Nintendo named the character Mario after their warehouse landlord because they owed him rent.

Nintendo of America started in a warehouse in Tukwila, Washington. In 1981, the company was struggling to pay its bills. The main character in their new game was called Jumpman at the time. During a meeting, the landlord, Mario Segale, arrived to demand about $800 in late rent.Minoru Arakawa, the president of Nintendo of America, promised to pay the money soon. After Segale left, the staff noticed the landlord's name was more interesting than Jumpman. They decided to rename the character Mario before the game was released in the United States.Mario Segale was a real estate developer who did not talk much about his link to the game. In 1993, he joked with the Seattle Times that he was still waiting for royalty checks. He passed away in 2018. His name is now one of the most famous names in the world because of this chance meeting.