Later I learned the art was actually the character Dr. Mario, who I believe was an alter ego of Super Mario -- the Italian plumber who got freaky with a princess in theMushroomKingdom.
Mario, now a plumber, and joined by a lanky brother named Luigi, bounced through theMushroomKingdom, dodging or bopping enemies in the form of turtles, beetles, and squid, while seeking out magic mushrooms, coins, and hidden stars.
Miyamoto recognizes that there is pleasure in difficulty but also in ease, in mastery, in performing a familiar act with aplomb, whether that be catching a baseball, dancing a tango, doing Sudoku, or steering Mario through theMushroomKingdom, jumping on Goombas and Koopa Troopas.