Game References/Homages

[1upmushroom]

This is the unofficial SMB reference thread. Where we discuss, find, and list all the game references from the Super Mario Borthers Movie. Heres the list so far. And yes, I know that Phlibbit might be a little peeved at me. But, I thought that the SMB references just HAD to have a home where everyone talks about them, not just everywhere.

*There are numurous sound effects in the movie that are from the Mario games.

*Yoshi makes an apperancein the movie, and is still able to stick out a long tounge and eat stuff.

*Koopa's hair vaguely resembles the original video game art of Bowser for the orignal Super Mario Brotherss (NES)

*In the introduction of the alternate New York city, the names have two signs that are the names of classic Mario enemies. They are called Thwomp, and Bullet Bills.

*In the scene where they are in the boom-boom bar, right next to the girl who rats the Bros, there is a sign that has the name FRY GUY on it. A spoof of the enemy Fry Guy from Mario 2.

*At the scene with the junkyard, the guys who are picking the garbage, resembles the Snifits from Mario 2.

*The garbage scene also has an uncanny resembleance to Mario Kart, as does the Police Car Chase scene.

*At the very first few seconds, when they enter the boom boom bar, at the right of the screen, theres a guy who's clothes resembles the traditional Mario outfit, more than the suits, the Bros. wear in the middle of the movie.

*There are Goombas in the movie, but they are now big creatures with arms.

*Another type of Goomba, has a lizard head that resembles a Koopa Troopa head. Also, with that the structure of the creature, the Goomba's with the lizard head, are more fitted to be called the koopa Troopa's.

*There is also a rare third type of Goomba, that has a snake head. Possibly a reference to the little snake creature from Mario 2.

*There is a character called Toad, but only appears to have the name of the character nothing else besides he loathes Koopa.

*There's also a character named Big Bertha but she's not a fish.

*The final battle scene with Mario and Koopa recreate two final boss scenes. One: from Super Mario Bros, and two from Super Mario world.

More to come.

[oldskoolplayer86]

Awesome thread, simply awesome.

Here's what I came across on Mario Wiki. I believe some were already mentioned.

- Dinohattan is called a "Mushroom Kingdom" by President Koopa

- Charges used for the Thwomp Stomper-boots resemble Banzai Bills, while the boots themselves are inspired by the item Goomba's Shoe and enemy Thwomps.

- The junkyard workers are referred to as Snifits with a vague resemblance, while a group known as the "Fungus Squad" resemble Shy Guys

- A Bob-omb is used prominently near the end of the film after being spotted twice before, as well as a mushroom

- Big Bertha is a large woman in red at the Boom Boom Bar. She is based off of the giant red fish in Super Mario Bros. 3

- The Boom Boom Bar features graphics from Super Mario World projected onto the dance floor's wall, such as the Valley of Bowser rock-protrusion in the sea and a Boo. Boom Boom is also the name of the enemy boss at the end of every fortress in Super Mario Bros. 3

- Iggy is named after one of Bowser's children while Spike is named for the fortress mini-boss from Super Mario Bros. 3

- Several neon signs displayed in shots of the city read names of Mario characters/enemies. These include "Thwomp", "Bullet Bill's", "Hammer Bros. tattoos", and "Ostro". When Daisy is first captured, she is forced into a "Wiggler" taxi

- King Bowser's transformation back into human form at the end of the film is a reference to the end of each world in Super Mario Bros. 3 where the king of that world changes back into his normal form after the defeat of a Koopaling

- Yoshi appears in the film as an actual dinosaur, complete with use of his trademark long tongue

- After the credits end, two Japanese businessmen are seen proposing a deal to make a video game on unseen persons' adventures. The people are then revealed to be Iggy and Spike, with Iggy suggesting the game be titled "Iggy's World" and Spike suggesting "The Indomitable Spike". Both then agree that the game should be titled "The Super Koopa Cousins"


Sound Effects:

- The sound the boots make when activated is also the effect made when Mario takes a hit and dies. The boots also make a "cluck" noise a few times - this is the same noise when Mario (or whatever character the player is) collects a heart or cherry in Mario 2.

- When Koopa is talking to one of the policemen about the Devo Guns, the sound effect of getting an extra life at the end of a level can be heard in the background

- When Daisy is using the computer, the 1-up sound effect is heard.


EDIT: I put the ones already repeated in red to make it easier.

[1upmushroom]

Nice. I was actually gonna not some stuff you listed.

[oldskoolplayer86]

A few more I forgot to mention:

- During the police chase, there's a building with the sign REXX, a possible reference to the enemy Rex from Super Mario World ----> http://www.mariowiki.com/Rex

- The Koopahari Desert appears, a reference to the second world of Super Mario Bros. 3 (also known as Desert Land).

- The guns the goombas use shoot fireballs, acting like the fire flower.

- The Devo guns are repainted Super Scopes from the Super Nintendo.

- After the mattress/tunnel chase, the mattress that Mario and the Brooklyn girls are on crashes into a few goombas. Mario is briefly shown ducking. In the games, Mario ducks to a similar manner.


And I can't believe nobody mentioned the most obvious one!
The traditional Mario Bros. theme at the start of the movie.

[Zack]

most of these were mentioned but for unneeded visual aid lol


Thwomp also the SMB3 art of the Thwomp appears on the bottom of the Stompers.


Tweeter the lizards are referred to as Fried Tweeter.


Rexx the purple dinosaur from SMW appears in a green neon sign.


Hammer Bros Hammer Bros Tattoo. Also the cops have similar helmets.


FryGuy building protected by FryGuy flamethrowes.


Bullet Bills in a neon sign also as the cartridge for the Thwomp Stompers.


Sparks a neon sign says Sparky.


Boom Boom the fortress bosses from SMB3 as the Boom Boom Bar.


OstroBoo(Didley) the ostrich Shy Guys ride in SMB2, Now Appearing Boo Didley, the original name for the ghosts.(Parody of musician Bo Didley.)


Rotodisc spheres that are found in SMB3 fortresses that circle around.


Wiggler the yellow caterpillars from SMW appear as a Taxi Cab company.

[Guest]

When Mario says, "Lets hit the bricks!" when he steals the police car, its a clear reference to the game. (I am surprised no one got this.)

If you look closely at the wall designs in Koopa's Tower, they resemble the designs in the SMB3 castles:





Blooper: When Mario and Luigi meet Toad, Mario is annoyed when Toad starts singing. Yet when the cop car pulls up Mario is dancing to Toads singing.

[Zack]

I caught on to those. Man there's a lot!! Someone says when Luigi activates the computer in the car there is a "?" in a square on the screen. Subtle question block? lol

Blooper: When Mario and Luigi meet Toad, Mario is annoyed when Toad starts singing. Yet when the cop car pulls up Mario is dancing to Toads singing.

Ahh that's one of those weird things I'd probably attribute to Bob Hoskins just screwing around on the set. Or pretty quick emotional shift from being pissed/upset to air strumming with Toad's song lol Reminds me of when Mario goes to shake Koopa's hand and is offended he rejects it at first then happily shakes it when Koopa offers his hand.

[Guest]

lol. Bob Hoskins...The king of inconsistent sequences

[Redstar]

Some of those I never caught, particularly the Tweeter reference. I don't even recall that enemy... It looks like that little white bear thing from Final Fantasy.

[oldskoolplayer86]

Some of those I never caught, particularly the Tweeter reference. I don't even recall that enemy... It looks like that little white bear thing from Final Fantasy.

I never caught that reference either. The Tweeters were from Super Mario Bros. 2

[oldskoolplayer86]

Another small reference I noticed. After Koopa is defeated, Luigi holds up the peace sign, which is used by the Bros. in various games (most notably, Super Mario World after a completed level).

[1upmushroom]

Wow, guys. Those are some pretty interesting references! Some, I actually forgot to mention. Well, anyway. I forgot to mention one reference. In the uncreditited list on Imdb, Shigerau Miyamotto is on that list.

[Phlibbit]

He was a script/story consultant, IIRC.

[1upmushroom]

Anyway, theres one reference I think I left out.

*The way the Bros. enter the parrallel world is simlar to the way, the Bros go down the pipes.

(Tell me if this has been used.)

[Guest]

just wanted to mention that in the Super Mario Bros 3 and Super Mario World cartoons, Mario's voice sounds alot like Bob Hoskins' voice.

[billbot85]

just wanted to mention that in the Super Mario Bros 3 and Super Mario World cartoons, Mario's voice sounds alot like Bob Hoskins' voice.

Yeah they both had the same gruff-like voice, kinda how you would picture a plumber talking (at least for me, anyway). Even in the cartoons, Mario and Luigi came from Brooklyn and would refer to it a lot. Since I started playing mario around this time, I always associated Mario more with the Brooklyn-type persona as opposed to the non-descript Italian persona that he had from n64 onwards.

Nevertheless, I still love Martinet's work with the character and how successful its been.

[1upmushroom]

Ok, very soon I'm gonna put all of the references we founs into a giant list. And if there are other references found, I'll simply add it to the list. That way everyone will know all of the references and not get confused.

Also the other reason this list is being made is so after we've numbered all of the references, we'll finally see if the movie is very loose to its source material.

[Trust The Fungus]

*Koopa's hair vaguely resembles the original video game art of Bowser for the orignal Super Mario Brotherss (NES)

you mean this koopa?

[Redstar]

I believe he meant this depiction of Bowser, though that sculpt is definitely a closer representation. Where did you find it?

(And when quoting it's best to cut out everything but the part you're replying to, or at least bold the relevant part. Saves room and makes it easier for us to know what you're responding to)

[Redstar]

I just realized this one: the Mushroom King is literally a king composed of fungus during most of the movie! XD

[Prime Evil]

I just realized this one: the Mushroom King is literally a king composed of fungus during most of the movie! XD

That's what's known as a Stealth Pun.

[Mama Luigi]

Phlibbit edit (11/10/10): Took out the "spoiler" tags.

Koopa's tower through the end / finale, resembles the gameplay of most of the Mario games, whereas Bowser's Castle is at the end of every world. In the movie, Mario & the group head to Koopa's tower to rescue Daisy.

[Prime Evil]

Um...yes, well, I'm sure we've all seen the movie, so your concern about spoilers, while understandable, is a moot point.

(Unless, of course, you're posting this from 1993, which means that you might be caught in a temporal paradox. )

[Phlibbit]

Oh...so that's where Toad's haircut came from. Can't believe I never caught that!

[Redstar]

You know, that does seem like an incredibly obvious origin for his hairstyle. Considering Toad was "Lemmy" in the early shooting script it would explain why Mojo wasn't given a hairstyle with a more apparent allusion to Toad's mushroom cap.

[Prime Evil]

You know, that does seem like an incredibly obvious origin for his hairstyle. Considering Toad was "Lemmy" in the early shooting script it would explain why Mojo wasn't given a hairstyle with a more apparent allusion to Toad's mushroom cap.

A 'fro?

[Redstar]

You know, that does seem like an incredibly obvious origin for his hairstyle. Considering Toad was "Lemmy" in the early shooting script it would explain why Mojo wasn't given a hairstyle with a more apparent allusion to Toad's mushroom cap.

A 'fro?

Ha. Somehow I don't think that would have aged very well. XD

[Star Ma'am]

-Koopa's platform at the end closely resembles Bowser's 'clown' car which first debuted in Super Mario World

-Some people think 'Somewhere My Love' (or 'The Dancing Goombas' Song', as I affectionately call it for obvious reasons) was added in because the tune sounds very similar to the underwater theme from the original Super Mario Bros.

-While briefly at the construction site, Koopa de-evolves Scapelli (when intending to target Mario) into a monkey. This is a reference to the original Donkey Kong (which takes place at a construction site, and in which Mario is the main character)

[Phlibbit]

-Some people think 'Somewhere My Love' (or 'The Dancing Goombas' Song', as I affectionately call it for obvious reasons) was added in because the tune sounds very similar to the underwater theme from the original Super Mario Bros.

I've always thought this--I'm surprised someone else made that connection. While I'm not sure if this song had a deliberate connection to the original SMB underwater theme, it's a compelling coincidence at the very least. I've always wanted to make a video mishmashing the elevator theme and the SMB underwater theme.

[1upmushroom]

-Some people think 'Somewhere My Love' (or 'The Dancing Goombas' Song', as I affectionately call it for obvious reasons) was added in because the tune sounds very similar to the underwater theme from the original Super Mario Bros.

I've always thought this--I'm surprised someone else made that connection. While I'm not sure if this song had a deliberate connection to the original SMB underwater theme, it's a compelling coincidence at the very least. I've always wanted to make a video mishmashing the elevator theme and the SMB underwater theme.

Hey at the resturant scene, the music int that scene always reminded me of the underwater theme from Mario 1 as well. I think this one was more intentional.

[Star Ma'am]

Like with Iggy, King Koopa introducing himself as Larry Lazard could be another Koopaling reference ('Larry' is the name of another of the Koopalings).

And no, Spike is not named after the fortress mini-boss (who is Boom Boom, from whom the Boom Boom Bar takes its name). Spike is named after this guy: http://www.mariowiki.com/Spike_(enemy)

Yes I noticed the 'snake'-like resemblance of some Goombas' heads... as for 'the little snake creature in Mario 2', do you mean Cobrat (the single-headed small snake) or Tryclyde (the three-headed snake boss of worlds 2 and 6)?

Thwomp Stomper cartridge 'cluck' sound - I thought it was the 'bit yer bum!' sound (as mum and I call the sound made when you lose a life)? Plus I thought they resembled Bullet Bills (not the larger Banzai ones)?

The scene where Mario and the missing girls ride a mattress through a freezing cold pipe could be a reference to both Ice Land and Pipe Land (AKA the Pipe Maze) from Mario 3? Similarly, the structure of the pipes (when the Bros. enter the heating system) very closely resembles such of the pipes' typical structure in Pipe Land.

[Redstar]

Like with Iggy, King Koopa introducing himself as Larry Lazard could be another Koopaling reference ('Larry' is the name of another of the Koopalings).

That's entirely possible, actually. I never considered that.

And no, Spike is not named after the fortress mini-boss (who is Boom Boom, from whom the Boom Boom Bar takes its name). Spike is named after this guy: http://www.mariowiki.com/Spike_(enemy)

The hairstyle of the creature and character do somewhat resemble each other, don't they?

Thwomp Stomper cartridge 'cluck' sound - I thought it was the 'bit yer bum!' sound (as mum and I call the sound made when you lose a life)? Plus I thought they resembled Bullet Bills (not the larger Banzai ones)?

Early scripts referred to them as "Banzai Bills" while the film itself never labels them in any way... While they may more appropriately be named "Bullet Bills" I don't think we can be sure what the latest consensus was come shooting-time. Also important to note is that different size cartridges allowed for various heights and lengths of "jump" travel... Perhaps the Bullet Bills were for short distances while the larger Banzai Bills were for longer distances?

The scene where Mario and the missing girls ride a mattress through a freezing cold pipe could be a reference to both Ice Land and Pipe Land (AKA the Pipe Maze) from Mario 3? Similarly, the structure of the pipes (when the Bros. enter the heating system) very closely resembles such of the pipes' typical structure in Pipe Land.

Early scripts and cut footage reveal a lot more of Koopa's Tower was supposed to have been frozen due to Mario and Luigi's sabotage. I think this is more of a reference to the "Ice Dungeon" of Parker and Terry's original draft, which was itself lifted from Jim and Tom's original fantasy-based script.

[Phlibbit]

Early scripts referred to them as "Banzai Bills" while the film itself never labels them in any way... While they may more appropriately be named "Bullet Bills" I don't think we can be sure what the latest consensus was come shooting-time. Also important to note is that different size cartridges allowed for various heights and lengths of "jump" travel... Perhaps the Bullet Bills were for short distances while the larger Banzai Bills were for longer distances?

I consider them to be Bullet Bills. Remember, on the actual props, they're labeled "Bullet Bill."

[oldskoolplayer86]

I found another possible reference to the video games here, and this may be a bit of a stretch. The show Luigi watches, "Our Miraculous World", doesn't the title screen look a bit like the title screen to the original Super Mario Bros.?

[Redstar]

I consider them to be Bullet Bills. Remember, on the actual props, they're labeled "Bullet Bill."

Well, I don't own any of the props, so...

EDIT: As Phlibbit pointed out to me via Skype, the props do indeed have "Bullet Bill" etched into their backs, as evidenced in a photo moviemaker29 posted in the Props thread.

[Guest]

I found another possible reference to the video games here, and this may be a bit of a stretch. The show Luigi watches, "Our Miraculous World", doesn't the title screen look a bit like the title screen to the original Super Mario Bros.?

Yeah and it pans off to the right of the screen just like in the demo sequence of the game, nice catch there.

One thing id like to add.

The lights on the stomper boots when they power up is very similar to the Fly/Run meter in SMB 3. They work almost identical.

[Star Ma'am]

The lights on the stomper boots when they power up is very similar to the Fly/Run meter in SMB 3

Yes! Well spotted! I should know this especially since just yesterday I was playing SMB3 LOL

[Prime Evil]

Wowzers, this proves that the filmmakers had their hearts in the right place when they made this film. Of course, all the stuff on this page is mere conjecture, but it makes SMB as densely-packed as an Alan Moore graphic-novel, specifically The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen and what it does with 19th Century literature.

[oldskoolplayer86]

One of my friends came over the other night, we decided to watch Super Mario Bros. I was mainly looking for video game/cartoon references and I caught these.

- During the faceoff, Mario calls Koopa "lizard breath". I believe Mario called Koopa this in one of the cartoons. If I had to guess, it would be the Super Show.

- Luigi calls Mario "big brother" when he's driving. I know, a bit of a stretch but on numerous occasions in the cartoons Luigi did call Mario this. Yes, granted Mario is older making him the big brother, it goes without saying Luigi would call him this, but the question is, did they take this from the cartoons?

- The tunnel Mario and the missing Brooklyn girls ride in, would you consider that a "warp pipe" so to speak?

- I read that the flamethrowers act like the fire flower, but on Fryguy's page on Mariopedia, it reads this: In the Super Mario Bros. movie, the flamethrowers used by King Koopa and his minions are referred to as "Fryguy Flamethrowers".

I haven't seen/heard anything of them being referred to as Fryguy Flamethrowers, anyone know?

[1upmushroom]

Nice! i never hought of those before. Especially the thought of the pipe chase scene to be like a warp pipe. Thanks for posting these!