so, where do you get thhis data from lol

nostalgia

Why is Apple so popular? Why are keyboards used today instead of typewriters? What I'm getting at is because Mario changed the way videogames would be created and played for generations to come. The series, as if without even moving a pinky from 1985-2011, has always tried to be different is most aspects.(excluding NSMB) People know him. They know his games, his brother, the fun they will have playing alone(3D Mario) or with a friend(2D Mario). I still ask how Mario does these sales even today.

That last Mario Kart was just insane! 33 million!? That's unheard of for an "non pack-in" game. I know MK will probably never reach that glory again but that was just amazing. 20+ million for MKDS was pushing it but that was just awesome. So, in short, Mario has started a huge following that will be slow to dissipate. Metroid, although a great series(especially Super Metroid), doesn't really appeal to the mass audience. That might be one reason why.

Here you go, lol:

http://kotaku.com/5432611/pac+man-still-beats-mario-for-most+famous-crown

good question, considering he is a foreigner

I think a lot of people on this site have a very incorrect perception of the popularity of Metroid. It is talked about like it is as big as Mario, Donkey Kong, Pokemon, Zelda, etc... But if you look at the series:

Super Mario - 34 - 301m - 8.9 million per game
Pokemon - 43 - 218.5m - 5.1 million per game
Zelda - 22 - 71m - 3.2 million per game
Donkey Kong - 28 - 62.5m - 2.2 million per game
Kirby - 21 - 33.5m - 1.6 million per game
Animal Crossing - 4 - 22.8m - 5.7 million per game
Metroid - 14 games - 17.55m - 1.25 million per game
Lylatt Wars /Star Fox - 6 - 11m - 1.8 million per game
F-Zero - 5 - 5.8 - 1.16 million per game
Kid Icarus - 2 - 2.8 - 1.4 million per game

So on average, it is one of Nintendo's lower selling franchises. On several gaming forums, its popularity is hugely exaggerated. I mean, I've probably had thousands of conversations about games in my life, but I don't think at any point Metroid has ever come up. Come to the Internet, and you see people talking about it like it is a much bigger franchise than it actually is.

One word: GAMEPLAY

Hey Guys

I agree with Nem and NikkoM...the mustache put the icing on the cake lol. I think it was just the right place at the right time. It stuck in history. You travel all around the world and everyone knows Mario. I guess Nintendo just knew what people wanted, the use of colour, red, blue and white, the simplicity, the simple background tunes...everything just stuck and still does. I think generations to come will still love Mario just as much as our generation. To this day I still use alot of Mario stuff because it never gets old, like this Mario and Luigi font I found is pretty cool http://www.fontsaddict.com/font/mario-and-luigi.html

Time period of its launch (Era of iconic characters between late 80's and 90s)
Color theory
Market demographic
Started out as a highly bundled product
Simplistic yet challenging gameplay (controllers back then only had two action buttons and used the directional pad) so casuals ate it up.