Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U artwork
Mario is an Italian-American plumber and one of the most recognizable video game characters, earning him mascot status with Nintendo. He appeared in over 200 video games, including several cameos, some of which were in the The Legend of Zelda series. Mario made his first appearance and starring role in the arcade game Donkey Kong, released in 1981. Nearly two years later, Mario would then become the titular star of the Mario franchise with the release of Game & Watch game Mario Bros., released in early 1983.
Cameos in The Legend of Zelda games[]
Although Link has made a physical appearance in Mario Kart 8 and is featured in some WarioWare microgames, Mario has not physically appeared in any The Legend of Zelda games, although he has made a few cameos.
In A Link to the Past, certain houses in Kakariko Village feature a portrait of Mario.
While Mario does not make a guest appearance in Link's Awakening like several enemies from his home franchise, the character Tarin is based on him and even turns into a Raccoon at one point, a la Raccoon Mario from Super Mario Bros. 3.
In Ocarina of Time, a portrait of Mario appears in Hyrule Castle among other a few other Mario characters, such as Yoshi, Bowser, and Princess Peach. Much like Tarin from Link's Awakening, Talon is based on Mario. He is larger than Tarin, so his physical build is less similar to Mario, although he wears the same blue overalls and red shirt as Mario.
A Mario mask is shown on the back of the Happy Mask Salesman's backpack in Majora's Mask.
Crossover appearances[]
Mario first made a crossover appearance with Link in the Nintendo 64 game Super Smash Bros.. Both of them have since been mascot fighters of the Super Smash Bros. series.