9. Mario's Moustache Is There For Technical Reasons
Do you like Mario's trademark moustache and snappy dress sense? You've got the technical limitations of the 80's to thank! In an interview from a few years ago, Shigeru Miyamoto (Mario's creator) explained the reasons why Mario looks the way he does, and it is all to do with the technical constraints of the time. Mario's moustache is there simply because a moustache showed up better on the screen than a mouth did. Perhaps if the technology had been better, Mario would have been clean shaven! I guess we'll never know. Mario's trademark outfit is also a result of the technology. First, the reason he wears overalls is not because he's a Plumber, but because Miyamoto wanted to show the character's arms moving up and down with each jump, and that was hard to do when the character's sleeves were the same colour as his shirt - and so, he was given overalls. Mario wears white gloves because they stood out against different coloured backgrounds more than hands did, and that's also the reason he wears a brightly coloured hat as opposed to having his hair out all the time. What this really shows is how creative designers can thrive under strict limitations. Mario's relatively simple costume oozes character and personality, and is iconic in the industry today.