History Fridge / SuperMarioBros

* In the first seven castles of ''VideoGame/SuperMarioBros'', if you defeat Bowser with fireballs instead of getting the axe at the end of the bridge, he turns into a {{Mook}} of some kind while he falls into the lava. It seems kind of random, but ''it's not really Bowser you're fighting'' -- it's a random Mook magically transformed into Bowser's likeness! Killing that Mook breaks the spell! Not only is the Princess in another castle, so is her kidnapper! This isn't even mentioned in the manual, which only mentions black magic turning the Mushroom Kingdom citizens into blocks and horsehair plants and little else.

* In ''VideoGame/SuperMarioBros'' for the NES, part of the plot is that the Mushroom people were turned into inanimate objects like bushes and bricks. The very bricks that you can break by jumping into.

!![[Film/SuperMarioBros The Film]]

* In ''VideoGame/NewSuperMarioBrosDS'', Bowser is painfully StrippedToTheBone after falling in lava. Back in ''VideoGame/SuperMarioWorld'', four of the Koopalings fall into lava after Mario defeats them.

* In VideoGame/NewSuperMarioBros, Bowser is painfully StrippedToTheBone after falling in lava. Back in VideoGame/SuperMarioWorld, four of the Koopalings fall into lava after Mario defeats them.

* In VideoGame/NewSuperMarioBrosWii, there are spiny enemies called urchins which float in the water and can change their depth. You can shoot the urchins with an ice flower, and after unfreezing, they lose control of their buoyancy and sink to the seafloor. Why? Because you froze them and burst their internal organs.

!!The Film
* Toad's [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWJy7_lJs0o song]] tells us that in Dinohattan, cars run on electricity because fossil fuels are sacred. But then, how is electricity generated in the first place? Well, since water is a scarce commodity in Dinohattan, not through hydropower. And not through thermal or nuclear power either, because they involve boiling water and using steam to move turbines. What remains? Geothermal? Possibly. But there is one cheap, disposable, renewable resource that dictators have no remorse to exploit. [[SlaveMooks Manpower]]. Considering Koopa's attitude, electricity in Dinohattan could very well be generated by workers whose job is to use their own muscular force to move the turbines all day. Probably, had such a scene been shot with the naive vision of the 1990s, the workers would have been slaves or prisoners. But the modern cynical attitude would suggest a much more horrific alternative: a Dinohattan with a skyrocketing unemployment rate and Koopa's promise of new jobs, which he implements as gulag-like labor camps, where people are forced to produce electricity for the city and are paid a pittance, faced with the only alternative to get no money at all.
** According to WordOfGod, confirmed by [[http://www.smbmovie.com/SMBArchive/specials/editorials/ecology-lindsayb.html concept art]], electricity in Dinohattan comes from the meteorite's geomagnetic energy. The meteorite chamber was supposed to be a wide, deep underground abyss, with tunnels at the two extremities, connected by a bridge high above the chasm and with a huge machine above the bridge to collect the energy. The only reason it didn't look like that in the final movie was the budget.
* Also from the film: How does Scapelli's crew constantly manage to beat the Mario brothers to various plumbing jobs after the Marios are hired? Scapelli is very likely tapping their phone lines.
* As mentioned on the film page in EvolutionaryLevels, there are separate settings on the de-evolution ray for physical and intellectual transformation. This means Koopa intentionally let the King retain his intelligence [[AndIMustScream as a way of tormenting him]]. This [[HoistByHisOwnPetard comes back to bite him]] when the King intentionally chokes the city and helps the Mario Bros.
** Related to the above, the scene at the Boom-Boom Bar when Lena is downing a drink with a small talking creature who begs for his life. At first, it seems like a minor BlackComedy gag, but then you remember the de-evolution chamber.

* Why is a ''plumber'', of all trades, not only [[SuperStrength fit]] [[SuperSpeed enough]] to [[OneManArmy take on Bowser's entire military]] and [[NinjaPirateZombieRobot the turtle dragon wizard himself]], with only the aid of [[PowerUp assorted foodstuffs, plants, and shinies]]? And where does he learn to do things like [[InASingleBound leap multiple times his body height]], [[EverythingsBetterWithSpinning spin like a top while he jumps]], or [[DropTheHammer wield a hammer so well]]? We finally get an answer when the Mario Bros. travel to [[VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiSuperstarSaga the Beanbean Kingdom]]: Assuming plumbing jobs in the Mushroom Kingdom are anything like they are in the Beanbean Kingdom, the sewers get so nasty that you ''need'' those traits. Hell, if we count [[VideoGame/MarioBros New York City]], he's [[WaxOnWaxOff been training to rescue Peach all his life]]!

* Mario... is a ''mario'''nette for the player to play.[[note]]Actually, Mario is named after the superintendent of the Nintendo building in the 80's, but that's less fun.[[/note]]

* On the subject of Mario's [[Creator/CharlesMartinet accent]]...Almost nobody from Italy actually ''speaks'' with that accent, but some people from [[BigApplesauce New York]] ''do''. Where did Mario live before he was taken to the Mushroom Kingdom? Think about it.

* Wario's [[{{Gasshole}} Gassholery]] may not be his defining character trait, but it does add a layer of significance to his rivalry with Mario, a plumber.
* In both Galaxy games, I've often wondered why Thwomps and Whomps kill you instantly when they didn't in 64. Then, it hit me; They did 3 damage to Mario's 8-part health meter in 64, but in the Galaxy games, you only HAVE 3 units of health. - OathToOblivion
** What about Piranha Plants and fire? Should they not kill you by that logic? And you can collect Life Mushrooms that will give you an extra 3 units of health until you lose them. Still a one-hit kill with 6 health.
* In most recent games, it always seems like Luigi's more eager to announce his name than Mario. It seems a bit egotistical, until you see the fact that Bowser and even Princess Peach can't seem to remember his name. Poor guy. - KashimaKitty

** Their dress designs also appear to reflect the time of day: Peach and Daisy=day, Rosalina=night. Guess who either Peach and/or Daisy will look like when asleep...
*** Daisy seems more like sunrise/set to [[OathToOblivion me]]...

** Except their role as Bowser's kids was downplayed almost immediately in Japan, they're simply high ranking minions. Bowser Jr. is just another try at giving Bowser children at all.
** The fact that the Koopalings are all [[NamedAfterSomebodyFamous named after 80’s rock icons]] (save for Ludwig) would also reveal an unexpected side of Bowser if the Koopalings were his kids: he named them all after his favourite musicians. This implies that Super Mario Bros. 3 and World take place in our universe and, more importantly, [[EvilNerd that Bowser is a huge nerd.]]

* Members of the Koopa royal family being named after musicians [[Music/ShaNaNa isn’t just a thing with the younger generation.]]

* YMMV a little bit: It's already established that Bowser is a wizard. Now, think back to how all of the enemies in the old Super Mario games were dull, rarely changed movement without bumping into something, completely oblivious to Mario (usually). Now, remember Boo and all the skeleton monsters? It makes sense to assume the Bowser is a necromancer (discussed in the Headscratchers page)... the enemies like Goombas are zombies.

** When the four fall into the lava in the SMW remake for the GBA (in order it was [[spoiler:Iggy, Lemmy, Wendy O., and Larry]]), they shrieked. No other Koopalings made any real sound when they were defeated. Also, in the case of [[spoiler:Lemmy and Wendy O.]], they flail as they sink.

* Some Mario enemies and bosses have bandages signifying weak points (Whomps and the Hisstocrats, for example). This isn't just a simple way of marking it- they're weak points because you're ''[[AttackTheInjury hitting them where it already hurts]]''. You're essentially taking advantage of existing injuries and making them much worse.

* Bowser wants to marry Princess Peach, and has been shown to invade the Mushroom Kingdom whenever she refuses. Why? Because one way or another, he wants to gain control over the Mushroom Kingdom - marrying Peach is the peaceful way to do so. It would not even be farfetched if Bowser initially only wanted to marry Peach for power, but eventually gaining genuine feelings later on.
* In ''VideoGame/CaptainToadTreasureTracker'', several things return from ''VideoGame/SuperMario3DWorld'', including Piranha Creepers. However, in ''Captain Toad'', they behave a little differently, as they're knocked back much futher when fallen upon than they were in ''3D World''-- in fact, they're knocked back the same amount as a Ground Pound would deliver in that game. While this initially seems like a gameplay tweak to make them manageable in a game where you can't jump, the reason for the inability to jump actually explains it. Captain Toad can't jump because his backpack is so heavy...but because of that extra weight, he hits as hard as a Ground Pound when he falls!
* Why is it that Yoshi's first resort in ''Yoshi's Island'' upon finding a lost infant and deciding to help him find his family is putting said infant on his back? Furthermore, why is he so willing- eager even- to carry Mario on his back even as an adult? Well, consider how, at least when they were introduced, Yoshis had a natural saddle there. Factoring in the general shape and size of a Baby Yoshi, one can come to the conclusion that they carry their young on their backs until they grow enough to move around independently and acquire their own food. If so, being ridden by others (especially children) may actually be literally instinctive to them.
* Why do Kamek and Toadette have an OddFriendship going on? Well, if you've paid close enough attention to VideoGame/SuperMarioMaker, you might have came to realize that Toadette isn't the most... [[CorruptCorporateExecutive heedful boss in the world]]. In fact, many of the Toads [[BadBoss resent her for her business tactics and the ways that she treats them]].

* In VideoGame/PaperMarioColorSplash, Roy is the final Koopaling to be fought, and uses your paint against you. Makes sense, as a common mnemonic for remembering the colors of the rainbow is [[StealthPun Roy G Biv!]]

* As mentioned in the ''Galaxy 2'' page, while it's more implied than anything, there's this cosmic force called the Gentle Pull that seemingly manipulates fate so that Mario succeeds against Bowser. It's a testament to just how truly powerful and terrifying Bowser is that the very forces of fate and destiny itself go out of their way to conspire against him, and how essential his defeat is that it constantly makes it so Mario succeeds.

* Why is Rosalina so old? Why do enemies spit out star bits when killed? Why do getting so many star bits give you an extra life? Simple. Star bits are made of life force. Rosalina's diet is star bits, you are physically knocking the life out of enemies, and collecting all of those bits gives you more life.
** This makes further fridge brilliance when you remember Rosalina's storybook, when the comet was filled with star bits. Many scientists think essential building blocks of life came to Earth from comets.

* According to the theory of special relativity, anyone or anything traveling in space at the speed of light will cause the time around them to move slower than the time outside. If there were two people of the same age, one traveling in space and the other staying on Earth, once the spacefaring person returns from his/her journey, he/she will actually age much slower than the one on Earth, or that the latter would be long dead after the former returns. No wonder why Rosalina's an orphan.

* The whole problem with ApatheticCitizens in ''VideoGame/SuperMarioSunshine'' really bugged me, especially the Blue Coin Guy. If they cared so much about restoring the sun to their island, they would volunteer their shine sprites to Mario. But the Blue Coin Guy is some weird bear race and not a native Pianta or Noki like the others on the island. He's clearly not native to the island, somewhat justifying his apathy towards the plight of the shine sprites.

* May also be FridgeHorror depending on one's viewpoint, but recall how in ''VideoGame/SuperMarioSunshine'', the Boos all had [[https://www.mariowiki.com/images/7/7a/SMS_Boo_Artwork.jpg dopey-looking expressions]] that we don't see anywhere else in the series. Remember that throughout the series, Boos are consistently shown to prefer [[BigBoosHaunt dark, dank places]], and ''VideoGame/SuperMarioGalaxy'', explicitly shows them to be WeakenedByTheLight. Now consider that Super Mario Sunshine is set on a [[PalmTreePanic tropical island]], and it's no wonder they look so out of it; the poor things must be suffering from ''heatstroke''.

* As has been noted elsewhere, when Peach is told in ''VideoGame/SuperMarioSunshine'' that she's Bowser Jr.'s mother, her reaction is a mix of confusion and wonder, distinctly considering the possibility, rather than the outright denial/skepticism that you'd expect. Does this mean that she and Bowser....
** Not quite. Keep in mind that Bowser is not only a mage himself but he has plenty of magic-capable minions. It is possible that there is a way to create a child by [[FantasyContraception combining samples]] from the prospective parents.
** Fortunately, this can be written off by remembering that in the Mario universe, babies come from storks. Except for egg layers like Yoshi, which have been shown hatching from eggs, but they're asexual anyway.
** There's also the possibility that Jr's claim was simply so out there that Peach had trouble processing it, [[RealityIsUnrealistic as some people are known to do when they hear something crazy.]]
** There's a line where Toadsworth is worried about Peach being in the sun for too long and that's probably why she has an umbrella with her for the brief time she's in Delfino Plaza. Perhaps she was suffering from heat stroke and wasn't thinking straight?
** If they did, it's not why she's considering the possibility. I don't know how much you know about reproduction, but if she had been the mother, she wouldn't just be ''considering'' it.

* The Mario Circuits in the ''VideoGame/MarioKart'' games don't really show elements of the courses belonging to Mario. But look at the course. They usually consist of rolling greens, warp pipes, Mario enemies, Peach's Castle... The Mario Circuits don't represent Mario, they represent the game series, since it includes many of its elements!

* Why would Rosalina, TheHighQueen, have a passion for [[VideoGame/MarioKart karts and motorcycles?]] It seems off in a character like her. Well, if ''VideoGame/SuperMarioGalaxy's'' storybook is anything to go by, she and a single Luma pretty much built the entire [[CoolSpaceship Comet Observatory]] by themselves, all while she was just a little girl. {{Magitek}} aside, it's easy to assume [[WrenchWench she must have a knack for gears, engines, and the like]].
** Being in space for presumably billions of years ''must'' make her pretty bored as wel.

* ''Super Mario Bros. 2'' (the USA version we got) is notable for being the only main Mario platformer where the [[GoombaStomp Goomba Stomp]] proves to have no significant effect. The events of the game take place in Sub-Con, a world corrupted by nightmares. Being in a world where Mario's [[GoombaStomp trademark attack]] does not hurt enemies makes this more of a nightmare for him, would it not? - MrYoshbert
* In ''Super Mario Bros. 2'' [[DistressedDamsel Peach]] and [[NonActionGuy Toad]] aren't just playable (for once), but they actually excel at things (Toad's speed/strength, Peach's flight). What's more, [[CowardlySidekick Luigi]] is one of the best characters to use due to his high jump. Now, remember that the game takes place in a dream world. You know what this means? Mario, who usually works alone, secretly dreams of getting some decent backup. - {{Kingler}}
** Or has a nightmare about being useless. - EbrithilBowser

* ''Super Mario Bros 2'' is the first game where Princess Toadstool/Peach is playable, and she's able to defeat as many enemies as Mario is able to. Later on you find out that it's AllJustADream. This dream could have taken place at any time, including after all the countless adventures that Mario's had, saving Peach over and over and over... the fact that Peach is able to fight is a manifestation of Mario's subconscious desire that he is far too polite to ever voice that Peach be able to finally take care of herself instead of him having to save her all the time. Or it's a subconscious desire to have her fight by his side as a teammate, knowing he'll be able to better keep the girl he cares about safe if they stick together (or maybe he's just '''really''' tired of having to save Princess Peach all the time). Note how happy he is when she joins the team in VideoGame/SuperMarioRPG.

* Shy Guys aren't just a creation of Mario's mind in ''VideoGame/SuperMarioBros2'', he's just subconsciously remembering them from when he saw them as a baby in ''VideoGame/YoshisIsland''.

* In [[http://www.gamefaqs.com/boards/525245-super-mario-bros-3/53955357 this]] Website/GameFaqs thread, the "clues given after it is too late" aspect was implied earlier on to be FridgeLogic. However, as T_bird pointed out: "''It makes sense that the clue for a whistle would be given after it's too late. That way you have something to look for the next time you play.''" So perhaps the arrangement of clues was that way on purpose after all. - [=neoYTPism=]

* Luigi’s use of electricity becomes a lot more interesting if you know that one of the pioneers in the study of electricity was named LUIGI Galvani!
** Although, it's more likely just because he's a plumber.

* Sort of a StealthPun, but it makes too much sense to just be a joke. Almost all of ''[[VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiSuperstarSaga Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga]]'' takes place in the Beanbean Kingdom -- in Japanese, this is the "Mameria Kingdom". "Mame" means "Bean" (predictably), but say 'Mameria' out loud. Given the r/l translation issues, it sounds an awful lot like "Mamalia", from the animal kingdom. The beanish people are humanoid, humans are mammals...

* In ''VideoGame/SuperMarioRPG'', there's a Whack-a-Mole like game where you whack Goombas instead. ''The mole is the one running the game.''
* Early in ''VideoGame/SuperMarioRPG'', Mallow mentions that he can't jump. Apparently it runs in the family, as Nimbus Castle is designed so that no jumping is required to get around it.

* In VideoGame/SuperMarioRPG, Mallow can use the special attack "Psychopath" to read enemies' thoughts. Near the very end of the game, Mario and company battles against the Director of Smithy's Factory. Now, in the Japanese version, Mallow's Psychopath reveals that this factory staff had been involved in "a worker's labour union", had "his son's (presumably Japanese-style high-school/uni-entry) examination", and also made a "career change", possibly hinting that he had "a long working life", who just happened to be [[PunchClockVillain a father who needed to support his family.]]

* ''VideoGame/PaperMarioTheThousandYearDoor''
** One of the mook species guarding the X-Nauts' base is called "X-Yux." Using Goombella's "tattle" ability reveals that the name is actually pronounced "Cross Yux." What is the significance of that? Perhaps all of the X's relating to the X-Nauts are actually pronounced "Cross," making the organization the "Cross Nauts." That does include, of course, the [[AIIsACrapshoot sentient computer]] that eventually decided to side with Peach over the X-Nauts. The computer's name? "Tec-XX." Given the pronunciation, that would be "Tec Double-Cross."
** The name "X-Nauts" or "cross-naughts" is an IncrediblyLamePun related to tic-tac-toe.
** During the [[CoolTrain Excess Express]] chapter, you can find several celebrity magazines with articles featuring Zip Toad, in the drawer in his room. At first it seems like a little detail to show that Zip Toad is kinda stuck-up/self-obsessed, but [[spoiler:since he's actually Doopliss in disguise, it makes a lot more sense that Doopliss could be reading them to try and learn Zip Toad's character so that he can imitate him better]]!
** People may think that Flurrie refusing to be seen without her necklace was petty, and to be honest, it probably is. However, Let's Player LetsPlay/NakaTeleeli, in his playthrough of the game, mentioned that the necklace at least made her look like she was wearing a shirt. Without the necklace, Flurrie would look like she was stark naked.
** On the way to Creepy Steeple in a chapter full of pigs, the player must use Flurrie to blow away three obstacles made of straw, sticks and bricks in that order. Sound familiar?
** Another one from that same chapter. Whenever someone in the village wonders who got turned into a pig by the bell, that person is always the next one to fall victim to the curse. Ask not for whom the bell tolls or it tolls for thee!
** Doopliss is named that because he [[{{IncrediblyLamePun}} "dooped"]] everyone into thinking he was Mario, [[spoiler:Zip Toad]] and [[spoiler:Professor Frankly]]. And in the German version, his name is a reference to Rumpelstiltskin who asks the hero to guess his name. Brilliant! It's also a riff on "Duplicity" which shares the root "duplex" (two) with duplicate. That he does in fact dupe the townspeople and the party is a bonus bit of wordplay (dupe is technically French, from ''(tête) d'uppe'', (the head) of the hoopoe, which was held to be an especially stupid bird).

* In ''Super Mario 64'', Snowman's Land's name is a play on "no man's land!" Which makes sense because no man's land is usually a war term describing a dangerous place that nobody wants to occupy, and that level is one of the hardest in the game.
* The freaky Endless Stairs. Why does the music sound like it is ever rising? Why can you walk up the stairs for hours and then turn around and walk through the door in a couple of seconds? ''Because they're looping''. The stairs aren't endless, you just get looped back to the start at some point. The music is the same, being a couple of ascending scales looped over, giving the illusion of ever-rising notes. Makes the Staircase a little less scary, now, doesn't it? Much more obvious in the DS remake, in which you can see the character on the map looping on the stairs

* An example from ''VideoGame/SuperMario64'' that probably borders on StealthPun: In course one, Mario encounters a character called Koopa the Quick who will race him for a [[MacGuffin Power Star]]. At one point, he randomly walks off a cliff to take a shortcut to the finish. This seems utterly pointless and random, until you think back to the days of ''VideoGame/SuperMarioBros''. What was the defining character trait of green-shelled Koopas again? Probably unintentional, but still funny in a weird way. -Edofenrir

* In ''VideoGame/SuperMario64'', there are 120 stars to collect. When you collect all of them, Bowser laments at the fact that he missed the 15 secret stars. In SM64DS, there are 150 stars, 30 of which are secret stars. Once you collect all 150, Bowser again laments at the fact that he missed the secret stars. Therefore Bowser managed to find and steal 120 stars the second time around, just like Mario told him in the original game! Too bad for Bowser that there were even ''more'' stars that he couldn't find!

* In ''[[VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiPartnersInTime Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time]]'', one has to wonder why some Shroob beings would keep the Cobalt Star pieces apart [[spoiler:when we find out it had the Elder Princess Shroob inside. It's easy to assume it was because her sister wanted to be in charge, but then the Elder's care for the Younger seems strange; would the Younger really want to seal someone who loved her away? Then, while fighting the Elder and noting the repetitive motion of blowing up her ships, it becomes apparent the Younger wasn't keeping the shards apart -- the regular Shroobs were. Why would they restore the monarch that kills you for fetching her a drink when there's a nicer (and perhaps more attractive from their point of view) substitute? The Younger probably never even knew they had collected any shards; they were just fed into their creatures to hide them.]]
* Why was Baby Luigi crying when the Colbalt Star spirit was talking? [[spoiler:It wasn't really a Star Spirit, it was Elder Princess Shroob! Apparently, Baby Luigi could tell somehow!]]
* Also in ''[[VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiPartnersInTime Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time]]'', the time travel doesn't seem to make any sense. The Shroobs attack the past, but none of the present characters have any memory of it, and their traveling into the past actually CHANGES E. Gadd's memories! But what if the Shroobs didn't mean to attack the past, but the present? We saw that when Gadd's time machine was created, portals to the past began popping up everywhere. The Shroobs, en route to the Mushroom Kingdom, accidentally went through one of these holes and attacked the past instead of the present, justifying why no one remembers them.
** But wait...if they attacked the past instead of the present, then the present would also change to accommodate for the new past. For example, present Peach's Castle would be Shroob Castle.

* Getting all or any of the switch palaces in ''Super Mario World'' basically enables easy mode. It was kind of a clever way to allow players difficulty options.

* In ''VideoGame/SuperMarioWorld'' the color scheme "yellow, red, blue and green" shows up in the switch palaces, Yoshi colors, and shell colors. This is because those are the colors on the Japanese SNES controller, and Super Mario World was a SNES launch title.
** Related to this, one may notice that the Koopalings in this game also follow this color scheme, with some (Roy and Ludwig being notable examples) being drastically different to their ''VideoGame/SuperMarioBros3'' colors; Larry and Morton are green, Wendy is red, Iggy and Roy are blue, and Lemmy and Ludwig are yellow. This corresponds to the order they are fought in SMB3 (which is also thought to be their birth order from youngest to oldest.) Just as the green Koopa Troopas are the most basic and the yellow ones are the strongest, the green Koopalings are the youngest and the yellow Koopalings are the oldest.
** The Mario brothers (plus Wario) fit this scheme as well. Mario for Red, Wario for Yellow, and Luigi for Green. That would make the logical choice for Blue to be Waluigi... but he's a noteable break in the pattern (purple instead of blue). It fits that Nintendo's [[TheUnfavorite least used member of the quartet]] would be the one to screw up the palette.

** As mentioned above in EvolutionaryLevels, there are separate settings on the de-evolution ray for physical and intellectual transformation. This means Koopa intentionally let the King retain his intelligence [[AndIMustScream as a way of tormenting him]]. This [[HoistByHisOwnPetard comes back to bite him]] when the King intentionally chokes the city and helps the Mario Bros.

*** Which gives further brilliance regarding her GenkiGirl personality. Of course she's stoked every time we see her; she's at a Party (or Kart Race, or Tennis match, or Golf game, or what have you)!