Mustachioed man Mario, Nintendo's mascot, has been a staple in gaming since what feels like the dawn of time. He has traversed galaxies, turned into objects, and faced many foes.
And yet, those don't begin to cover the strangest things that this perky plumber has done. Classically, he fights off enemies to save the Princess, who always seems to be in another castle, and saves the day. We've taken a look at Mario's beguiling history to pick out some of the weirdest things that he has done.
9 Became A Doctor
To start things off, let's look at this 'job' he had. Mario became a doctor for a spattering of spin-off games, and cameos across other Nintendo titles. But... how? Did he go to college? Has he got a doctorate? Or any professional qualifications?
Likely not. He masqueraded as a medical professional using his alter ego Dr. Mario time and time again, with no regard for any potential 'patients' safety. Not that he really did any doctoring, it was mostly throwing oversized pills at Space Invader-like monsters.
8 Held Many Professions
Mario has been billed as a plumber since the very beginning - hence the strangeness of his Doctor career - but even that isn't all. Over the years he has moonlighted as many a different type of worker.
In Donkey Kong, he originally appeared as a carpenter, before the plumbing took over. He then went on to work construction in Wrecking Crew. Weirder still, he ran a brewery in the Game & Watch Mario Bros., and later titles sent him off to join the army! Mario has had a very colorful past in terms of employment, but it doesn't stop there.
7 Went Inside Bowser
In true Nintendo form, there are some odd entries into the Mario Bros franchise. One of them sees Mario and his brother Luigi team up and head inside Bowser. Yes, inside.
Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story sees the classic duo head into the beast, literally, by being inhaled. Bowser doesn't know they are there, though. This is an incredibly strange occurrence. To make a long story short, Bowser was tricked into eating a mushroom that made him able to inhale anything. He goes on a mindless rampage and ends up inhaling the heroes, among others!
6 Consumes Any And All Mushrooms
Mushrooms can be a very dangerous thing to those who are not trained to identify them correctly. But Mario doesn't care. He sees a mushroom floating around, he will consume it. Or absorb, as he doesn't literally eat it.
Red mushrooms make you big, green give you an extra life, and let's not forget the classic 'weird mushroom' from Super Mario Maker that turns Mario into a lanky, Luigi-like shape. There are other mushrooms, like the Gold Mush, Mini Mush, Boo Mush... the list is almost endless.
5 Became A Literal Dinosaur
Alright, come on now, how does this even happen? The next, very weird, thing that Mario has done is to turn into and possess a Tyrannosaurus Rex.
In 2017's Mario Odyssey, Mario uses his assistant Cappy to become any creature that it landed on. One of these is the fearsome dinosaur. Once the cap is on it, the dinosaur gains a mustache and is controllable. With it, you can create a massive trail of destruction. Fun though this is, it does not explain how this incredibly odd occurrence happens.
4 Frequently Dresses Up As Animals
In some respects, it might seem weird for a grown man to be running around the world dressed as a furry Tanooki, or a cool penguin. To each their own, but it doesn't seem that practical.
Not only does Mario don the costume of creatures, but somehow gains their abilities. For instance, there is the Raccoon Mario form, where he sprouts a tail and ears, and can briefly fly, and attack with the tail. This leads to the Tanooki Suit, which allows temporary immunity to enemies.
3 Murdered Thousands Of Toads
Did anyone else know about this? According to official Mushroom Kingdom lore, Mario is the murderer of thousands upon thousands of Mushroom Kingdom citizens.
In the manual that came with Super Mario Bros. for the NES, it states that one day the Mushroom Kingdom was invaded, and all the Mushroom People were turned into objects. Objects, such as plants, stones... and bricks. You know, the bricks that Mario frequently breaks with his head over and over? Each of those was probably a Mushroom Kingdom-ite!
2 Turned Into Literal Paper
This raises a lot of questions about Mario's physical entity, and the worlds in which he can inhabit. How is it possible to turn from a 3D form to a 2D bit of paper, and back again?
Even in the fictional setting of the Mushroom Kingdom, this is strange. So far there are six games in which the 'plumber' is transformed into a piece of origami. The playful, papery games add more personality to a lot of characters, despite being so literally flat, but it is an odd concept.
1 Claimed To Be A Plumber
Here's a good question: when has Mario actually done any sort of plumbing? He jumps in and out of pipes sometimes, but that doesn't quite count. It is written that Mario is a plumber, due to the games he featured in having a lot of underground settings for their levels. Originally, he was a carpenter, but this made less sense than a plumber, apparently.
Back in 2017, Nintendo made an official statement that Mario was no longer a plumber, but this was changed back in 2018. Once a pipefitter, always a pipefitter.