There is a reason when you go to NYCC you probably will not see anyone dressed up as Aero the Acrobat (even though it would be kind of cool) and it is because there is one video game character that transcends the video game world. Mario is a character that goes well beyond just being a part of his video game. Mario is a staple of pop culture.
NYCC 2013 was chock full or Mario and Luigi costumes, along with some people even completing the trifecta and including Princess Peach. We all know who the star of the show is though, as Luigi just doesn’t have the star power (though I have to show love for “Luigi’s Mansion”) of his slightly older brother Mario. While the Mario look is not the most complex of costumes it also is not the easiest one. Sometimes it might be a bit confusing as to who people are cosplaying, there is never any issue with Mario. He is probably the most recognizable cosplay of any show.
Take a look at the people who do not even Cosplay at the event, and you will STILL see a percentage of them with Mario T-Shirts on. Mario still ranks high in internet searches, there are Mario Meme sites out there, and the amount of Mario fan art could fill Mario Super Sluggers stadium. Yes Mario even takes it to sports, and does a good job at it as well. One of my favorite sports games growing up was “Mario Tennis” because whatever Mario does, he is one of the best all around sports players. Jack of all Trades, Mario can bring it to any sport and do a good job.
Walking around the floor of NYCC 13 you will see a crowd, a huge jam-packed crowd in a booth that features a plumber. The Nintendo Booth had shoulder to shoulder people waiting to play the new “Super Mario 3D World” on Nintendo Wii U, which is not currently available (November release date). Even just his name can still sell consoles. That is it, plain and simple. There will be an influx of Wii U purchases when “Super Mario 3D” is released, and again when “Mario Kart” is brought out for the console. These are the sort of games that play long past their newness factor has worn off. Think about another game where after beating it, there are people on the internet (and video game world records) of beating the same game in the shortest amount of time. Mario is so intriguing that people make up games within the games to continue to enjoy what he brings to the table. Not to mention how incredibly fun games like “Mario Party” can be.
Now with that same thought, think about the number of Mario games that are on the market for all consoles and think about how many of them are bad. Not too many. Leave out the console limitations and those failures and that list becomes pretty small. I mean yes, things like “Hotel Mario” are bad, but that was because of a legal battle. When you have such a stellar quality title reputation like Mario, you become an a bit of a video game immortal. Being able to put a console on your back and walk the money line put you in a class all by yourself.
What I found most telling in how Mario is just so popular and on beat with pop culture was that there was a zombie version (think “The Walking Dead”) of Mario on the floor. Unfortunately, after seeing Zombie Mario I was unable to track him down to take a picture after the masses swarmed around him and the tide of the show moved me to another area. Do not fear though! You can look at the Kotaku Website to see a great picture that they took. Mario is so popular to be one of the top video game mascots, a huge player in cosplay, sell video game systems all by himself and become the target of cross over appeal with other hot pop culture items.
Mario is no longer just a mascot of his video game or even a mascot for Nintendo. Mario and his friends are representative of the growing culture of video gaming in general. Whether you are a hardcore gamer or a casual player, everyone knows and loves Mario and it is doubtful that will ever change.
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