Mario is a video game franchise created by the Kyoto-based video game development and publishing company Nintendo. Starting with the arcade classic Donkey Kong in 1981, Mario has since become one of the most successful video game franchises of all time, with the Super Mario sub-series of platforming video games playing a key role in its iconic status since the advent of Super Mario Bros. on the Nintendo Entertainment System. The franchise is named after the titular character Mario, an Italian plumber who is often tasked with saving Princess Peach and the Mushroom Kingdom from Bowser, the king of the Koopas and Mario's arch-nemesis.