Tweet
15 Mario Cameos You Might've Missed
In Honor of Mario's 30th Anniversary
In Mario's 30 years in gaming, he has appeared as a playable character in over a hundred different games. But throughout his extensive career, he has also made appearances in other games too, some of them you might have never expected to see him in. So to celebrate this lovable Italian plumber's 30th anniversary, here are some of his most unexpected cameo appearances that you might've missed.
Pinball
Mario made a cameo appearance in a bonus stage in Pinball for the NES. Bearing similarities to Breakout, the goal of the bonus stage was for Mario to use a platform to bounce a pinball into rows of objects to save the distressed Pauline above.
Tennis
While gamers predominantly know Mario for being a plumber, he also worked a job as a tennis umpire. As you can see from his cameo appearance in Tennis for the NES, he was quite skilled at making fair judgments.
Punch-Out!!
On top of being a plumber and tennis umpire, Mario also famously appeared as a boxing referee in Punch-Out!! Despite being an advocate for a fair fight, he counted way too slow during the game's final bout.
Tetris
If you beat the NES version of Tetris in B-mode on the highest difficulty, Mario can be found angrily dancing alongside Luigi above the Kremlin in the credits screen. Also appearing with them are other classic Nintendo characters, like Princess Beach, Donkey Kong, Kid Icarus, Samus Aran, and Link.
SimCity
In the SNES version of SimCity, Mario appears as an unlockable statue that you can put up once your city's population reaches 500,000 residents. Who needs the Statue of Liberty anyway when you can have a giant statue of Mario instead?
Kirby Super Star
Mario and several other characters from the Mushroom Kingdom can be seen in the audience during the Megaton Punch Championship in Kirby Super Star. Surprisingly, their identical twins also decided to come out to watch the competition.
Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes
In Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes, Mario and Yoshi figurines could be spotted in Otacon's lab on the second floor basement of the nuclear storage building. If you fire a weapon at Mario, he'll make a 1-Up noise that'll restore some of your life bar, while firing at Yoshi will result in him saying his name.
NBA Street v3
As a part of a three game deal between Nintendo and EA to have Nintendo characters appear in EA franchises, Mario was included as a playable character in the Gamecube version of NBA Street V3. And as you can see above, the result was by far one of the strangest cameos he ever made.
SSX On Tour
As the second game in the deal between Nintendo and EA, Mario took to the slopes alongside Luigi and Princess Peach in SSX On Tour. Thankfully, the appearance was a better fit than the stark contrast in style seen in NBA Street V3.
Pilotwings 64
In the Mount Rushmore section of the Little States level in Pilotwings 64, you can find Mario's face in place of where George Washington's should be. Though, if you shoot his face, it'll fall apart and reveal Wario's face instead.
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
While Mario has made numerous cameo appearances in The Legend of Zelda series, a notable one that's slightly difficult to spot is his appearance in Ocarina of Time. If you look closely in the area where Princess Zelda usually stands in Hyrule Castle, there are actually paintings of Mario and others hung up on the walls.
Just Dance 3
Mario made a cameo appearance in a song for Just Dance 3 called "Just Mario." In it, the plump Italian plumber can be seen doing all kinds of sweet dance moves to classic tunes from the Mario series.
Taiko no Tatsujin
Taiko no Tatsujin, or Taiko Drum Master as its known in North America, features a Mario-themed medley track where Mario, Luigi, Blue Toad, and Yellow Toad appear in the background and run through a level as the song is being played.
Scribblenauts Unlimited
Mario appears in the Wii U and 3DS versions of Scribblenauts Unlimited as a guest object you can spawn into a level. Initially a peaceful object you can co-exist with in-game, he will become hostile if put in the presence of Bowser, Koopa Troopa, and Goomba objects.
Pac-Man Vs.
Unlike other games in this list, Mario's cameo in Pac-Man Vs. for the Gamecube is much more subtle. As opposed to being a straight-up appearance, the red-hatted plumber shows up in this multiplayer Pac-Man game as its announcer, spouting off phrases like "Go go go!" and "You can do it!" While Mario's voice is a weird touch in a non-Nintendo game devoid of his presence, it's worth noting that Shigeru Miyamoto himself designed the game.
More...
In Mario's 30 years in gaming, he has appeared as a playable character in over a hundred different games. But throughout his extensive career, he has also made appearances in other games too, some of them you might have never expected to see him in. So to celebrate this lovable Italian plumber's 30th anniversary, here are some of his most unexpected cameo appearances that you might've missed.
Pinball
Mario made a cameo appearance in a bonus stage in Pinball for the NES. Bearing similarities to Breakout, the goal of the bonus stage was for Mario to use a platform to bounce a pinball into rows of objects to save the distressed Pauline above.
Tennis
While gamers predominantly know Mario for being a plumber, he also worked a job as a tennis umpire. As you can see from his cameo appearance in Tennis for the NES, he was quite skilled at making fair judgments.
Punch-Out!!
On top of being a plumber and tennis umpire, Mario also famously appeared as a boxing referee in Punch-Out!! Despite being an advocate for a fair fight, he counted way too slow during the game's final bout.
Tetris
If you beat the NES version of Tetris in B-mode on the highest difficulty, Mario can be found angrily dancing alongside Luigi above the Kremlin in the credits screen. Also appearing with them are other classic Nintendo characters, like Princess Beach, Donkey Kong, Kid Icarus, Samus Aran, and Link.
SimCity
In the SNES version of SimCity, Mario appears as an unlockable statue that you can put up once your city's population reaches 500,000 residents. Who needs the Statue of Liberty anyway when you can have a giant statue of Mario instead?
Kirby Super Star
Mario and several other characters from the Mushroom Kingdom can be seen in the audience during the Megaton Punch Championship in Kirby Super Star. Surprisingly, their identical twins also decided to come out to watch the competition.
Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes
In Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes, Mario and Yoshi figurines could be spotted in Otacon's lab on the second floor basement of the nuclear storage building. If you fire a weapon at Mario, he'll make a 1-Up noise that'll restore some of your life bar, while firing at Yoshi will result in him saying his name.
NBA Street v3
As a part of a three game deal between Nintendo and EA to have Nintendo characters appear in EA franchises, Mario was included as a playable character in the Gamecube version of NBA Street V3. And as you can see above, the result was by far one of the strangest cameos he ever made.
SSX On Tour
As the second game in the deal between Nintendo and EA, Mario took to the slopes alongside Luigi and Princess Peach in SSX On Tour. Thankfully, the appearance was a better fit than the stark contrast in style seen in NBA Street V3.
Pilotwings 64
In the Mount Rushmore section of the Little States level in Pilotwings 64, you can find Mario's face in place of where George Washington's should be. Though, if you shoot his face, it'll fall apart and reveal Wario's face instead.
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
While Mario has made numerous cameo appearances in The Legend of Zelda series, a notable one that's slightly difficult to spot is his appearance in Ocarina of Time. If you look closely in the area where Princess Zelda usually stands in Hyrule Castle, there are actually paintings of Mario and others hung up on the walls.
Just Dance 3
Mario made a cameo appearance in a song for Just Dance 3 called "Just Mario." In it, the plump Italian plumber can be seen doing all kinds of sweet dance moves to classic tunes from the Mario series.
Taiko no Tatsujin
Taiko no Tatsujin, or Taiko Drum Master as its known in North America, features a Mario-themed medley track where Mario, Luigi, Blue Toad, and Yellow Toad appear in the background and run through a level as the song is being played.
Scribblenauts Unlimited
Mario appears in the Wii U and 3DS versions of Scribblenauts Unlimited as a guest object you can spawn into a level. Initially a peaceful object you can co-exist with in-game, he will become hostile if put in the presence of Bowser, Koopa Troopa, and Goomba objects.
Pac-Man Vs.
Unlike other games in this list, Mario's cameo in Pac-Man Vs. for the Gamecube is much more subtle. As opposed to being a straight-up appearance, the red-hatted plumber shows up in this multiplayer Pac-Man game as its announcer, spouting off phrases like "Go go go!" and "You can do it!" While Mario's voice is a weird touch in a non-Nintendo game devoid of his presence, it's worth noting that Shigeru Miyamoto himself designed the game.
More...