Trivia

Hard

Which Character Was Created Because Of Nintendo’s Inability To License Popeye?

Mario
Fox McCloud
Lucas
Pit
an image of the Donkey Kong game depicting Mario and Donkey Kong.
Nintendo

Answer: Mario

In July of 1981, Nintendo released what would go on to become one of the most iconic arcade games of all time: Donkey Kong. Millions of players around the globe would drop handful after handful of quarters into machines to help the nameless mustachioed protagonist save his girlfriend from an angry ape.

The original version of Donkey Kong, however, was actually intended to star the cast of the Popeye cartoons. The role of the kidnapper was originally played by Bluto, Popeye’s nemesis, the girlfriend by Olive Oyl, and the protagonist by Popeye himself. When licensing could not be secured for the game, developer Shigeru Miyamoto took the general premise of Popeye—a scrappy smaller guy fighting to save his girlfriend in the face of a big brute of an opponent—and adapted it.

The new protagonist, known informally in the early years simply as “Jumpman” because he spent all of his time in the game leaping about, would go on to become Mario of the Mario Bros. fame—the most recognizable video game character in the world.

More Trivia Questions

Trivia

Easy

What Was Once Considered Cruel And Unusual Punishment To Feed Inmates?

Trivia

Hard

Which Television Show Contains An Entire Movie Hidden Within It?

Trivia

Hard

The Exhaustion People Feel After Quitting Coffee Is A Result Of Hypersensitivity To?

Trivia

Easy

What Movie Introduced The Public To The Concept Of “DEFCON” Military Alerts?

Trivia

Hard

Which Of These Products Did Microsoft Design But Then Deny, Claiming It Was A Hoax?

Trivia

Hard

The Heaviest Computer System Ever Constructed Was Used For?

Trivia

Easy

What Term, Commonly Used To Denote Speedy, Is Also a Legitimate Scientific Measurement?

Trivia

Easy

Vanilla Beans Are Not Beans At All But The Seed Pods Of?

Trivia

Hard

A Popular Sci-Fi Show Forced The U.S. National Park Service To Post Warning Signs Where?

Trivia

Hard

The Phrase “See You Later, Alligator” Is A Reference To What?