Was the Zelda Fairy Fountain Music Inspired by a Track From Super Mario Bros. 3?
You too can learn about cultural inspiration, homage and imitation through the history of a Koji Kondo composition.
Long Live Wart!
Scans from a Super Mario Bros. 2-themed activity book show off official Nintendo art of the game’s forgotten characters.
Is Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga One Big Fart Joke?
How a cross-cultural study of flatulence humor can teach us about the human condition. No, really!
How One Weird Little Guy Connects Yoshi’s Island to Donkey Kong
Nintendo’s effort to bring D.K. back into the fold goes back to 1991, well before the Rare era.
Are Super Mario’s Mushrooms a Reference to Hallucinogenic Drugs?
Mentioned herein: Alice in Wonderland, Santa Claus, the Smurfs, Minnie Mouse, and 1970s toadstool decor.
Organ Grinders, Kongs and Super Mario Monkey Business
An old New York tradition lives on in Nintendo’s biggest franchise — but only accidentally.
Did Time Magazine Declare Birdo Trans?
A Super Mario-themed special issue mentions Birdo’s gender — and Nintendo’s reluctance to comment on it.
How WarioWare Brought the Satanic Panic to Nintendo
Ashley’s theme song briefly revived the hysteria about backmasking and the Devil.
The Devil in the Mushroom Kingdom
Nintendo’s early ban on religious imagery (Satan included) was inconsistent.
Is There a Wizard of Oz Reference Hidden in Super Mario Galaxy?
How Rosalina was supposed to be an homage to Glinda the Good Witch — and might still be.
Does the Tower of Babel Make a Cameo in Super Mario Bros. 3?
The Super Mario games generally don’t incorporate religious iconography, but…
A Complete History of Birdo’s Gender
In English and Japanese, from Doki Doki Panic to present, Nintendo’s stance on the pink egg-spitter has evolved.
Princess Peach Can’t Get a Break
Princess Peach: Showtime! makes it seem like Nintendo didn’t learn the right lesson from her first solo adventure.
The Legend of Bowser’s Dead Wife
Was Nintendo punking Mario diehards into thinking Bowser’s long missing missus had been revealed?
Is Valentina from Super Mario RPG a Jimmy Buffett Reference or Not?
Sometimes a woman with a parrot on her head is just that, margarita or no margarita.
Localization Strangeness in the Super Mario RPG Remake
It’s less what got changed from the original so much as what stayed the same.
Hard Hats in the Mushroom Kingdom
The Mets of Mega Man are a lot like Buzzy Beetle… which isn’t actually a beetle at all.
Bowser vs. Koopa
Nintendo standardized Peach’s name in all territories. Why didn’t they do the same with Bowser?
Mallow’s Name Is a Better Pun in the Japanese Version of Super Mario RPG
He’s a marshmallow, obviously, but there’s a lot more wordplay going on involving Mario and mushrooms.