Celebrating 40 Years of Super Mario Bros.! The Design Secrets of a 40KB Masterpiece

Released on September 13, 1985, Super Mario Bros. marks its 40th anniversary this year. Selling around 40 million copies worldwide, it became the best-selling game of its time and sparked an unprecedented global phenomenon. As new hardware emerged, Mario continued to evolve, with the series surpassing 450 million copies sold to date — ushering in a golden age of gaming and turning Mario into one of the world’s most iconic characters. What is the story behind his creation? We sit down for an in-depth interview with Shigeru Miyamoto, Nintendo’s Representative Director and Executive Fellow, and the creator of Mario. From the secrets of pixel-art design born from a mere 40KB of ROM capacity, to rare development materials and the evolution of the series, this feature dissects the world of Mario through the lens of design.

Casa Brutus is a Japanese magazine by Magazine House, which provides information about fashion, architecture, design, interior design, food, art and other aspects of life.