---
title: "Which came first, Google or Mario?"
description: "Google vs Mario: Mario came first, by 17 years — 1981 against 1998. What happened in each case, and why the dates are often given differently."
url: https://atoneplace.net/which-came-first/google-vs-super-mario/
site: "At One Place"
---

# Which came first, Google or Mario?

**Which came first, Google or Mario?: Mario**

1981 — 17 years before Google

Mario came first, by 17 years. Mario debuted as "Jumpman" in the arcade game Donkey Kong.

## Side by side

|  | Google | Mario |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Year | 1998 | 1981 |
| Date | 1998-09-04 | — |
| Category | technology | media |
| What happened | Google Inc. was incorporated in a garage in Menlo Park. | Mario debuted as "Jumpman" in the arcade game Donkey Kong. |

## Google

The date used here is the incorporation, 4 September 1998. Two others compete: the research project called BackRub began at Stanford in 1996, and the google.com domain was registered on 15 September 1997. Google itself has celebrated its birthday on four different September dates over the years, which is a fair indication that no single one is correct. It is younger than Amazon, eBay and Netflix.

## Mario

Mario first appeared in Donkey Kong in 1981, credited as Jumpman, four years before Super Mario Bros. of 1985 made him a household name. He wears a cap because animating hair at that resolution was impossible, and dungarees because they made his arm movements legible against his body — the design is entirely a consequence of an 16×16 pixel sprite.

## Common questions

### Which came first, Google or Mario?

Mario, by 17 years — 1981 against 1998.

### When did Google start?

1998. Google Inc. was incorporated in a garage in Menlo Park.

### When did Mario start?

1981. Mario debuted as "Jumpman" in the arcade game Donkey Kong.

## Related pages

- [Microsoft or Mario?](https://atoneplace.net/which-came-first/microsoft-vs-super-mario/)
- [Apple or Google?](https://atoneplace.net/which-came-first/apple-vs-google/)
- [Apple or Mario?](https://atoneplace.net/which-came-first/apple-vs-super-mario/)
- [the internet (ARPANET) or Google?](https://atoneplace.net/which-came-first/arpanet-vs-google/)
- [the internet (ARPANET) or Mario?](https://atoneplace.net/which-came-first/arpanet-vs-super-mario/)
- [email or Google?](https://atoneplace.net/which-came-first/email-vs-google/)
- [email or Mario?](https://atoneplace.net/which-came-first/email-vs-super-mario/)
- [the Macintosh or Mario?](https://atoneplace.net/which-came-first/macintosh-vs-super-mario/)
- [Python or Mario?](https://atoneplace.net/which-came-first/python-vs-super-mario/)
- [Java or Mario?](https://atoneplace.net/which-came-first/java-vs-super-mario/)
- [JavaScript or Mario?](https://atoneplace.net/which-came-first/javascript-vs-super-mario/)
- [Amazon or Google?](https://atoneplace.net/which-came-first/amazon-vs-google/)

## Sources

- Typical range compiled from manufacturer specifications — At One Place (/about/)
- Wikidata — Wikimedia Foundation (https://www.wikidata.org/) [CC0 1.0]