LogFAQs > #914131936

Because for nearly all Nintendo stuff the characters are proxies for the games. Few people probably actually care about Mario as a character, but people love his game series so he does well and stays popular. Same goes for Link. Theres nothing to really like or dislike about most Nintendo characters so they generally perform well while characters who actually have developed personalities are at risk of having mixed reception and some are only even from a single game so they dont stay relevant over time either. This site in particular mostly loves Nintendo and JRPGs so its basically a miracle for any well developed Western character to even escape the first round or two.