Why 'Mario' Brothers?

[buttchester]

Why are Mario and Luigi known as the Super 'Mario' Bros? I understand they're super and they're brothers but does anybody know if they've got a surname?

Surely their names can't be Mario Mario and Luigi Mario... or maybe they are.

[-=BigD=-]

Mario's full name is believed to be Mario Mario, due to him and Luigi frequently being referred to as the "Mario Bros." According to creator Shigeru Miyamoto, the licensed film, and the television series, their surname is indeed Mario, but this issue is rarely dealt with in official Nintendo materials.

Mario was named after Mario Segali, the landlord of Nintendo of America's former New York headquarters. (They later moved to their Redmond, Washington facility when large computer companies such as Microsoft began going up.) When a Japanese copy of the new Donkey Kong game arrived, the NOA staff had to translate the story and character names into English. The lead character, known in Japan as "Jumpman," needed an English name. After interrupting a meeting discussing this issue, Segali blasted the president of NOA, Minoru Arakawa, because the firm's rent was overdue. By the time of Donkey Kong Junior's production, Jumpman had officially become Mario

Oh - This is all thanks to wikipedia!!! i'm not that much of a geek!!!

[buttchester]

That's a great answer. Thank you very much.

I can play Mario Kart a little more relaxed now!