Forty years ago, the Nintendo Entertainment System hit North American shores, singlehandedly resurrecting the video-game market after its infamous post-Atari crash in 1983. To do so, it needed a heavy hitter, a killer must-have title that could put butts in seats and lock audiences into the tube TV until their eyes bleed. That game was Super Mario Bros. — a product so potent, its exact alchemy has never been re-created.
Although Mario himself first appeared in 1981’s Donkey Kong for arcades, it was the very super 1985 NES game that catapulted the mustachioed mascot into the pop-culture stratosphere. After appearing in hundreds of games, Mario himself has basically become gaming’s Mickey Mouse; his face and faux-Italian cadence instantly recognizable to anyone who has been on Earth for the past four decades. Movies, Lego sets, theme parks — all of these are just part of his overall-clad empire. But only the faithful know everything about the Mushroom Kingdom’s shell-stomping messiah. Let’s see if you belong on the guest list for one of Mario’s parties by taking the quiz below.
Scorecard:
Zero to 30% correct: Too bad! But don’t worry, it’s not quite game over. You might not be able to tell the Koopalings apart or know exactly how to get to the Minus Zone, but there’s a few easy ways to get a 1-Up. The quickest route to get to know more Mario lore is to play the games — pick up a Nintendo Switch Online subscription, which will grant access to the essentials with emulators of NES, Game Boy, SNES, Nintendo 64, and more.
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31 to 60% correct: Let’s-a-go! You might’ve been a PlayStation kid, but it seems like you’ve got a grip on the fundamentals of sentient fungi. The best way to level up your knowledge might be to grab a copy of Nintendo’s official Super Mario Bros. Encyclopedia — which covers everything from the OG entries to Super Mario Odyssey.
61 to 100% correct: Wahooooo! You’re a superstar who probably knows all the words to “The Mario Rap.” At this point, your education needs to extend beyond the page or screen. We recommend booking an immersive IRL experience at Universal’s Super Nintendo World to fully live and breathe the Mushroom Kingdom in-person. And if you’re truly committed to going deep down the warp pipe into Mario history, Kyoto’s exclusive Nintendo Museum awaits, where you can see just about every single Mario game, toy, and oddity ever made.
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