Yes, I am aware of how many games Mario has been in
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Mario_games
I am merely trying to say that the fact that they all have Mario in them does not make them a single franchise, any more than the existence of Miis in Mario Kart, Wii Sports and Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles makes those three games in the same franchise
As for Zelda, I must apologise for forgetting Zelda II for the NES, the count is 7 main series and 1 spinoff in 22 years, at approximately 3 years per game, nearly double Halo's 8/5 years per game
Zelda
Zelda II
A Link to the past
Orcarina
Majora's Mask
Windwaker
Twilight Princess
Xbow training