It’s 1985, and Shigeru Miyamoto, the creator of Super Mario, The Legend of Zelda, and other legendary Nintendo franchises, is deep in the process of developing Super Mario Bros. At this point, the game’s design is taking shape, but the team is struggling with a particular challenge: how to make enemies reappear on screen after they fall off the bottom. As they work through the issue, the solution remains elusive. But everything changes when Miyamoto takes a walk through the streets of Kyoto.
While walking through the city, Miyamoto spots a plastic pipe sticking out from a wall. This seemingly small and ordinary detail sparks an idea: what if pipes could be used to make the enemies reappear on the screen? This chance encounter would lead to the creation of the now iconic Super Mario pipes, a feature that became central to the game’s design and one of its most recognised elements.
Miyamoto later reflected on this moment, explaining that his primary focus in game development has always been on gameplay first, rather than worrying about the technicalities or visual consistency right away. The pipe, which might seem like a simple solution, was born from the principle of making the game fun and functional above all else. This memorable moment highlights how inspiration can strike from the simplest things, transforming an ordinary observation into a key aspect of a beloved franchise.
Now, thanks to a recent English translation by Shmuplations of a 2000 interview with Miyamoto, we can learn this fascinating backstory behind the pipes, shedding new light on the creative process behind Super Mario. Do you think Super Mario would have had the same impact without them?