Mario hit the ground running in 1981 with the release of Donkey Kong. However, back then he went by the name of Jumpman and his goal in life was rescuing his girlfriend Pauline from the clutches of the barrel-hurling gorilla. He returned in 1982, changing his name to Mario in the process, but this time he was the villain of the game. Holding the imprisoned Donkey Kong in a close fitting cage, Mario is hunted down by Donkey Kong Jr., who's out to rescue his dear old dad.

Luigi got his first appearance in 1983 in the arcade game, Mario Bros. Mario's Bombs Away and Mario's Cement Factory also hit the shelves on the Nintendo Game and Watch. 1984 was all about the cameo for Mario. He was the referee in Tennis on the NES as well as playing in the bonus round of Pinball, where he ran about with a big tray on his head. He also featured in Donkey Kong Hockey Game & Watch.

Mario suddenly became "super" in 1985 with the release of Super Mario Bros. on the NES. It was a game of genius proportions, which is still as addictive today as it was when it was first released. He also appeared in Wrecking Crew for then NES, but it was Super Mario Bros. that put him on the computer games map permanently.

1986 was a re-port year for Mario with the old arcade classics Donkey Kong and Donkey Kong Jr. making their way onto the Nintendo Entertainment System. The same year also saw Vs. Super Mario Bros. hitting the arcades.

In 1987 Mario got into boxing in a big way as he was taken on as the referee in Punch Out (NES), helping Kid Joe make it big in a dog eat dog world. The arcade game Mario Bros. also made the transfer to the NES in 1987, but it's definitely a year that will be remembered for Mazza's TKO count.

Although '88 is the year that Mario bundled up with Duck Hunt, the biggest release was Super Mario Bros. 2 on the NES. Made because the original Japanese sequel wasn't thought to be good enough to wow the US market, Nintendo combined M to the izo with Yume Kojo: Doki Doki Panic, another Japanese game released around that time, which took Mario in a new Wart filled, surreal adventure.

Mario went all monochrome and hand-held in 1989 with the advent of the Game Boy. His first release was Super Mario Land - which would much later be remembered in Super Mario 3D Land on the 3DS - as well as cameos in Dr. Mario (Game Boy and NES) and F1 Race on the Game Boy, in which he could be seen waving the chequered flag of victory.

The first 10 year history of Super Mario was pretty epic, lending itself to the fact that Mario owned the gaming landscape of the 80s. The 90s lay ahead and what another 10 years they would prove to be.