We already brought you part one of our list of 15 things you probably did not know about Super Mario, and now we’re back with part two! Check out eight more fascinating facts about the iconic video game that you definitely (probably) did not know below. You might be surprised by what you find out!
Number Eight: Croc: Legend of the Gobbos Almost Starred Yoshi. The video game Croc: Legend of the Gobbos actually began as a prototype of a game designed to have Yoshi as its star. However, that clearly did not pan out.
Number Seven: The Game References Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure. Specifically, the Super Mario characters of Bullet Bill and Torpedo Ted are believed to reference the 1989 fantasy film Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure.
Number Six: Wario and Waluigi Are Literally Bad. The Japanese word for “bad” is “warui,” and Wario’s full name is “Warui Mario.” Likewise, Waluigi’s full name is “Waruigi.” The names were subsequently shortened to Wario and Waluigi.
Number Five: They Have Their Own Pornos. Nintendo owns the rights to Super Hornio Brothers and Super Hornio Brothers 2. As you may imagine, the two films are based off of Super Mario.
Number Four: Boo and Bowser Are More Connected Than You Think. You might be familiar with Bowser’s deep, baritone laugh and Boo’s high-pitched, ghoulish laugh, but did you know that they’re actually the same exact laugh? Boo’s laugh is just a sped up version of Bowser’s laugh.
Number Three: Real-Life Japan Makes an Appearance in the Game. In Super Mario Bros. 3, one world features an island that is shaped almost identically to Japan. On the island, a castle is located close to where Kyoto would be; interestingly, Kyoto is where Nintendo’s headquarters are located.
Number Two: The Chain Chomp Is Based on a Specific Dog. The Chain Chomp is apparently based on a local dog that terrorized Shigeru Miyamoto, Super Mario’s creator when he was young.
Number One: Playing the Game Will Make You Smarter. It’s true! One study discovered that playing Super Mario 64 helped to improve people’s fine motor skills, memory formation, spatial orientation, and strategic planning. We hope you enjoyed our list of 15 things you didn’t know about Super Mario!