On this day in 1985 Mario was released in Japan and the rest, as they say, is history...

When Nintendo's portly plumber mascot first appeared in his own title in 1985 Nintendo probably had no idea how popular he would become. However, now having starred in over 200 titles and featured on everything from alarm clocks to yo yos (although seemingly nothing beginning with 'z') it is no wonder he is apparently more recognisable than Paris Hilton and Justin Timberlake.

Mario's 25th birthday has been turned into an event by Nintendo. You may have recently noticed in-store signage celebrating the plumber's birthday but that's not all. The recently speculated Super Mario Collection for the Wii has been confirmed and Nintendo have even released a video to honour Mario's main video games.

Let's all raise a glass to Mario! See you in 2035 for the 50th anniversary!