Currently Online 
Post-1980, how many fictional pop-culture properties are even as well known as Mario globally?
Uh .... Harry Potter ... yeah ok, he was part of the London 2012 opening ceremony.
E.T. .... ehhhh, I guess? 80s kids know him, but today's generation probably not so much.
Woody/Buzz from Toy Story ... ok, maybe Simba from The Lion King.
Mario is in pretty rarified air, there are not very many character properties that are in that "Mickey Mouse" club of international appeal.
If anything maybe some gaming fans here take Mario for granted a bit, a character like Mario happens maybe once every 50 years.
Mario is the biggest iconic pop culture character Japan has ever created, I don't even think it's all that close. Nintendo's own Pikachu might be no.2. Nintendo is the Disney of Japan, lets face it.
