Shigeru Miyamoto created Mario for the original Donkey Kong arcade game in 1982, where he was originally known as Jumpman. In the game, he was a carpenter that had a pet ape, who was mistreated and ended up kidnapping his girlfriend, Pauline. In earlier versions, Mario wasn't able to jump, but was added in later versions of the game. His profession was changed to a plumber in the original Mario Bros. arcade game.
Miyamoto originally named the character Mr. Video, but this was later changed. One story alluded to the name change was that Nintendo of America's then president, Minoru Arakawa, was confronted by their warehouse landlord, Mario Segale, for back rent. Instead of being paid for it, they opted to name the character Mario after him.
