In the 1982 game Donkey Kong Jr., Jump-Man changed his name officially and became Mario. Back then Mario was known as 'Jump-Man' and he was portrayed as a carpenter. Mario debuted in the classic game Donkey Kong back on July 9, 1981. Miyamoto joined the company at the age of 24 after graduating from college in Japan. The crown-jewel character of Nintendo was created by the Japanese video game designer Mr. Mario is a famous fictional character in the Mario video game franchise. Do you miss the classic Mario games and want to play them using only your web browser? Well, you're on the right track! Origin of Mario Games