From wikipedia (English) front page...

1981 – Nintendo released the arcade game Donkey Kong (pictured), which featured the debut of Mario, one of the most famous characters in video game history.

Um...happy birthday? Where are my quarters?!

I wonder what ever became of that Mario guy.

Mario?? You mean Jump Man, right?

Great news..

Might be showing your age there! :P

I feel like I'm missing out on a huge part of gaming history here. I've never liked *any* platformers and Jump Man is no exception. What is the appeal?

Haha no idea, I really liked them as a kid, but after puberty not so much.

I guess for me, it's simply nostalgia. I've never been big on platformers myself. But I was 13 when DK was released in the arcades and that was a time when arcade gaming was approaching its zenith, so I tend to remember the games from that era with a rosy glow.

awh! DK my first ever hand held game, and Mario my first ever console game (and video game actually!) awh NES and GB memories!
Thanks Homer!

This correction is an accurate one. Nicely done! :D

Mario? Thats the guy featuring in that...can't remember the name...clone of The Great Giana Sisters right?

Did you know that Universal tried to sue Nintendo for rights infringements after Donkey Kong :)

Maybe its his surname - Mario Jumpman LOL

Given that the Mario Brothers are called Mario and Luigi, I can only conclude that it is both his first and last name, so the brothers are called Mario Mario and Luigi Mario.