Does anybody know when was the first time that anything from "Donkey Kong" was mentioned in media referring to "Super Mario Bros."?
Mario starred in "Donkey Kong", but back then, Mario was created as a character that gets used in several games in different roles (like a referee in "Punch-Out!!" who even has a wife and children).
Shigeru Miyamoto also confirmed that he sees his characters as actors who can appear in different situations in every game.
So, Super Mario the plumber is just one of several roles of the Mario actor, even though it became his breakout role and he's now exclusively shown in that role.
But in theory, back in the 80s, one could have concluded that the adventures of Mario Jumpman the carpenter play in a totally different continuity as the Super Mario games.
Just like Charlie Sheen plays a Charlie in "Two and a Half Men" and a pretty similar, but separate character also named Charlie in "Chaos City" and then another one in "Anger Management".
So, I'd like to know:
Which is the oldest available reference that shows that the story of "Donkey Kong" is actually part of the "Super Mario" continuity and that Mario Jumpman and Super Mario are not just two roles played by the same actor, but are actually supposed to be the same character?
Obviously, when "Donkey Kong" for the Game Boy came out in 1994, this was already established since the ending of that game shows Mario, Pauline and Donkey Kong in the Mushroom Kingdom.
But are there any older references that connect the two series?
Mario starred in "Donkey Kong", but back then, Mario was created as a character that gets used in several games in different roles (like a referee in "Punch-Out!!" who even has a wife and children).
Shigeru Miyamoto also confirmed that he sees his characters as actors who can appear in different situations in every game.
So, Super Mario the plumber is just one of several roles of the Mario actor, even though it became his breakout role and he's now exclusively shown in that role.
But in theory, back in the 80s, one could have concluded that the adventures of Mario Jumpman the carpenter play in a totally different continuity as the Super Mario games.
Just like Charlie Sheen plays a Charlie in "Two and a Half Men" and a pretty similar, but separate character also named Charlie in "Chaos City" and then another one in "Anger Management".
So, I'd like to know:
Which is the oldest available reference that shows that the story of "Donkey Kong" is actually part of the "Super Mario" continuity and that Mario Jumpman and Super Mario are not just two roles played by the same actor, but are actually supposed to be the same character?
Obviously, when "Donkey Kong" for the Game Boy came out in 1994, this was already established since the ending of that game shows Mario, Pauline and Donkey Kong in the Mushroom Kingdom.
But are there any older references that connect the two series?