4 Real Life Inspirations for the Mario Universe (and 1 Myth)

by Laurence Gardner

The Mario Universe is one of the richest in Video Gaming. It's crammed with memorable characters, locations and items. So where do Nintendo find their inspiration? Not surprisingly, Mario programmers sometimes took events and characters from their own lives, and included them in the game they were creating. In this article we're going to take a look at four real life inspirations that helped shape the Mario games, and also dispel a false one.

4. Chomp

Picture 2 The first on the list is also the most obvious. You€™ve probably noticed the similarities between Chomp, the chained menace that pounces if you get too close, and a ferocious guard dog. But did you know that the creature is based on a specific dog that terrorised Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto every day as he walked to school? The animal, tied to a post in a neighbour€™s back yard, used to bark and snarl furiously every time somebody passed it in the road outside. It€™s since been immortalised in countless Mario titles, achieving a level of fame that most pooches can only dream of. Keep reading to find out the inspiration for fan favourite Boo by clicking the "next" button below to reveal...

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Laurence Gardner was born in Canterbury, England. After moving around various cities during his childhood, and spending some time travelling in Europe and America, he studied English Literature at Oxford University. Since then, he’s been living abroad, teaching English, learning a range of languages, and writing in his free time. He can currently be found in Heidelberg, working as an English Tutor and Translator and studying at the University. If you liked this article, follow him on Twitter to get automatic updates on his work.