25 facts about Mario

Mario, the diminutive Italian plumber from Donkey Kong and Super Mario Bros., turned 25 years old this week. Kinda. The anniversary everyone is so keen to mark is for the Nintendo release of the original Super Mario Bros game in 1985, a celebration that ignores Mario's appearances in three prior Donkey Kong games (as well as the original not-so-super Mario Bros game in 1983.)

Still, not a bad track record for a character whose storyline makes absolutely no sense.

The Guardian has a list of 25 facts about the character to mark to faux-anniversary. On the long-standing beef between Donkey Kong and the Mario family I come down firmly on the side of the monkey. So my favorite of those facts is #5, reprinted below:

5. Donkey Kong Jr, the 1982 sequel to Donkey Kong, is the only game in which Mario officially stars as the antagonist. He has trapped poor Donkey Kong in a cage and the ape's son must rescue him. In the game's promotional material, Mario even gets a specially twirled moustache, highlighting his evil nature.