Italian plumber more memorable than Harper, Dion

Harris/Decima survey finds Nintendo's iconic Mario(TM) character more
recognized than prime minister and federal opposition leader

VANCOUVER, Nov. 13 /CNW/ - Front-page headlines as the country's most
powerful politician apparently doesn't make you more recognizable than an
animated Italian plumber.
According to a Harris/Decima survey commissioned by Nintendo of Canada,
more people in Calgary, Toronto and Halifax can identify a photo of Nintendo's
iconic video game character, Mario, than can identify a photo of Prime
Minister Stephen Harper. Even in Calgary, which includes Harper's home riding
of Calgary Southwest, Mario was more recognizable (47 per cent vs.
41 per cent). More women across Canada were also able to identify Mario than
the country's top politician (66 per cent vs. 63 per cent) and nationwide, the
animated plumber is just as well-known as the prime minister. Both were
recognized by 70 per cent of respondents in five major centres when asked to
identify photographs by name.

Mario, who launches his newest title Super Mario Galaxy(TM) for
Nintendo's Wii(TM), also outshone opposition leader Stephane Dion. Less than
half of Canadians surveyed - 48 per cent - were able to identify Dion's photo,
which included a Canadian flag in the background. In fact, in Montreal, which
includes Dion's home riding of Saint-Laurent-Cartierville, more people
recognized Mario than the Liberal party leader (78 per cent vs. 71 per cent).
"Canadian politicians are lucky Mario doesn't have his Canadian
citizenship and could campaign for office," said Ron Bertram, general manager
of Nintendo of Canada. "It's no surprise that Mario is more recognized than
high-profile politicians: he's entertained generations of Canadians and
inspires only happy thoughts."
"Super Mario Galaxy for Wii will further boost Mario's stature in Canada"
said Bertram. "Moms and dads will have some great Mario fun alongside their
kids."

Nintendo's Mario character is the bestselling video game franchise of all
time, selling more than 200-million units worldwide. Mario has appeared in
more than 200 games since his debut in the original Donkey Kong(R) in 1981. He
first headlined a title in 1983 in Mario Bros.(R) and soon after in the
revolutionary Super Mario Bros.(R) in 1985 on the Nintendo Entertainment
System(R) (NES).
Super Mario Galaxy, available across Canada with gameplay in English and
French, is the latest innovative title in the popular franchise, using unique
motion-based controls in a gravity-defying adventure. Super Mario Galaxy
brings Mario to the Wii generation - young or old, gamer or not. And with the
game's innovative "co-star mode," even the most inexperienced players can join
in the action.

<<
Other Mario facts:
- Mario is the brainchild of legendary video game designer
Shigeru Miyamoto, who also created the Donkey Kong and Legend of
Zelda(R) franchises
- Mario was known as Jumpman when he debuted in the Donkey Kong arcade
game in 1981
- Mario's original occupation was a carpenter, not a plumber
- The Mario franchise has spawned a cartoon TV show, comic book series
and a rock opera
- Academy-award winning actor Bob Hoskins played Mario in the
live-action 1993 Hollywood film Super Mario Bros
- Mario made history in 2003 by becoming the first video game character
to be honored with a wax figure in the legendary Hollywood Wax Museum
- The world's largest metal Super Mario was built in downtown Toronto
in 2006. The 10-foot high structure was built in a day with 4,000
cans of food weighing close to 2,600 pounds. All food was later
donated to the Daily Bread Food Bank in Toronto.
>>

About the survey

Harris/Decima conducted the survey research between October 11 and
October 16 via mall intercepts with randomly selected Canadians in Vancouver,
Calgary, Toronto GTA, Montreal and Halifax. The sample margin of error is
+/-5.5%, 19 times out of 20. Surveys were conducted in both English and
French. Results are weighted to reflect Statistics Canada regional
populations.

http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/November2007/13/c7327.html 

Funny.

When we consider that our Prime Minister and Official Opposition leader are Stephen Harper and Stephane Dion, it's not hard to see why. Half the Liberal Party probably doesn't even know who Stephane Dion is.

But as an NDPer, I can proudly state with some certainty that more Canadians recognize Jack Layton than Waluigi!

The funny thing is the Globe and Mail can't even identify Stephan Dion

http://jimbobbysez.blogspot.com/2007/11/liberal-globe-cant-identify-liberal.html

Laffo.

Let's be honest here, though. We don't make a big deal out of the Prime Minister and we really don't make a big deal out of the opposition. Mario is probably more recognizable than 80% of our Prime Ministers and 99% of our opposition leaders.

He's probably more recognizable than a lot of world leaders, for that matter.

People are not really interested in politics, I guess this would be the case in almost every country.

Hey check this out, it's kind of in the same category

http://youtube.com/watch?v=iO9n8dO8tZ8

Double post

Breaking news: Molson Canadian more recognized than Mario.