PARIS: Surrounded by thousands of objects bearing the likeness of Nintendo’s moustachioed plumber, 40-year-old Kikai reflects that his “life would be totally different without Mario” who also marks four decades this week. The colorful “Super Mario Bros.,” released for Nintendo’s home consoles in Japan on September 13, 1985, was a landmark of early video gaming. Players controlled the eponymous character as he ran and hopped his way from left to right through a colorful world of platforms, pipes and scowling enemies — all set to the jaunty eight-bit music that has stuck in minds for decades.

PARIS: Surrounded by thousands of objects bearing the likeness of Nintendo’s moustachioed plumber, 40-year-old Kikai reflects that his “life would be totally different without…

Der kleine Klempner Mario ist eine Videospielikone, die Millionen Menschen unterhält. Dabei war sein Erfolg vor 40 Jahren nicht absehbar.