How old is Mario, anyway?

The 2023 Mario movie, the 1993 live-action movie, and Shigeru Miyamoto give us very different answers

I’d always assumed the age of Nintendo’s most popular mascot, Mario, to be between 45 and 60. Sure, he looks young at times, relatively speaking, but we love a man with a good skincare routine. If I close my eyes and look at a picture of Mario, the image I see is no cartoon red apple: It’s Mario as played by Italian American wrestler Lou Albano. super mario bros super show – Red overalls, big moustache, and a tool belt slung from his waist. In 1993, Super Mario Bros. Gave us another live-action way to judge Mario’s age, with Bob Hoskins, only pushing 50 at the time, wearing a red jumpsuit. I have never questioned my belief that Mario was a middle aged man.

So when I saw the new Illumination movie, The Super Mario Bros. Movie, I was shaken. here is proof that mario is No Really a middle aged man. Also, Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto once came out and said: Mario is about 24 to 25 years old in his original ’80s game.

Image: DIC Entertainment

“I think it was fortunate that we didn’t put any restrictions on Mario as a character,” Miyamoto said in a 2005 interview, as translated by The Independent. “Usually when you create a character and present it to the world, all the details go into [sic]: What is his favorite colour? What kind of food does he like to eat? […] Apart from the fact that he is around 24-25 years old, we haven’t defined anything else.”

Mario has been shown at different ages in different games, including as a child. Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island and a child inside Mario and Luigi: Partners in Time, Nintendo also kept Mario’s age up super smash bros melee trophy, especially in the Japanese version, which states that he is 26 years old. This is the most official confirmation of his age range that we have found. Either way, 2023’s The Super Mario Bros. Movie That’s essentially Mario’s origin story – the start of his plumbing business and his first foray into the Mushroom Kingdom. It makes sense that he’s younger than the old plumber we’ve seen in some shows and movies.

Image: Hollywood Pictures

a scene in The Super Mario Bros. Movie Seems like further evidence that Mario is relatively young, maybe even barely out of his teens. Shortly after Mario and Luigi come home from their first day of work as new business owners, their parents chastise them for quitting their steady jobs to launch this new gig. Daddy Mario (voiced by the original Mario Charles Martinet) is not happy with Mario for luring Luigi into the business scheme. Everyone is crazy! A family member also hates the brothers’ funny rapping ad for their new venture. And Mario has had enough. Mario and Luigi both live at home with their parents, which doesn’t necessarily indicate their age until Mario walks away from the dinner table – and his mushroom pasta – angrily into his living room. to play games.

This is the kind of reaction you would expect from a teenager, not a 50 year old. Everything changed for me after that scene. I spent the entire movie looking for further clues about his age, to no avail, except that Mario can run, jump, and break question-mark blocks without any pain or fatigue. Still, it’s hard to believe that someone in their early 20s could grow such a strong mustache, but facts are facts. i think mario Is In his 20s, if we are to believe official sources.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie Is in cinemas now.