Top 10 Moments in Super Mario History

Super Mario is being celebrated after 35 years of service in the gaming industry. This gaming icon is one of the most recognizable in the entire history of the hobby, and for good reason. In those 35 years of history, Mario has seen plenty of major victories.

In celebration of this icon, let’s take a look at the 10 best moments in Super Mario history.

10. The top of the castle (Super Mario 64)

Super Mario 64 was originally released in 1996 and was recently revitalized in Super Mario 3D All Stars. The goal of this game was to collect all 120 power stars scattered throughout Princess Peach’s castle, beat Bowser, and receive a hard-earned cake baked by the princess herself.

What exactly happens when the player finds all 120 stars, though? Well, the player had to make their way up to the top of the castle roof. Naturally this is where they would find Yoshi, one of Mario’s close friends. A quick tongue-in-cheek dialogue moment later, he would reward 100 extra lives, as well as a brand new star jump. All in all, it was well worth the star grind years ago.

9. The discovery of a warp pipe (Super Mario Bros.)

1983’s Super Mario Bros. was a game that many people grew up with organically. For many players, Mario was a character who was just always there, ready to be played with for many hours. It was bound to happen that in those various hours spent in the Mushroom Kingdom, a warp pipe would be discovered.

Hearing the iconic sound as Mario sunk into the green pipe is a moment that is synonymous with the animated plumber, after all. That feeling of discovery and reward followed the series well into the 3D days.