Not only is the The Super Mario Bros. Movie filled full of references to classic Super Mario Bros. titles, Illumination Entertainment and Nintendo draw a ton of inspiration from the latter's catalogue of intellectual properties.
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Other Nintendo games
- On the map seen in the plumbing commercial, one can spot "1889th Street" (a reference to the year Nintendo was founded) and "Link Street".
- One point is also labeled "Mushroom Planet", a likely jab at the not-so-subtle Mario reference from Sonic the Hedgehog (2020).
- Duck Hunt:
- A framed picture of a duck is hanging at Punch-Out Pizzeria.
- A stylized painting of a dog resembling Duck Hunt's dog appears in their first clients' house.
- The 8-bit duck also appears in a sign for a restaurant in New York called "Chasse au Canard", the game's title in French.
- Punch-Out!!:
- The name of the pizza restaurant where Mario and Luigi watch their commercial is called Punch-Out Pizzeria.
- The restaurant's walls are lined with photos of fighters from the game, including Glass Joe, Bear Hugger, and Mr. Sandman, and a newspaper article mentioning Little Mac. Above the door are Little Mac's gloves and trunks.
- Donkey Kong's showboating behavior and grandstanding during his duel with Mario is an homage to how he acts as an Optional Boss in the Wii version of Punch-Out!!.
- After getting the Super Star, Mario and Luigi give Bowser a double Megaton Punch. It’s a Visual Pun: you could say they gave him a Star Punch, like Little Mac's strongest attack.
- Star Fox 64: A model of an Arwing is hanging in Mario and Luigi's home.
- Super Smash Bros.:
- The colosseum in Kong Country floats in the air and has items scattered around the arena.
- Mario performs his forward aerial from Super Smash Bros. Melee onward during his fight with DK, against a cardboard Bowser, and against the real deal alongside Luigi during the final battle.
- Mario grabs the Mini-Mushroom, expecting to grow taller like when he ate the Super Mushroom, only for him to shrink and continue getting smacked around by Donkey Kong. As many Smash players can attest to, this is exactly like getting a Poison Mushroom.
- During Mario and Donkey Kong's attack on Bowser's army, the latter uses Spinning Kong, his up special.
- Luigi joins his brother to beat Bowser while powered by the Super Star. Their first attack on Bowser after acquiring said Star is the Super Jump Punch, their up special. This is specifically based on Luigi’s version of the up-B move which, when done properly, launches opponents into the air. At the end of the fight, they both slam Bowser down using Mario's aerial forward-A meteor smash.
- Mario saves Peach's Castle from being decimated by a Bomber Bill (AKA a Banzai Bill). In Smash Bros., Banzai Bills are hazards on the "Princess Peach's Castle" stage, some of which will descend downwards onto the castle's central spire just as is depicted in the movie. Banzai Bills exploding is also an idea originally created for said stage.
- During the ambush on Rainbow Road, Peach bashes a Koopa using her rear end akin to her Peach Bomber move.
- The Yoshi stampede in the Travel Montage resembles the stampede in Yoshi's part of the Melee intro cinematic, as well his Final Smash in Ultimate.
- Peach's outfit in her flashback is based off the Toad Costume for Female Miis in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
- During the beginning of the movie, when Mario and Luigi are running to their first customer, Mario uses the directional air dodge from Super Smash Bros. Melee and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, pose and all, to snap to a raised ledge his jump would have otherwise missed.
- In the final battle, Mario suplexes Bowser towards Luigi, who rams headfirst into Bowser's gut. This is a direct reference to Luigi’s side-B move: Green Missile.
- At the end of the movie, just as the brothers jump into a warp pipe, Luigi makes two finger gun gestures: a direct reference to his victory animation from Super Smash Bros. Melee onwards.
- One of the Koopa Troop's lines of defense to stop Mario and Donkey Kong from helping Peach and the prisoners are Koopa Troopas riding Koopa Clown Cars with cannons in their mouthes, which was Bowser Jr.'s neutral-B move: Clown Cannon.
- While Mario and Luigi are trying to stop the dog of their first clients from falling out of the window, their living room has a glass model of a Pikmin.
- The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time: Mario's dad and uncle resemble Talon and Ingo, the Mario and Luigi lookalikes from Lon Lon Ranch.
- Kid Icarus (1986):
- Mario is briefly shown playing the game on his NES at the beginning of the movie. He's in an enemy lair, and ends up dying from a flock of Specknoses. It could also be a nod to Subspace Emissary where Mario is rescued by Pit after being launched to Skyworld by Petey Piranha, remaining as a duo until they meet Link, Yoshi, and Kirby.
- During the credits, copies of the cartridge can be seen.
- Balloon Fight: The Famicom boxart of the protagonist is used on a sign for a car wash.
- Ice Climber: The Polar Bear enemy is seen on a sign for an ice cream parlor during the climax and on a poster in Mario's house during the epilogue.
- Various posters on the bros' bedroom walls feature artwork that, while likely not drawn directly from them, resemble Pro Wrestling, NES Baseball, and F-Zero.
- Wave Race: A news ticker bulletin early on mentions an R. Hayami winning that year's Wave Race.
- Metroid: Another segment of the news ticker shows that a mysterious signal has been received from Solar System FS-176, the system that has Zebes and Tallon IV.
- Animal Crossing: Mario has a picture of K.K. Slider playing a guitar in his room.
- Game & Watch: The caution and hazard signs at the construction site have Game & Watch characters on them.
- Skylanders: During his party, Bowser reduces a Koopa Troopa into a Dry Bones just for asking what he'll do if Peach rejects marrying him. This is similar to his appearance in Skylanders: SuperChargers, where if the player takes the Koopa Commander upgrade path and purchases the Molten Bones Soul Gem upgrade, he can turn Koopa Paratroopas into Parabones via his Molten Monster form.
Nintendo hardware
- One of the streets seen on the map of Queens is named Hanafuda Ave., in reference to Nintendo's humble origins making said playing cards.
- The Nintendo Vanity Plate seen at the beginning of the movie features sprites of Mario and Luigi hitting a Question Block a few times before the logo appears and they then run offscreen. This is reminiscent of the Famicom Disk System start-up sequence if a disk has not been inserted.
- On the map seen in the plumbing commercial, one can spot "1889th Street" (a reference to the year Nintendo was founded). Another road is called "Luck Cards St.", a possible reference to Nintendo's beginnings as a playing-card company and the purported meaning of "Nintendo" as "Leave Luck to Heaven".
- The button to confirm the kart selection in the Kongs' garage has the letter A marked on it. The A button is the usual button to select an option on Nintendo consoles.
- While Mario and Luigi jump through a sidewalk construction site, a pictorial "caution" sign depicts a Game & Watch sprite.
- Nintendo Entertainment System:
- Mario plays Kid Icarus on an NES in an early scene.
- When a Toad tries to buy something from the antique shop, the shopkeeper tells him that he has to "blow into it" to make it work, a reference to what many children did with their cartridges when they refused to work.
- A computer repair store seen in the background during the finale is named after and prominently features the Famicom Disk System mascot Diskun.
- Peach's strategic world map includes a pair of small islands that, when placed together, resemble a Nintendo 64 controller. Moreover, the leftmost island is where the D-Pad should be on a real controller, likely referencing how very few games on the system used the D-Pad and L Button (Super Smash Bros. nonwithstanding.)
- Luigi's ringtone is the Gamecube's start-up jingle, and the icon on his phone resembles the default Mii. The phone also works despite Luigi dropping it and cracking the screen, which could be a reference to the outstanding durability of many Nintendo products.
- In Brooklyn, a store called "Gyro Market" can be seen with the Robotic Operating Buddy as the logo. The name "Gyro Market" comes from the pack-in game that came with R.O.B., Gyromite.
Other
- The intro with Illumination's name features a Minion from their flagship animated film series, Despicable Me.
