Mario Day Is Here and We Are Celebrating Our Favorite Plumber

I got into Mario games much later than most millennials, but I'm glad I did because they became a bonding experience for me and my younger sister when we both needed something to look forward to. We spent a particularly long time in New Super Mario Bros Wii, with me subverting older-sibling tropes by being the designated Luigi. (It was her Wii, so she got to be Mario.) 

Every session was chaotic and high-energy, and I have crystal-clear memories of us shouting and us jumping on the couch as we tried to clear the final level. Those gaming sessions happened more than a decade ago, but the Mario Bros' influence has lived on: When I got married last year, I asked my sister to be in my wedding by sending her the picture at the top of the post. Thanks for letting me be your Luigi, bro!

Lego just announced a new Mario set coming next year with a super-vague, but cute, video on Twitter. Watching that little Lego Mario jump out of the green tunnel gave me many a happy feeling. 

I think these new sets might be part of the Smart Play system announced at CES, but resident Lego buff Jeffrey Mizrahi isn't sure. "If this image is true to the final release, this isn't a Smart Play minifigure since those have specific markings on the side of the body, which we can see aren't here," he said.

I'm not too sure, though. This is likely just a render, and having the sound effects makes me think it might involve the Smart Play bricks somewhere. It would be a complete waste of this new technology if none of the company's new sets used it in 2027.

Nintendo may have left glider attachments for vehicles behind in Mario Kart 8, but that doesn't stop me from loving them. And if you're like me, there's a good chance this deal on these Hot Wheels Mario Kart characters is right up your alley. The detail work on these is nice if all you want is to collect them all and display them, but they're also Hot Wheels, which means they're a lot of fun to see flying down a track in your own home. 

Either way, you're a winner who didn't pay full price. Note that you get a random glider, you can't pick which one you want. 

I love a good easter egg, and squeezing bits of fandom into unexpected places is definitely one of my favorite ways to get a similar thrill off-screen. If you enjoy a little fun in your decor, grab this Super Mario Piranha Plant Lego set. Not only is it absolutely adorable, but it's also a fun way to spend an afternoon. And once it's built, you can place it in your home or at your desk as a fun nod to your love of Nintendo. 

The set is made up of 540 pieces and includes two coins inspired by the classic game. You can even pose the plant's head, mouth and leaves however you like. Just note that this isn't a simple build -- it's intended for those who are aged 18 and up. This Super Mario Lego set usually sells for $60, but this Mar10 Day, Best Buy has slashed the price by 18 bucks, so you'll pay just $42.

The Switch 2 is a fantastic console, and if you want to play the latest Mario games, you really need one. That said, if you upgrade your original Switch, you won't be able to use the microSD card you currently have. 

Samsung does have a great deal on the one you do need, currently down to just $39 for the 256GB version, which should be plenty of storage for most of the Mario games available right now.

You could make it your marioSD rather than a microSD... I am funny. 

Ahead of the release of the smash-hit Super Mario Bros. Movie back in 2023, I sat down to chat with Mario's creator, Shigeru Miyamoto, and the composer of classic tunes for Mario and Legend of Zelda games, Koji Kondo (including Dire Dire Docks, perhaps the greatest piece of video game music). 

Among the interview's highlights are explanations for why Miyamoto wanted the films to explore more of the backstories of Mario, Luigi, Donkey Kong and Peach ("I wanted to relay through their role in the drama, it really brought out the more human side of these characters," he said at the time) and how big a deal it was to make the Mario movie funny ("I myself at one point wanted to be a manga artist, so humor is very important," he said). 

And since the movie hadn't come out yet, I was asked to be vague about a certain point in the interview, when Kondo referred to the one piece of audio in the movie he didn't at least consult on (Brian Tyler scored the film based on Kondo's notes): the love song performed by Bowser's voice actor, Jack Black. All these years later, I can now print the quote in its original form: 

"I wasn't involved at all with the creation of the music for the project, but I do think [Jack Black's] got a great singing style and a great voice," Kondo said. "Every time he was singing Peaches, it made me laugh."

I very nearly bought one of these at Target this weekend. I have a lot of nerdy sportswear, and this would have fit right in. Unfortunately, Target isn't the best place to get clothes for larger body types, and the XL was just too snug for me. 

That said, they look really cool and are made of that breezy material that's perfect for springtime, and for $30, it's an affordable way to rep your favorite racer.

My son is 6, and I'm delighted that he's getting into Mario in a big way. The gateway drug was Mario Kart, which he can beat me on. An even bigger deal in our house was Mario Odyssey, the most recent mainline Mario game for Switch. Odyssey sees our hero teaming up with a sentient hat called Cappy, who can possess creatures and give Mario control of them, creating all kinds of wonderful situations where you have to solve classic puzzles with these new powers. Or just smash stuff as a T. rex with a red hat and comically small moustache. 

You can control Mario and Cappy separately, which made for a lovely father-son experience, the two of us trading controllers to do different things. I was so proud when he found his first star all by himself!

Odyssey is on sale at Amazon for Mar10 Day at 33% off. It's been as low as $30 before, but $40 is still an excellent price for this all-time great -- as Russell said below, games with "Mario" in the name don't often go on sale at all.

I love that Nintendo just gets how much we love Mario. They recreated the famous Mario Kart meme for the new Luigi Mach 8 Lego I mentioned earlier, and it is just goofy and fun. Good for them.

Mario is one of the cornerstones of Nintendo's empire, and nothing showcases that more than an entire theme park centered around it. Jesse Orrall -- one of our awesome videographers -- got to go play at Universal's new land, and he loved it.

Haven't you always wanted to smell like your favorite Super Mario character? I'm not sure how that's possible since they should all smell like ozone and plastic and dust, but if you answered yes and imagined a much nicer scent, it looks like your moment has arrived. In a promotion for the Super Mario Galaxy movie, Old Spice has released a line of body wash and a line of deodorant in five scents, which all feature a main character. 

You've got Cosmic Quest for Mario, Desert Detour for Luigi, Brooklyn Bounce for Yoshi, Castle Crush for Princess Peach and Space Mischief for Bowser Jr. If you were hoping for something Rosalina-themed, which would make sense given her contributions to the story this movie is based on, you're going to need to look in another castle. If you want either of these, however, they'll only set you back $9 today. 

Announced in January, this new Lego set features Mario's brother Luigi in one of the iconic karts from Mario Kart, the Mach 8. The flame coming out of the back spins as you push it along, which is very cool. It's $160 to preorder and has 2,234 pieces, which should keep you amused for a while. 

This is just Luigi, though, not Mario, so I won't be celebrating him too much. We can celebrate him when he gets his own day...

First-party Nintendo Switch games, especially ones featuring the big guy's name in the title, rarely go on sale. So when I saw Super Mario Party Jamboree for the Switch was on sale, it was a run-don't-walk situation for me. This deal includes the Jamboree TV expansion, which is only for Switch 2 owners, but if you own the OG Switch and might upgrade at some point in the future, this is well worth the investment. The Switch version doesn't include Jamboree TV, but is just $42.

My first active memory of Mario is from playing the handheld version on the original Game Boy. Back then, Mario was just 11 pixels wide and bounced around with wild abandon, often not caring where you directed him, but it was a game that consumed many of my waking hours. The bleeps and boops from Super Mario Land and Tetris are the soundtrack to my childhood memories.

One of my favorite pieces of art is a deconstructed Game Boy Pocket from Grid. At the time I bought it, the company didn't offer the original Game Boy, though it does now. If you're like me -- a big kid with "grown-up" money -- you can buy a slice of your childhood for around $200, depending on your favorite console.

Even though we have a giant list of deals over at our Mar10 main deals post, I still think it's worth highlighting the games you can pick up on sale today.

Probably the biggest game deal is Mario Party Jamboree. It's down to $62 today, and while that is still a big chunk of change, it's easily my favorite Mario Party game and the best one to buy on the Nintendo Switch 2 right now. The Switch 2 version also comes with Jamboree TV, an add-on for Mario Party that puts you in a gameshow with Toad as the host. It's fun, but the party aspect of the full game is the star of the show. The Switch version doesn't include Jamboree TV but is just $42.

We also have one of my kids' favorites, Mario + Rabbids. It's a very silly strategy game full of lasers and laughter, and right now you can get it for just $9. That's a great deal for anyone wanting to bolster their game collection.