Super Mario Bros. 3 is the third installment in the Super Mario series and is the successor to Super Mario Bros. 2. Super Mario Bros. 3 was the last game in the Super Mario series to be released on the Nintendo Entertainment System. Led by Shigeru Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka the development team of Nintendo R&D4 introduced many new elements that became Mario series staples, such as Bowser’s children (the Koopalings), a world map to transition between levels and new abilities such as flight.

During 1988, a shortage of ROM chips, along with Nintendo of America’s preparation of a version of Super Mario Bros. 2 for Western gamers, prevented Nintendo from performing various North American game releases according to their original schedules. The delayed products including Super Mario Bros. 3 presented Nintendo with an opportunity to promote the game in a feature film. Before its North American release, gameplay footage from Super Mario Bros. 3 appeared in the Universal Studios film The Wizard, which helped to fuel anticipation amongst fans.

The game was an instant commercial success, ultimately becoming one of the best-selling video games of all time. Super Mario Bros. 3 is acclaimed by critics as one of the greatest video games of all time. It is the third-best-selling Nintendo Entertainment System game, with more than 17 million copies sold worldwide. It also inspired a short-lived animated television series called The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3.