How did Nintendo make Mario what it is today?

[theRepublic]

Pristine20 said:
Well, back then, the choices of good games weren't that many so people stuck with the good franchises. I dont think any Mario besides the original SMB has broken 10 mil yet so I'd say it has shrunk a bit from the original but managed to retain the rest of it's fans with a few old timers quitting and newcomers joining.

Gotta give credit to Miyamoto though. It's tough for a series to maintain itself for so long.

Halo is looing to do the same down the line. All the numbered halos are 9-10 mill sold.

Huh?  Only the original broke 10 million?  You know this site has tons of numbers right?

Super Mario Bros. - 40.24 million
Super Mario World - 20.61 million
New Super Mario Bros. - 19.52 million
Super Mario Land - 18.14 million
*Mario Kart Wii - 17.69 million
Super Mario Bros. 3 - 17.28 million
*Mario Kart DS - 15.92 million
Super Mario 64 - 11.89 million
Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins - 11.18 million
Super Mario All-Stars - 10.55 million

* indicates not a platformer