Pac Man has his qualities, but Mario's recognizability is instantaneous and distinctive. Shigeru Miyamoto had set out to create a character who would have a lot of personality on visuals alone, but he only had four colors and less than one hundred pixels to work with. He gave the character a moustache because it was hard to make mouths on the old arcade hardware. He gave the character red overalls because they clearly separated the arms from the chest while giving the character a unique, colorful look, and the hat was given just because hair always looked really weird on video game characters in those days. Miyamoto's ideas worked. Mario was a unique, distinctive character, loaded with personality, instantly recognizable, and because of that, he beat out all the other characters vying for the role of "Most iconic video game character".
MEMES, MEMES EVERYWHERE This exact same concept of "memes" is at play not only in internet communities, but everywhere. This is how all concepts spread. From religion to the sciences to urban legends, there's competition for the right to survive, in a sense, in a prominent place in the public consciousness. With religion and science, while certain religious leaders may hold dearly to their particular beliefs, the ideas that spread will always be the ones that appeal most to the public. The story of Jesus, for example, is a great story whether you're Christian or not, and so, it earns its place in the public consciousness. When it comes to securing your own place in the public consciousness with your viral videos, the silver bullet we're all looking for is to generate something like a great catch phrase, a "Make my day" or "Dude, where's my car?" kind of thing, or a memorable moment, like Indiana Jones pulling his gun out and shooting that guy who was swinging the sword
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