According to the animated series as well as the live action movie, Mario and Luigi are two Brooklyn plumbers who discover a secret warp pipe underground that takes them to the Mushroom Kingdom. Princess Peach Toadstool is the supposed ruler of the Mushroom kingdom, which is inhabited by a race of Mushroom-headed people known as Toads.



King Bowser, the dragon-like ruler of the neighboring Koopa Kingdom, wreaks havoc on the Mushroom Kingdom by kidnapping Peach and hiding her away in his castle. Mario and Luigi, being the only two who are willing to stand up against Bowser, must now battle through many evil worlds against Koopas, Goombas and other nemeses, to save the Princess, thus spawning a whole series of misadventures in the attempt to thwart Bowser's ill-gotten schemes.



Games Plot Synopsis: The following is a list of Mario games, in most of which the Princess gets kidnapped (spin-offs such as Mario Kart, Mario Party, Smash Brothers, sports games, etc are not included in the list):



Donkey Kong Arcade/NES:
Mario must rescue his girlfriend Pauline from the evil gorilla, Donkey Kong.



Donkey Kong Jr Arcade/NES:
Mario has kidnapped Donkey Kong, and it is up to Donkey Kong Junior to save his dad.



Mario Brothers Arcade/ NES:
No plot. In this two-player game, Mario and Luigi kick baddies out of the sewer.



Super Mario Brothers NES:
Mario battles 8 worlds to rescue the Princess from Bowser.



Super Mario Brothers 2 Japanese Famicom Disk System:
Virtually identical to SMB, but levels are much harder. Known as "Lost Levels" in the US.



Super Mario Brothers 2 US NES:
Port of the Japanese game "Doki-Doki Panic". Mario, Luigi, Toad, and Peach work to defeat Wart, an evil Frog. Mario wakes up and realizes it was all a dream.



Super Mario Brothers 3 NES:
Mario collects magic wands to restore the seven kingdoms, then enters Bowser's kingdom to save the Princess.



Super Mario Land GB:
Mario rescues Princess Daisy instead of Peach. Bowser is not in this game.



Super Mario Land II GB:
I cannot vouch for this game, as I have never played it.



Super Mario World SNES:
Mario employs the help of Yoshi, an enemy-gobbling dinosaur, to rescue the Princess from Bowser.



"Lost Levels" in US Super Mario All-Stars SNES:
Port of SMB 2 Japanese.



Super Mario RPG SNES:
I cannot vouch for this game, as I have never played it, but Peach does become a playable character in this episode.



Super Mario 64 N64/DS:
Mario jumps into the paintings in the walls of Peach's castle, to collect Stars. He also must fight Bowser three times to save Peach. In the DS version, Yoshi, Luigi, and Wario are added as playable characters.



Paper Mario N64:
Bowser steals the star rod and uses it to hijack Peach's Castle into the sky on top of his. Mario must rescue seven star spirits until he and his partners are strong enough to face Bowser.



Luigi's Mansion GC:
Luigi inherits a haunted mansion, in which Mario is a prisoner. Dr E. Gadd loans Luigi a vacuum cleaner which he uses to suck up ghosts.



Super Mario Sunshine GC:
Mario, Peach, and company go on a tropical vacation to Isle Delphino, where an imposter known as "Shadow" defaces the island with goop. Mario is blamed for the mess, and must use the Fludd Pack to clean up the island and collect shine sprites. Later, Peach is kidnapped and the perpetrator revealed as Bowser Jr. Once again, Mario must fight Bowser to rescue Peach.



Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door GC:
In her travels to Rogueport, Peach discovers a legendary map, which she sends to Mario. The X-Naughts discover this and kidnap Peach to a base on the moon, leading Mario and his partners to collect seven crystal stars and defeat the X-Naughts. In the final chapter, Mario enters the palace of the Shadow. Peach's body is taken over by an evil spirit known as the "Shadow Queen", whom Mario must now defeat to save the day.



Super Peach DS:
Mario's and Peach's traditional roles are reversed. Bowser kidnaps Mario and Luigi, and Peach must use her Vibe Power to defeat Bowser and save the two plumbers.



The New Mario Brothers DS:
Borrows numerous game elements from SMB1 and SMB3. Mario must travel eight worlds in order to defeat Bowser, Bowser Jr, and rescue the Princess.



Mario Galaxy Wii:
At the time of this writing, Mario Galaxy is not yet released.



Super Mario Series games I have played but did not mention above:
Mario Vs Donkey Kong GBA
Mario and Luigi: Superstar Saga GBA
Mario Vs Donkey Kong II: March of the Minis DS
Mario and Luigi: Partners in Time DS



By: stardust4ever