- "Ah, that Charles Martinet. Nice Italian boy."
- —Mario, Mario vs. Donkey Kong
Italy is a country. In the television shows and movies, Mario and Luigi's heritage comes from Italy, with their parents or grandparents immigrating to Brooklyn. In Mario is Missing, Italy is one of the locations visited, specifically Rome.
In the games, Mario Bros. has Mario and Luigi as "Italians" who happen to be "in New York".[1][2] In Super Mario 64, it's specified that Mario has an Italian accent due to being a first generation Italian from Brooklyn, New York.[3][4] Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time notes that Junior Shrooboid has a particular taste for Italians such as Mario and Luigi.[5] Many dishes mentioned in the games come from Italy, such as ravioli, cannoli, carpaccio, alfredo, carbonara, and other pastas.
Trivia[]
- In 2015, series creator Shigeru Miyamoto stated that Mario being Italian is partly inspired by Italian comics he read growing up, where Italian characters had large noses and big mustaches.[6]
- Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island the brothers' parents were stated to be in the Mushroom Kingdom,[7] potentially making the parents Italian-Mushroom Kingdom immigrants or Mario and Luigi becoming Italians prior to the events of Mario Bros.[1][2] and Super Mario 64 (released a year after Yoshi's Island).[3][4]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Snider, Mike (November 08, 2010). Q&A: 'Mario' creator Shigeru Miyamoto. USA Today.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Brian. Miyamoto explains why Mario is Italian. Nintendo Everything. Retrieved on 2020-04-29.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Super Mario 64 – 1996 Developer Interviews. (archive) Shmuplations "Q: I noticed that Mario speaks with an Italian accent in this game. Miyamoto: There’s no particularly detailed background or anything, but yeah, it’s a given that Mario is an Italian-American from Brooklyn, New York.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Super Mario 64 Player's Guide Nintendo Power "According to the visitor from Brooklyn, he had been invited to the castle for a piece of cake, which Peach had just baked." Page 4
- ↑ Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time official website (Nintendo of America) "But when the time machine returns, no Princess, just an ugly Junior Shrooboid with a taste for Italian plumbers. That's where Mario and Luigi come in."
- ↑ Q&A: Shigeru Miyamoto On The Origins Of Nintendo's Famous Characters
- ↑ Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island (Nintendo Switch Online) "Play as Yoshi, carrying a young Mario through enormous, colorful worlds back to his parents in the Mushroom Kingdom."