This Sunday marks the thirtieth anniversary of the Japanese release of Super Mario Bros., and partly to celebrate that fact and partly to sell copies of Super Mario Maker, Nintendo Co Ltd has released a video featuring Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto to clear up a few mysteries and rumors surrounding everyone’s favorite Italian plumber.

Some of the questions reference bits of trivia (such as the source of Mario’s name) while others address conspiracy theories and urban legends.

1. Is Mario named after former Nintendo of America warehouse landlord Mario Segale?

Photo by cote

While Mario’s mega-franchise may be nearing its thirtieth birthday, the mustachioed hero is actually a little older, first appearing in the original Donkey Kong arcade game in 1981. At that time he was simply known as “Jumpman”, and for a while it was a bit of a mystery where the name Mario came from.

Legend had it that the character was named after Nintendo of America warehouse landlord Mario Segale, who is said to have angrily berated Nintendo’s management for falling behind on rent payments.

The rumor that Segale was Mario’s namesake had been floating around for years, but it was never confirmed the way the namesake for Zelda was (F. Scott Fitzgerald’s wife, by the way). Finally, however, Miyamoto has confirmed that Mario is in fact named for Segale.

2. Is the Mario shown on the original Super Mario Bros. packaging about to lose a life?

The iconic cover of the original Super Mario Bros. features a fireflower-empowered Mario who appears to be a split second away from being hit with one of Bowser’s fireballs. Don’t worry though, according to Miyamoto, Mario was in no danger.

3. Would you let Dr. Mario operate on you?

Dr. Mario was a 1990 puzzle game somewhat similar to Tetris. Players controlled a continuous stream of differently colored pills and had to line them up with the appropriately colored viruses.

Apparently Mario was not as competent prescribing medication as he is at stomping turtles to death, and Miyamoto responded to the question by vehemently shaking his head with a look of fright.

4. Was Super Mario Bros. 3 all just a performance?

One urban legend that has been floating around for years is the theory that 1988’s Super Mario Bros. 3 (released in the West in 1990) is actually supposed to be a stage play. The game menu opens with a curtain rising, and the environment seems to resemble a stage set, complete with shadows on the backdrop.

It turns out that this is one crazy fan theory that is actually true, as confirmed by Miyamoto himself. The play theme was revisited more explicitly later with the Paper Mario series, which even included an audience who would sometimes cheer or throw items “on stage.”

5. When Bob-ombs perish, do they turn into Boos?

Photo by clubizarre

Unfortunately, not all crazy fan theories are true. When asked if Bob-ombs (bomb enemies that blow up when their fuse runs out) die and turn into Boos (ghosts that only chase you when you look away), Miyamoto laughed and emphatically shook his head. Sorry, guys.

6. Do you know who Bowser Jr.’s mother is?

First appearing in Super Mario Sunshine in 2002, Bowser Jr is the diminutive offspring of Mario’s arch nemesis, Bowser. Ever since joining the villain lineup in the Mario franchise, fans have speculated on who Bowser Jr’s mother could be, and Nintendo had not offered any hints up until now.

In response to the question, Miyamoto jokingly pointed to himself, but aside from perhaps being metaphorically true, it seems we will not get a real answer just yet.

7. Does Mario break blocks with his fist?

Photo by Tom Newby Photography

Probably one of the most argued about questions in the Mario universe is whether or not Mario is breaking blocks with his fist or with his head. He does jump with his fist in the air, but it is still hard to tell what exactly is hitting first, especially in the early games when the graphics were not quite so clear.

Miyamoto has finally put this argument to rest, demonstrating that, of course, Mario uses his fist.

8. Are any of your courses featured in Super Mario Maker?

For this question, Miyamoto actually responded with more than a nod or a head shake: “I’m not in there, but I will definitely post something.”

You can watch the full video of Miyamoto answering Mario questions below:

Screenshot via Nintendo UK | YouTube
Mario game images courtesy of Nintendo