Headscratchers / Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins

• Why aren't the 3-Up Hearts instead 3-Up Moons?
  • Different land, different power-ups and items.
• Who is thanking Mario in the ending?
  • Presumably the residents of Mario Land, who were Brainwashed and Crazy under Wario's despotic rule. It's not a strange inverse of Thanking the Viewer, where the player is thanking the video game character.