Wii Beats Up On Mario

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Oh, Mario! Since its illustrious beginning in 1985, Super Mario Bros. has gone on to become the best-selling video game of all time. Until now that is. According to this game-tracking website, the legend of Mario just got beat out by Wii Sports.

Since Wii has sold more than 45 million units worldwide since its debut (the console includes Wii Sports), I guess it was only a matter of time. And although I'm guilty of supporting Wii and therefore the game that beat out Mario (I have the Wii-elbow to prove it), I can't help but feel guilty for supporting the dethroning of my favorite high-voiced game man. Mario isn't going anywhere, but in honor of his bump to second place, here are a few of my favorite things about America's most-recognizable little man in red.

• Since his creation, Mario has appeared in more than 200 different video games.
• Mario was originally portrayed as a two-dimensional sprite, but in later games, he is shown as a three-dimensional, polygonal model.
• His profession is a plumber, his heritage is pudgy-Italian and he hails from the Mushroom Kingdom.
• The first girlfriend that Mario ever had to rescue was Pauline in Donkey Kong.
• Mario's favorite power-up is the "Super Mushroom."
• Former NHL hockey player Mario Lemieux was given the nickname "Super Mario" by the media during his career. So were the NHL's Mario Williams, pro-cyclist Mario Cipollini, German international footballer Mario Basler and Brazilian soccer player Mário Jardel.
• He was awarded the title of Nintendo Mascot by the Guinness Book of World Records.
• Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis revealed that Mario has a toy-making company that earns him income.
• He pulls off suspenders really well, and is rarely seen without his white gloves or his large, bulbous nose.