There aren’t many video game characters that are in the consciousness of the general public, however Mario certainly has made great strides in this area. It’s rare to meet someone who has not heard of the Italian plumber named Mario, but those who don’t play video games often may be unaware of his humble beginnings.

Mario was not the main character in his first video game appearance. You may be surprised to know that he wasn’t a plumber, and his name wasn’t Mario either. He made his first appearance in the 1981 pioneering Nintendo arcade game Donkey Kong. Mario’s character was called ‘Jumpman’ and he was a carpenter rather than a plumber. ‘Jumpman’ had to jump over barrels that were being thrown by Donkey Kong in order to save a damsel in distress (which would later be called Princess).

Since those small beginnings, Mario has come a long way. Over the last 30 years Mario has appeared in more than 200 video games and has been referenced in hundreds more Nintendo and non-Nintendo titles. Today we’d like to show you the changes Mario has went through since his humble beginnings over 30 years ago.

The Evolution of Mario

1. Donkey Kong (Arcade) – 1981

Who would have thought that ‘Jumpman’ would go from being a minor character in this game, to being the most successful character in video game history? Even in Mario’s first appearance, most of his trademark looks were there. Including the red hat, tradesman jumpsuit and famous Italian moustache.

2. Donkey Kong (Game & Watch) – 1982

Before Nintendo ruled the world of portable gaming with the Nintendo Gameboy, they had a lot of success with their ‘Game & Watch’ range of handheld games. Mario’s second appearance was in the port of the popular arcade game that was released the year before.

Game & Watch games had a fixed background which allowed the user to take Mario from the bottom screen to the top. Mario is almost recognizable in the game though this has more to do with the limitations of the Game & Watch system.

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3. Donkey Kong Jr (Arcade) – 1982

Mario returned in the follow up to Donkey Kong in 1982. The Jumpman moniker was replaced with Mario for this game. Graphics were slightly improved this time around, and Mario was noticeably larger in comparison to Donkey Kong and the background. Apart from his size, the Mario sprite hadn’t really changed in any way.

4. Mario Bros. (Arcade) – 1983

The simple yet addictive Mario Bros was the first game of which Mario was the star. Of course, he had to share the limelight with his brother Luigi, a new character that used green clothing where Mario used red (though they were identical apart from that). Mario himself had changed slightly since his last venture, most notably his nose was a little less protruded.

5. Mario’s Cement Factory (Game & Watch) – 1983

Mario’s Cement Factory was the first Game & Watch game to have Mario as the star. Mario himself was unchanged since his last appearance in the handheld environment.

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6. Pinball (NES) – 1984

Mario was frequently used on the cover of NES games, even when he had very little to do with the actual game. In Pinball, Mario was used on the front cover of the game though his appearance in the game was limited to the bonus stage.

7. Super Mario Bros. (NES) – 1985

The game that defined Mario and created a video game mega star. Mario initially started the game small however by taking a mushroom he would grow to double the size. This essentially gave you an extra life as when you were hurt as large Mario you simply reverted back to small Mario. Players could also change into fire Mario by collecting the fire flower. In addition to making Mario bigger, this power up also allowed him to kill enemies using fireballs.

8. Golf (NES) – 1985

Golf was a simple golf game that was highly playable. It was pioneering in many ways as it introduced the power and accuracy bar that has been used in most golf games since.

In the game, Mario resembled a fat middle aged man with a big nose. The design of Mario was bizarre to say the least.

9. Wrecking Crew (NES) – 1985

In Wrecking Crew, Mario donned a safety helmet and a sledgehammer. His skin color was slightly different from other games, though the actual design of Mario wasn’t too different from Super Mario Bros.

10. Super Mario Bros. (Game & Watch) – 1986

Super Mario Bros was brought to Game & Watch in 1986. This time the character looked more like Mario from its console namesake.

11. Mario Bros. II (Commodore 64) – 1987

The sequel to the original Mario Bros was only released on the Commodore 64 and bore little resemblance to the original game. Due to the Commodore 64 being less powerful than the NES, Mario & Luigi were not as defined as in their console games.

12. Punch-Out!! (NES) – 1987

Little Mac was the star of the popular game Punch Out though Mario was still able to play a part as the referee. Like Golf, Mario looked a little more human in the game. His stomach was fairly big again too!

13. Super Mario Bros. 2 (NES) – 1988

After Nintendo decided that the sequel to Super Mario Bros that was released in Japan was too difficult for American gamers, they adapted the Japanese game Yume Kojo: Doki Doki Panic and re-branded it as Super Mario Bros 2. Due to this, the game didn’t feel the same as other Mario games.

This was the first game in which Luigi was not the same as Mario except with different colors. Mario’s brother was noticeably taller, giving the ability to jump higher than Mario. Mario could run faster though.

14. Super Mario Bros. 3 (NES) – 1988

Regarded as one of the best video games of all time, Super Mario Bros. 3 saw Mario being given a lot of new powers. In addition to the super mushroom and fire flower power ups, it introduced the raccoon suit for flying, frog suit for swimming and hammer suit for throwing hammers. A similar suit to the raccoon suit was the tanooki suit. It also allowed Mario and Luigi to fly, however they could also turn themselves into stone to avoid being seen by enemies.

15. Super Mario Land (Gameboy) – 1989

Mario’s first adventure on the Gameboy was based on the original Super Mario Bros that was released 4 years before. Whilst it shares the same style and Mario uses the same power ups etc, all of the levels are completely different.

16. Super Mario World (Super Nes) – 1990

Super Mario World was the fourth title in the Super Mario Bros series. Mario had mainly appeared in NES games for the several years previous to this release and he looked much better in the new Super NES system. Colors were brighter, bolder and more defined.

The game featured a feather power up that allowed Mario to fly. It worked in a similar way to the raccoon suit in Super Mario Bros 3 however the cape allowed Mario to fly up and down and then make a crash landing. The game also introduced Mario’s friend Yoshi, a friendly dinosaur that could eat berries and shoot out flames.

17. Dr. Mario (NES) – 1990

Dr. Mario was a popular Tetris like puzzle game that featured Mario dropping medicine down to eliminate viruses. Despite the game being named after him, Mario was only represented at the side of the game as a Doctor.

18. NES Open Tournament Golf (NES) – 1991

Mario looked a lot better when he returned for his second golf game for the NES. Luigi could be chosen as a second character and Princess Peach and Princess Daisy were used as caddies. The game also featured a cameo appearance by Donkey Kong.

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19. Yoshi (NES) – 1991

Graphically similar to Dr. Mario, Yoshi was a puzzle game that featured lots of common Mario enemies. Mario was controlled by the player and could switch around to ensure the enemies fall into the correct places.

20. Super Mario Kart (Super NES) – 1992

Another Mario game that is regarded by many as one of the best console games of all time. Super Mario Kart featured lots of characters from the Mario world such as Mario, Luigi, Donkey Kong Jr and Bowser. Each character had different strengths and weaknesses for driving and players that weren’t controlled by humans had their own special powers e.g. Donkey Kong Jr threw bananas.

21. Mario Paint (Super Nes) – 1992

Mario Paint was an interesting game that came packaged with the SNES mouse. The game allowed you to create drawings and music within the game and save it for later. Mario appeared throughout the game in a variety of ways. For example, in the music generator he would jump along on top of the beats.

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22. Mario is Missing! (Super NES) – 1992

As the game title suggests, Mario is missing, therefore his brother Luigi took centre stage in this educational game. The game bears a striking resemblance to the graphics used in Super Mario World.

23. Super Mario All-Stars (Super NES) – 1993

Also known as Super Mario Collection, Super Mario All-Stars contained Super Mario Bros 1, 2 and 3. The original Super Mario Bros 2 that was only released in Japan was included as well and was referred to as ‘Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels ‘. A later version of the game also included Super Mario World.

All of the games had been visually enhanced to take advantage of the 16 bit graphics the Super Nes offered. Other than that, the games were identical to the original NES equivalents.

24. Mario & Wario (Super NES) – 1993

The 1993 side scrolling game Mario & Wario was only released in Japan. Users had to take Mario through each level avoiding obstacles using the SNES mouse accessory.

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25. Hotel Mario (CD-i) – 1994

Another Mario themed puzzle game that has the unfortunate tag of one of the worst Mario games ever released. The cut scenes featuring Mario and Luigi used full motion video.

26. Donkey Kong (Gameboy) – 1994

The first game to be designed with the SNES Super Game Boy peripheral, it is perhaps surprising that one of Nintendo’s flagship games was not released until 5 years after the Gameboy was first launched. The player had to guide Mario through a whopping 101 levels in order to save Pauline from Donkey Kong. The game play is very similar to the original Donkey Kong games released in the arcades.

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More on Page 2

Mario’s evolution is far from complete! Check out the rest of his gaming career highlights over on page two

Today’s post features a huge variety of high quality, high-resolution free professional textures. These texture packs range from wood, concrete and bokeh designs, to grunge, old film and rain drops. Whatever your project is, there is sure to be a suitable texture for you in this mega collection!

Whilst many free textures can be of a poor standard, all of today’s texture packs have been carefully hand selected because of their sharpness, clarity and great quality. Enjoy!

The Textures

Free High Resolution Textures – 14 Free Vintage Film Textures
This great set of textures features some super grungy photos of old film. These images come with rips, scratches and lots of other great textures for an authentic aged look.

Free High Resolution Fabric Texture Pack 2
A great free texture pack that is as diverse as it is vibrant. This collection of bright and bold fabrics is perfect for a home-made design.

Free Textures: Grab Bag 18
This varied assortment of free high-res textures features rust, rock and wooden textures. Each texture has a very natural feel to it, with plenty of details that result from nature. (free for personal usage, $9.99 for commercial use)

Free Textures: Orange
This texture set includes a series of images that allow an orange undercoat to show through when the overcoat begins to wear and crack. A really unique set of textures that should provide a lot of visual intrigue. (Note: requires email input to download)

Stained Concrete Texture Pack
A great texture set featuring 6 stained concrete images. These textures have a grungy style to them and are perfect for integrating into your backgrounds.

Nine in the Afternoon: Icon Textures Set
A really unique, dark and surreal texture set. This texture set contains 50 spooky icons with twisting shadows, cobwebs and dew drops. Unfortunately the icons are only 100X100px, but they are still perfect for avatar designs and other smaller compositions.

Wood Texture Pack
This high res texture pack contains 12 awesome textures, with a variety of wood types. The textures range from more man-made sections of wood, to very natural, rough bark textures.

Crumpled Paper Textures
A wonderful set of paper textures, that are made all the more interesting by their crumpled appearance. It’s great to see a variety of paper types, from plain, to lines, sketch-filled and yellow.

10 Free Hi-Res Light Grunge Textures
Usually grunge textures are very intense, dark and overbearing. It’s great to see Fudge Graphics offering this set of lighter grunge textures. They have a very plain, minimal feel and would work perfectly as an overlay to your existing designs.

High Res Colurfull Textures
These textures are really unique and have a bright, collaged feel to them. Highly creative and detailed they are perfect for your more hand-drawn, mixed-media style works. (Note: Requires email input to access.)

5 Beach Stone Textures
This wonderful texture set offers 5 super sharp stone textures, perfect for your more grungy, rustic designs. (free for personal usage, $9.99 for commercial use)

18 Hand stained & Colored Paper Textures
These stained paper textures are great for adding a creative backdrop to your graphics, providing a natural looking, messy background design.

33 Free Rust Textures
This set of rust textures is huge, and every texture is incredibly detailed. These images are perfect for a grungy design, and range from minimal, to extensive rust damage.

Grunge Plywood Textures
A great set of textures, these plywood images are as varied as they are detailed. The wooden surfaces are richly colored, to provide diversity and uniqueness for your designs.

Distressed Wood Texture Pack 1
This pack contains a wide variety of textures, ranging from tree cross sections to roughed up bark and wooden planks.

12 Free High Resolution Denim Textures
One of my favorite texture packs in this entire collection! These denim textures really expose the beauty of this fabric, and the pack comes with designs from the very simple to elaborate seams and detailing.

Grunge Concrete Textures
This awesome pack of concrete textures is usually premium, part of the Vandelay premier members area. However, Web Designer Depot have offered it for free (email address required for access).

94 Free Colorful Bokeh Textures
The mega texture pack contains nearly 100 free bokeh textures. These beautiful textures are very soft, and perfect for an attractive background graphic.

5 Rainy Window Textures
Need some textures for a gloomy day? These unique rainy window textures are great for adding water droplets as an overlay for your designs. (free for personal usage, $9.99 for commercial use)

Intense Dark Grunge Textures
This texture set is incredibly dark and moody, offering a range of heavily shadowed, rocky textures.

Old White Cracked Textures
This texture set is really unique, and has the appearance of something like bark. These cracked white surfaces seem perfect for a winter themed design, or for adding some extra detail to a design if used as an overlay.

Risk Textures
A really varied set of textures, with many giving the appearance of an alien surface, or something reminiscent of a nuclear warfare zone. Quirky and different, and perfect for adding a unique touch to your designs.

10 Digital Noise Textures
These textures are quite minimal, yet very detailed in that they contain lots of subtle scratches and marks. They are perfect for overlaying over your regular designs to add depth and detail.

9 Free High Resolution Metal Surface Textures
These metal textures aren’t just your standard metallic surface textures, instead including shots of cheese graters, industrial surfaces and metal bars.

25 High Res Storm Cloud Textures
Working on a design that needs a moody, stormy background? These storm cloud textures are perfect for bringing that atmospheric backdrop to your work.

25 Apocalyptic High Resolution Rust Textures
Apocalyptic is certainly the right word! These surface textures look like the result of a nuclear meltdown. Perfect for adding a rough, destructive feel to your designs!

20 High-Res Subtle Grunge Painting Textures
These textures are very subtle, with a faint grunge design being barely visible on some of them. They’re perfect if you’re looking to add a grungy element to your work that isn’t too obvious or overwhelming.

High resolution old paper textures
This great texture set draws images from a series of old envelopes and brown paper. It provides a welcome change from the regular white paper textures that are so readily available.

11 Free High Resolution Fabric Textures
A great selection of fabric textures ranging from knitting fabrics, to carpets and rugs. All of the textures are super high res and sharp/clean.

5 Antique Postcards
These textures have a really old time, authentic feel to them that simply can’t be captured through regular graphics. Integrating these images into your designs will really help to give it that antique appearance. (free for personal usage, $9.99 for commercial use)

High-Res Mixed Texture Pack
A lovely texture pack with a mixture of different designs. The textures range from dirty grungy to clean stones, tinted rocks and brick formations. Each texture has a vintage ‘instagram’ style to it, and is extremely high resolution.

Rough Cement Texture Pack
A nice variety of cement textures these textures range from cracked to smooth, speckled and destroyed. All of these textures have a very urban, manmade feel to them.

Wallpaper Textures (27 Images)
This great texture pack contains a series of wallpaper designs. These would be perfect for an interior designer’s mockups, or if you want to achieve a homely feel in your designs.

Green Leaves Texture Pack
This green leaves texture pack contains some very natural, verdant textures. These images are perfect for any nature themed designs and include a variety of leaf types sure to fit your needs.

Totally Rusty Metal Textures
Some of the best rust textures on the web! These textures are not only extremely high res, but superbly detailed and richly colored.

10 Free High Resolution Wood Textures
A wonderful range of clean wooden images. These textures don’t include more natural bark/tree types of wood, but include plenty of flooring and polished surfaces. Perfect for a cleaner, more elegant design!

30 High Res Foam Dot Textures
One of the most unique texture sets out there, the collection of foam ball close ups works really well to provide a unique, detailed background for your work.

10 Free High Resolution Grungy Surface Textures
This is a hugely detailed texture set featuring a variety of grungy surfaces, including old doors, metal grates, and wooden paneling.

5 Abstract Blue Textures
This texture set includes 5 high res textures featuring icy blue surfaces. These images have wonderful lighting and should provide plenty of depth for your designs. (free for personal usage, $9.99 for commercial use)

18 Essential Grunge Textures
These grunge textures from Lost and Taken are ideal for using as an overlay in your graphic design work, adding an extra level of detail and depth to it!

Favorite Textures?

We hope that you enjoyed this collection and bookmark it for future reference. We would love to know if you had a favorite set of textures. Let us know in the comments below and we can get a discussion going!

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