SupAfter years of waiting, the world of Mario is back on the big screen in the form of The Super Mario Bros. Movie, coming with it a whole bevy of Easter eggs.
From Despicable Me studio Illumination Entertainment, the animated epic tells the tale of an up-and-coming Brooklyn plumber named Mario (Chris Pratt) and his brother Luigi (Charlie Day) as the pair discover a fantastical world being threatened by the villainous Bowser.
The Mario Bros. Movie plays like a love letter to not just the Mushroom Kingdom but Nintendo's storied history across video games, with plenty of nuggets for longtime fans to be excited about.
The Mario Movie Easter Eggs
Warning - The rest of this article contains spoilers for The Super Mario Bros. Movie.
1.) Punch-Out Pizza
The diner in which The Super Mario Bros. Movie begins pays homage to the hit Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) game Punch-Out, aptly named Punch-Out Pizza.
Looking closely at the walls of this Brooklyn-based establishment, fans can see pictures of Punch-Out characters like Doc Louis, Little Mac, Mr. Sandman, and Glass Joe. There's even a shout-out to another NES classic with the Duck Hunt duck being mounted on the wall.
2.) Jumpman
Within the Punch-Out Diner is a Jumpman arcade cabinet calling back to Mario's arcade origins.
The cabinet is a homage to the initial name of Nintendo's iconic plumber, who was called Jumpman in the original Donkey Kong game long before the world came to know him as Mario.
3.) Game & Watch
Throughout the world of Brooklyn, shout-outs to Nintendo's original handheld line of Game & Watch games are present.
Sprites from these from various Game & Watch titles can be seen with the phrase 'Cement Factory' being put front-and-center in reference to the Game & Watch game, Mario's Cement Factory.
4.) The Disk-Kun Shop
The Disk-Kun Shop in Brooklyn is a shout-out to Nintendo's Disk-Kun mascot.
Disk-Kun was the mascot for the Famicom Disk System, a Japan-exclusive accessory for the Japanese version of the NES, the Famicom.
5.) Chasse au Canard aka Duck Hunt
Another Brooklyn storefront contains the second Duck Hunt reference in the Super Mario Bros Movie.
'Chasse au Canard,' which can be briefly seen as Mario and Luigi run across the New York borough, translates to Duck Hunt in English, referencing the hit NES pack-in game.
6.) Star Fox's Arwing
Looking closely at Mario's bedroom TV early in the film, fans can get a glimpse at the Arwing from Star Fox.
The Arwing is the Star Fox team's iconic fighter ship, seen throughout the Star Fox franchise.
7.) Kid Icarus
In a bit of meta-humor, a disappointed Mario locks himself away in his Brooklyn apartment bedroom, turns on an NES, and plays 1986's Kid Icarus.
Younger fans will know Kid Icarus for its protagonist Pit, who makes prominent appearances in a number of Super Smash Bros. titles.
8.) F-Zero Blue Falcon
In a poster on Mario's bedroom wall, a reference to the Blue Falcon can be seen.
The Blue Falcon is the racecraft of choice for Captain Falcon, the figurehead and protagonist of Nintendo's break-neck racing series F-Zero.
9.) Track & Field
Another poster emblazoned on Mario's wall is one for Track & Field.
Track & Field was an early NES and arcade title from Konami, which is one of the most successful arcade games of all time.
10.) Charles Martinet/Mario's Dad
The original voice of Mario, Charles Martinet, voices two characters in the movie. First, he plays Giuseppe, the man playing the Jumpman arcade cabinet in the Punch-Out Diner at the beginning of the film.
He also voices Mario's father, who closely resembles Talon from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, who himself was supposed to be a reference to Mario in the game.
11.) The Extended Kong Family
While the likes of Donkey Kong (DK) and Cranky Kong feature prominently in The Super Mario Bros. Movie, audiences get a brief glimpse at some of the extended Kong family during the Mario/DK colosseum battle about mid-way through the movie.
Diddy Kong, Dixie Kong, and Chunky Kong are shown off briefly cheering on DK as he takes on Chris Pratt's plumber.
12.) Mario Kart Items
Of course, where there are Mario Karts, there are Mario Kart items. During the Mario Kart battle with Bowser's army, a plethora of Mario Kart items are referenced, including green shells and bananas.
This culminates in a Koopa turning into a Blue Shell (the mortal enemy of every Mario Kart player) which homes in on Donkey Kong and Mario, spiraling around them before exploding just like in the Kart games.
13.) The DK Rap
Every hero needs badass entrance music, and Seth Rogen's Donkey Kong got just that as the "DK Rap" rang out before his battle with Mario.
"DK Rap" is notorious amongst Nintendo fans, serving as the theme song for Donkey Kong 64 on the Nintendo 64.
14.) Mario's Power-Ups
The Super Mario Bros. Movie features a number of Mario power-ups from across the franchise.
The Super Mushroom (Super Mario Bros.), Tiny Mushroom (Mario Party 4), Fire Flower (Super Mario Bros.), Ice Flower (New Super Mario Bros. Wii), Tanooki Suit (Super Mario Bros. 3), Cat Suit (Super Mario 3D World), and Super Star/Invincibility Star (Super Mario Bros.) all make an appearance.
15.) King Boo & King Bob-omb
Peach and Bowser's wedding is a grab bag of Mario cameos, but two of the biggest (no pun intended) are King Boo and King Bob-omb.
King Boo first appeared in Luigi's Mansion, potentially setting up the long-rumored big-screen adaptation of the beloved GameCube title. Fans will know King Bob-omb as the first boss from Super Mario 64, known for ruling over Bob-omb Battlefield.
16.) Ludwig von Koopa & the Koopalings
While the Koopalings do not make an appearance proper in the films, they do get a shout-out by way of Jack Black's Bowser.
During a ballad from Black's King of the Koopas, the brand of the piano he is playing is a "Ludwig von Koopa," who is one of the Koopalings (aka one of Bowser's kids).
The Super Mario Bros. Movie is playing in theaters now.
