Shigeru Miyamoto originally thought about having Mario collect fruit instead of coins

Another interesting bit of trivia flowing from all the interviews during this 25th Anniversary of Super Mario Bros.

What I want to say though is this: did you know fruit are one of the best collectables in games? If I were to think about why that is I would say it's for the same reason that fruit and veg are always in the first aisle in the supermarket. The way they look, the different shapes they come in, their colour... it just makes them very appealing to the eye and makes you want to keep shopping (and playing!).

Lots of games have fruit in them as collectables, especially old arcade games like Bubble Bobble, Pac-Man and countless others. Bangai-O Spirits is probably one of the best examples - that game makes you desire fruit like no other!