Mario Mario, Jr. was born into a lower class Italian-American family living in Brooklyn. His father, Mario Sr., was a carpenter, and gained the nickname “Jumpman” from his acrobatic prowess, a skill which his two sons would come to excel at. “Jumpman” Mario gained local admiration after he singlehandedly subdued a gorilla, Donkey Kong (later Cranky Kong), that attacked his fiance Pauline.