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Unlicensed developers and fans have created unofficial media relating to the Mario franchise. Such media have included video games, ROM hacks, and animations.
Due in-part to the franchise's popularity, some of these unlicensed works have received critical attention. In September 2016, Nintendo issued over 500 DMCA takedown requests for various fan games based on their intellectual properties. These requests have resulted in the end of development for many of the infringing games.[ failed verification ] [1]
Several unofficial, and unlicensed, Mario games and game mods have been released for various video game consoles.
There exist several unofficial level editors created to allow users with no programming skills to easily make their own levels or ROM hacks.
Unofficial Mario games playable on computers have consisted mostly of browser-based games. Such games either can be parodies or fangames that feature the franchise's characters or settings reimagined within the style of other media, or vice-versa.
In the late 2000s, YouTube Poop meme videos arose using cutscenes from various Mario-related sources, including the Philips CD-i game Hotel Mario , [99] [100] The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! , and Super Mario World.
After the release of Mario Kart 8 in 2014, a short clip featuring "Luigi's Death Stare" went viral; the original clip featured Luigi passing other drivers with an uncharacteristically angry facial pose set to the music of Chamillionaire's 2006 hit song Ridin' . [101] [102] [103] The meme was referenced by Nintendo itself during their E3 2014 presentation. [104]
Several Mario characters have become prominent memes, such as Waluigi, who has garnered an online fanbase as a meme to the point of outcry to be added to the fighting game series Super Smash Bros. as well as backlash for his lack of inclusion in the series. [105]
In September 2018, a fanmade character called Bowsette became popular and had hundreds of artists producing fanart. Bowsette is a depiction of Bowser using Toadette's Super Crown power-up from New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe to transform himself into a Princess Peach lookalike. [106]
On September 3rd, Nintendo announced via Nintendo Direct the Super Mario Bros. 35th Anniversary, an event celebrating the release of Super Mario Bros. in 1985. Various games were released and merchandise collaborations were held. Among the games released were: Super Mario Bros. 35 , a derivative of the original Super Mario Bros. with battle royale elements; Game & Watch: Super Mario Bros. , an LCD handheld replica of Super Mario Bros. in the Game & Watch line; and Super Mario 3D All-Stars , a compilation game of a selection of 3D games from the Super Mario series, including Super Mario 64 , Super Mario Sunshine , and Super Mario Galaxy . [107] Over the course of the celebration Nintendo announced the discontinuation of several products associated with the event on March 31, 2021, including Super Mario Bros. 35, Game & Watch: Super Mario Bros., and Super Mario 3D All-Stars. [108] Other products relating to the Mario franchise were also being discontinued that same day, including merchandise sold at Nintendo's story in Tokyo, Japan, the shutting down of online services for the 2015 game Super Mario Maker , [109] and the removal of The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3 from Netflix. [110]
The discontinuation of many Mario-related products was never officially explained by Nintendo, [111] [112] although Nintendo of America president Doug Bowser explained that the decision was made to keep them unique to the anniversary celebration itself. [113] [114] In the lack of an official explanation, many fans ironically interpreted that it was because the character Mario was to die on that day, [111] [112] or the day after. [115] Instances of the meme began months before the date. [116] It evolved over time, originally warning fans that Mario's death was approaching and counting down the days until March 31. On the day of the discontinuation itself, Mario's death was mourned by fans. [117] March 31 was declared "Mario Death Day". [118]
On March 31, "Mario" was trending on Twitter," [118] receiving 150,000 tweets relating to the meme within 24 hours. [110] Select video game news websites satirically presented the death of Mario as fact, including VentureBeat and iMore . [119] [120] Notable participation included American TV network G4 and YouTube personality Nathaniel Bandy, which led to a wave of memorials from users. [110]
Mario Kart is a series of kart racing games and a spin-off Mario franchise developed and published by Nintendo. Players compete in go-kart races while using various power-up items. It features characters and courses mostly from the Mario series as well as other gaming franchises such as The Legend of Zelda, Animal Crossing, F-Zero, Excitebike, and Splatoon.
Luigi's Mansion is a 2001 action-adventure game developed and published by Nintendo. The game was a launch title for the GameCube and was the first game in the Mario franchise to be released for the console; it was released in Japan on September 14, 2001, in North America on November 18, 2001, in Europe on May 3, 2002, and in Australia on May 17, 2002. It is the third video game in which Luigi is the main character instead of Mario, after Mario Is Missing! and Luigi's Hammer Toss. Players control him as he explores a haunted mansion, searches for Mario and deals with ghosts by capturing them through a vacuum cleaner supplied by Professor E. Gadd.
Luigi is a fictional character featured in video games and related media released by Nintendo. Created by Japanese video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto, Luigi is portrayed as the younger fraternal twin brother and sidekick of Mario. Defined by his kind-hearted, yet cowardly demeanor, Luigi appears in many games throughout the Mario franchise, oftentimes accompanying his brother.
Mario is a character from the Mario franchise. Created by the Japanese video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto, he is the mascot of the video game company Nintendo. Mario is an Italian plumber who resides in the Mushroom Kingdom with his younger twin brother, Luigi. Their adventures generally center on rescuing Princess Peach from the villain Bowser while using power-ups that give them different abilities.
Yoshi is a fictional dinosaur who appears in video games published by Nintendo. Yoshi debuted in Super Mario World (1990) on the SNES as Mario and Luigi's sidekick. Throughout the mainline Super Mario series, Yoshi typically serves as Mario's trusted steed. With a gluttonous appetite, Yoshi can gobble enemies with his long tongue, and lay eggs that doubly function as projectiles. Yoshi is the title character of the Yoshi series and a supporting character in Mario spin-off games such as Mario Party and Mario Kart, as well as many Mario sports games. He also appears as a playable character in the crossover fighting game series Super Smash Bros. Yoshi is a member of the same-named species, which is distinguished for its wide range of colors.
Princess Peach is a character in Nintendo's Mario franchise. She was created by Shigeru Miyamoto and introduced in the 1985 original Super Mario Bros. installment as Princess Toadstool. She is the princess regnant and head of state of the Mushroom Kingdom, where she resides in her castle along with Toads. Since her debut, she has appeared in the majority of Mario video games as the main female character and the romantic interest of Mario. She has been voiced by Samantha Kelly since 2007.
Bowser, also known as King Bowser or King Koopa, is a fictional character and the primary antagonist of Nintendo's Mario franchise. In Japan, his title is Daimaō. He is the arch-nemesis of the plumber Mario, and the leader of the turtle-like Koopa race. Bowser's defining traits are his monstrous appearance with dragon-like elements, full-throated roar, fire-breathing abilities, and tyrannical personality. His ultimate goals are to kidnap Princess Peach, make her his queen, and conquer the Mushroom Kingdom.
Waluigi is a character in the Mario franchise. He plays the role of Luigi's arch-rival and accompanies Wario in spin-offs from the main Mario series, often for the sake of causing mischief. He was created by Camelot employee Fumihide Aoki and was voiced from 2000 to 2022 by Charles Martinet, who described Waluigi as someone with a lot of self-pity. Waluigi's design is characterised by his tall stature, thin and lanky frame, and his purple and black outfit with purple hat, which displays an inverted yellow "L".
Wario is a character in Nintendo's Mario video game series that was designed as an arch-rival to Mario. Wario first appeared as the main antagonist and final boss in the 1992 Game Boy game Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins. His name is a portmanteau of the name Mario and the Japanese word warui, meaning "bad". Hiroji Kiyotake designed Wario, and Charles Martinet voiced the character from 1993 to 2023, as well as other characters in the series, including Mario, Luigi, and Waluigi.
Super Mario Sunshine is a 2002 platform game developed and published by Nintendo for the GameCube. It is the second 3D game in the Super Mario series, following Super Mario 64 (1996). The game was directed by Yoshiaki Koizumi and Kenta Usui, produced by series creators Shigeru Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka, written by Makoto Wada, and scored by Koji Kondo and Shinobu Tanaka.
Birdo, known in Japanese as Catherine, is a character in the Mario franchise. Her first appearance was as an enemy in Yume Kōjō: Doki Doki Panic, which was localized for English-language audiences as Super Mario Bros. 2. Since then, Birdo has been a recurring character in various franchise spin-offs. Initially, she was depicted as an antagonist, but has since been depicted as an ally. Birdo has also made several cameos and playable appearances, particularly in the Mario Kart series and other Super Mario spin-off games.
ROM hacking is the process of modifying a ROM image or ROM file of a video game to alter the game's graphics, dialogue, levels, gameplay, and/or other elements. This is usually done by technically inclined video game fans to improve an old game of importance, as a creative outlet, or to make new, unofficial games using the old game's engine. ROM hacks either re-design a game for new, fun gameplay while keeping most if not all of the items the same, as well as unlocking/reimplementing features that existed in the game's code but are not utilized in-game.
Super Mario is a platform game series created by Nintendo starring their mascot, Mario. It is the central series of the greater Mario franchise. At least one Super Mario game has been released for every major Nintendo video game console. However, there have also been a number of Super Mario video games released on non-Nintendo gaming platforms. There are more than 20 games in the series.
Princess Daisy is a character in the Mario series of video games. She debuted in the 1989 Game Boy launch game Super Mario Land as the ruler of Sarasaland where she was given the role of damsel in distress for Mario to rescue. The game was produced by Shigeru Miyamoto's mentor Gunpei Yokoi, who wanted to recreate the gameplay of the 1985 video game Super Mario Bros. for the Game Boy, only set in a separate world from the Mushroom Kingdom.
Super Mario is a Japanese multimedia franchise created by Japanese game designer Shigeru Miyamoto for video game company Nintendo which produces and publishes its installments. Starring the titular Italian plumber Mario, it is primarily a video game franchise, but has extended to other forms of media, including television series, comic books, a 1993 feature film, a 2023 animated film and theme park attractions. The series' first installment was 1983's Mario Bros., although Mario had made his first appearance in 1981's arcade game Donkey Kong, and had already been featured in several games of the Donkey Kong and Game & Watch series. The Mario games have been developed by a wide variety of developers including Nintendo, Hudson Soft, and AlphaDream. Mario games have been released almost exclusively for Nintendo's various video game consoles and handhelds, from the third generation onward.
Toad, known in Japan as Kinopio, is a fictional character who primarily appears in Nintendo's Mario franchise. A humanoid with a mushroom-like head, Toad was created by Japanese video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto, and is portrayed as a citizen of the Mushroom Kingdom and is one of Princess Peach's most loyal attendants, constantly working on her behalf. Toad is usually seen as a non-player character who provides assistance to Mario and his friends in most games, but there are times when Toad takes center stage and appears as a protagonist, as seen in Super Mario Bros. 2, Wario's Woods and Super Mario 3D World.
The Piranha Plant, known as Pakkun Flower in Japan, is a fictional plant species from Nintendo's Mario franchise media. It usually appears as a leafy green stalk topped with a white-spotted red or green globe, with a maw lined with sharp teeth reminiscent of piranhas. Piranha Plants are typically portrayed as tethered enemies which emerge from green-coloured "warp pipes" scattered throughout the game world that player characters must evade or overcome, though multiple subspecies with different abilities as well as physical attributes have appeared in various titles: some may simply stick up from the ground, and in some cases even walk freely on its own roots.
The Super Mario Bros. Movie is a 2023 American animated adventure comedy film based on Nintendo's Mario video game franchise. Produced by Universal Pictures, Illumination, and Nintendo, and distributed by Universal, it was directed by Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic and written by Matthew Fogel. The ensemble voice cast includes Chris Pratt, Anya Taylor-Joy, Charlie Day, Jack Black, Keegan-Michael Key, Seth Rogen, and Fred Armisen. The film features an origin story for the brothers Mario and Luigi, Italian-American plumbers who are separated after being transported to a fantasy world and become entangled in a battle between the Mushroom Kingdom, led by Princess Peach, and the Koopas, led by Bowser.
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