed away in 2018, having left a lasting mark on pop culture without ever picking up a joystick.
A Name That Changed Gaming
What began as a placeholder name for a pixelated figure has grown into one of the most recognizable characters in the world. Today, Mario is more than a mascot—he’s a symbol of joy, adventure, and decades of gaming evolution.
Whether it was a thank-you or a playful nickname, one thing is certain: Mario Segale’s name lives on through the legacy of a plumber who jumped into our hearts—and never left.
