The Reason Mario is a Plumber

Obvious, the Mushroom Kingdom is a Fantast world. And in this world, Plumbers are the equivalent to mercenaries and everyday adventurers. Think about it:

In the original Mario Bros. on the NES, Mario is fighting all kinds of monsters in this big, spacious sewer-like network(sure, they're just big turtles, crabs, and living fire, but the danger is real). There are pipes all over the Mushroom Kingdom and beyond of various sizes and uses. Even under Peach's house is a big network of pipes.

In the Mario World, being a plumber isn't just about unclogging sinks and fixing toilets, you're risking your life to clear the sewers of monsters. That's why Mario's a plumber and that is why he's the one who goes to save Princess Peach: he's their version of a mercenary.

Sure, I expect it started out like this.

edited 4th Sep '17 1:58:22 AM by BagofMagicFood

My theory (based on the classics that predate SMB, such as Donkey Kong, Mario Bros (sans Super) and the more obscure Wrecking Crew) is that the 'stached brothers where just average plumbers and occasionally demolition experts (this is where their proficiency in hammers comes from) working in Brooklyn, but one day they found a portal that led them in the kingdom, where the magic that filled the world granted them super human abilities (such as their trademark jump abilities) and when they heard of all the mess involving princesses and giant turtle/dragon hybrids, they set out to save the day... And thus the legend was born On the reason why they stayed in the kningdom, maybe in part because Mario fell in love with Peach and maybe because being an adveturer in a wonderland where everyone owe you their life is better than being an underpayed working-classman

I think that "Italian Plumber" is just the name of their aestethic, which out of universe was actually born as a need to distinguish the character well. In-universe it's just that they've got their own fashion sense. And anyway, they don't call them italian plumbers in-game, it's just a descriptor they have in advertising meta stuff. And then again, that's in all but three countries, those being Japan, China, and Korea.

They were made with magic by a god in heaven, were brought to Yoshi's Island by a stork, discovered they were two (four including their evil counterparts) of the Chosen One, were sent to live in the Mushroom Kingdom castle, grew up there, as young adults they moved to the part of the world the DK series is set, met and fell in love with Pauline, Mario started dating Pauline and then broke up with her, both Mario and Luigi moved back to their own home in Mushroom kingdom, Mario started dating Peach and Luigi started dating Daisy, and they become heroes of the Mushroom Kingdom.

Even Ben 10 equates plumbers with superheroes.

Super Mario and Grandpa Max are the same type of "plumber", they aren't plumbers in the hydraulic sense, they're plumbers in the mercenary\adventurer sense.

Maybe it should be spelt plummer then?

Is it weird that I didn't make the connection between mario being a plumber and all the pipes and water in the game until now?

Could it be that Ben 10 and Super Mario exist in the same... I would say universe, but this feels kind of wrong...

Not really. It took me years to figure it out.