Nintendo Officially Reinstates Mario as a Plumber

Although the character description plainly states that Mario is a plumber, it notes, “However, his area of activity is not limited to that.” That caveat leaves Mario free to pursue his regular pastimes of rescuing Princess Peach, pummeling Bowser, and enjoying various sports. The two sentences about Mario’s work were the only part of his profile that changed from the previous version.

Some fans were shocked in September when the website seemed to hint that Mario had already retired from working as a plumber. The previous version of the profile stated, “Actually, in the past, he seems to have also worked as a plumber….” It appears that gamers may have read too much into the previous update, and Nintendodecided to clear up the misunderstanding.

As before, the rest of Mario’s character description still mentions his bright personality, popularity, and status as Luigi’s twin. The description also lauds Mario’s athletic abilities, including his prowess at sports such as tennis, baseball, soccer, and car racing.

While most fans have known Mario’s profession as plumbing for decades, he did not actually debut as a plumber. Mario first appeared as “Jumpman” in the Donkey Kong arcade game in 1981. The game is set on a construction site, and accordingly, Mario appeared as a carpenter. Mario became a plumber in the 1983 arcade game Mario Bros., which is set in the sewers of New York.

The Super Mario video game franchise’s most recent game, Super Mario Odyssey, shipped for the NintendoSwitch on October 27.

This was originally posted on Anime News Network and is being reposted with permission.