Poll reveals the most-loved Super Mario character of all time ... and it isn't Mario

With a budget of $48 million, the movie is breaking records in both the US and Japan, home to the Super Mario franchise. Many fans have been playing the l Super Mario games since 1985 – 38 years ago.

But which Super Mario character is the most loved of all time? T

The team at Cribbage Online have the answers. The team used survey data from Ranker to reveal which character is the best, with over 87,000 people voting on the survey.

Here are the 20 most-loved characters in the Super Mario franchise:

1 Yoshi

2 Luigi

3 Mario

4 Toad

5 Bowser Jr.

6 Bowser

7 Princess Peach

8 Kamek

9 Waluigi

10 Donkey Kong

11 Koopalings

12 Wario

13 Birdo

14 King Boo

15 Princess Daisy

16 Lemmy Koopa

17 Toadette

18 Toadsworth

19 Petey Piranha

20 Pauline

Yoshi takes the crown as the most-loved character in the Super Mario Universe. Yoshi debuted in Super Mario World in 1990 as Mario and Luigi's sidekick. His full name is T Yoshisaur Munchakoopas; however, Nintendo thought this name would be difficult to remember, so he was referred to as Yoshi for short. He also has a rival, a mean blue dinosaur called Boshi, who first appeared in Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars in 1996.

In second place as the most-loved Super Mario character is Luigi, Mario's younger fraternal twin brother. Luigi first appeared in Mario Bros in 1983 and has appeared in many Super Mario spinoffs, including Mario Kart and Mario Party. First introduced as a sidekick to Mario, Luigi's skills and strengths have developed throughout the Super Mario franchise. He is known for his high jump, green fireball and super jump punch.

Mario – the star of the Super Mario Universe – comes in at number 3. He was created by Japanese videogame designer Shigeru Miyamoto. He has appeared in more than 200 video games since his first appearance in Donkey Kong in 1981.

Today, Mario has become a pop culture icon, recognised by Guinness World Records as the "Most Prolific Video Game Character" of all time. He also appeared to promote the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo.

In fourth place is Toad. Toad was first introduced in Super Mario Bros in 1985 and is a citizen of the Mushroom Kingdom. Known for his iconic large head that resembles a mushroom, Toad is usually a non-player character that advises Mario.

However, he appears as a protagonist in Super Mario Bros 2, Wario's Woods and Super Mario 3D World. Bowser Jr. is the fifth most-loved player in the Super Mario Universe.

A spokesperson for Cribbage Online said: “Super Mario is one of the most popular video game franchises around the world and remains the best-selling franchise to date. Whether or not you play video games, most of us will recognise some of the characters.

“The franchise has spawned more than 200 video games, including spin-offs, with millions of players worldwide growing to love the characters."