Composed by Koji Kondo for Super Mario Bros, released by Nintendo for the NES in 1985, the overworld theme became the defining music of the Mario franchise. Its catchy, upbeat melody was designed to match the game's running and jumping pace, and it has since appeared across sequels, remakes, films and remixes. Shared online as a short clip, it spread beyond players as a universal shorthand for video games in general, which is why creators still use it whenever a scene needs instant gaming recognition.