Super Mario[a] is a series of platform games created by Nintendo, and featuring their mascot, Mario. Alternatively called the Super Mario Bros.[b] series or simply the Mario[c] series, it is the central series of the greater Mario franchise. At least one Super Mario game has been released for every major Nintendo video game console.
The Super Mario games follow Mario’s adventures, typically in the fictional Mushroom Kingdom with Mario as the player character. He is often joined by his brother, Luigi, and occasionally by other members of the Mario cast. As in platform video games, the player runs and jumps across platforms and atop enemies in themed levels. The games have simple plots, typically with Mario rescuing the kidnapped Princess Peach from the primary antagonist, Bowser. The first title in the series, Super Mario Bros., released for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) in 1985, established gameplay concepts and elements prevalent in nearly every Super Mario game released since. These include a multitude of power-ups and items that give Mario special powers such as fireball-throwing and size-changing into both giant and miniature sizes.
The Super Mario series is part of the greater Mario franchise. This includes other video game genres as well as media such as film, television, printed media and merchandise. Over 310 million copies of games in the Super Mario series have been sold worldwide, as of September 2015, making it the best-selling video game series in History.