Why did Nintendo put HUMANS into Mario?

Super Mario Odyssey featured some pretty surprising new characters - actual human beings!! In this video, I'll explain the true reason Nintendo added realistic human beings to the Super Mario series - because it turns out, they'd been trying to do so for 15 years!
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SOURCES
- shmuplations.com/mariosunshine/
- www.theverge.com/2017/8/28/16...
- www.vice.com/en/article/gyp38...
- www.ign.com/articles/2017/06/...
- www.gq.com/story/super-mario-...
- www.4gamer.net/games/368/G036...
- nintendoeverything.com/super-... (English summary)

[@zada2423]

Mario is also, technically, a kids game. I think it makes you feel like a kid running around having fun while the 'grown ups' are living their boring business lives.

[@gamr9655]

we're all gonna be grown ups living boring business lives at some point.

[@chompythebeast]

Yeah, we're stuck on their height here, but no mention of how they not only grew from the original concept, but grew grayer, too. They went from colorful to the proverbial Man in the Gray Flannel Suit. I think this was another intentional point of contrast, and I think the point you make must absolutely have occurred to the developers

[@Rook_BT]

That's actually a great way to put it!

[@svetlananikolaeva8039]

It's E for everyone not KO kids only

[@gargoyled_drake]

@@gamr9655 that would require the need for human ressources, but soceity is moving away from that. We are all gonna be grown ups though.

[@AshXXMayftw]

The humans may be realistic, but if you take time to talk to them, they are pretty colorful. There's even a Moon you can get for just sitting with a guy and chatting, with him thanking you for doing so. That was a really nice touch.

[@GamepadStudios]

That was pretty wholesome

[@AndrewDukes]

He hurt my dick 🎉😢

[@PotatoPatatoVonSpudsworth]

Probably my favourite moon. It felt like Mario came a gave my adult self a pep talk.

[@StevenJones851]

That sounds like a cool Moon Quest and very Wholesome

[@libraeevee9467]

And I think a moon if you help another guy with his race car

[@hsandco9560]

I think the humans being so realistic while mario is still so cartoony just makes it sillier to look at

[@manuelk1853]

Yeah, I really wish they didn't scrapped the originally planned more cartoonish Mario-like humans for Odyssey...

[@Descriptor413]

@@manuelk1853 Honestly, the realistic humans kinda give me Sonic 06 vibes. It kinda detracts from the magic of the world in a weird way. Mario has never exactly had a deep or cohesive world, even in the RPG games, but everything still kinda meshed. But having so much sheer contrast in Odyssey just weakens the brand, though, if you will. But eh, it's still fun at least.

[@Therizinosaurus]

Mario is like a dwarf.

[@LordVader1094]

@@Descriptor413 Yeah I agree, it's just too much of a visual contrast to actually look good. I'd much rather have people that are like Mario running around doing their own thing.

[@michaelbalfour3170]

If you played 3d platformers back when, this was common. I really like it, the mix of cartoon and realistic.

[@TP3200]

I always think the "New Donkers" are a weird species just like Koopas or Toads. Coincidentally they just happen to look a lot like humans and New York. Kind of like how in The Simpsons, the aliens speak Rijelian, but by an astonishing coincidence, it's exactly the same as English.

[@_Adie]

That's what I always thought too.

[@Klaxynd]

I wonder if New Donkers have pet turtles now…

[@popculturedata]

It sure is strange to see Mario among all these humans

[@NathanA]

It sure is strange to see Mario…………. among us

[@Myriapod774]

@@NathanA GET OUT OF MY HEAD GET OUT OF MY HEAD GET OUT OF MY HEAD

[@Bryce_the_Woomy_Boi]

@@NathanA stop it. Not everything is an among us joke.

[@marisolramirez9591]

​@Nathan A why did this make me lose it

[@WhimsicalLittledawg]

AMONG(us)

[@jotanuki]

I like to imagine that normal humans in Mario universe are cartoony and small just like Mario, and those realistic humans are just weird, uncanny and bigger creatures

[@nachovichoZX]

Like slenderman

[@mahna_mahna]

They're like some cheap Doctor Who villain. All wearing the same clothes, all looking like cheap asset flips. There's not even any children.

[@kamikeserpentail3778]

Yeah, Mario is from Brooklyn. These guys are from New Donk City, a parallel universe full of giant ape men. After all, it's on the same planet as the mushroom kingdom, apparently

[@theepic1944]

Mario is a human too.

[@nachovichoZX]

@@kamikeserpentail3778 Mario was born, raised and works as a plumber in the Mushroom Kingdom. The Brooklyn origin is from the movie.

[@poweroffriendship2.0]

The human residence in New Donk City looks more like they came straight out of a GTA or SIMS game compared to Mario and his pal's cartoony design. I don't mind seeing the concept art of Mario sitting next to the New Donker holding a coffee, which is wholesome.

[@perryakers4222]

1st

[@fatmario8244]

The humans that Nintendo had planned for Super Mario Sunshine we’re not realistic. They were cartoonishly stylised like Mario, had similar features and were the same height as him. Also, we see these types of humans with cartoonish proportions in the new Mario movie and in some games like Mario golf.

[@manuelk1853]

And it was first planned with Super Mario Odyssey too, but then cut for some reason. Really bothers me, because I liked this scrapped ideas and designs more than the now realistic-looking ones.

[@beauwalker9820]

I remember they said in an interview they considered realistic humans for Sunshine, but thought they looked weird and changed them to be more cartoony.

[@MrChickennugget360]

@@manuelk1853 main issue is they are just too tall. i don't mind Mario being shorter but no so short he does not seem like he is human.

[@Kuchenwurst]

Yes, I as well have watched the video and am able to recite its contents

[@fatmario8244]

@@manuelk1853 It’s quite strange, as normal humans do exist in the Mario style

[@Benja04]

It's funny how the Mario Movie shows that humans in "real-world" Brooklyn look more appropriately styled to Mario and Luigi where else the humans residing in 'New Donk City'' AKA 'The New Donkers' look more photo-realistic despite the fact that they exist in the same dimension as the Mushroom Kingdom!

[@finchatforharambe905]

Yea I prefer the movies humans more

[@manuelk1853]

Yeah and this is what really bothers me and just makes no sense. They originally planned on making the humans in New Donk City look more like Mario but for some reason changed it to the realistic looking ones. Such a shame...

[@ssppeeaarr]

different canons. dont try to mix n make it all fit!! cant wait for smb the movie 2. with yoshi and mama luigi... 😁

[@legoboy7107]

@@Benja04 If the Mario Movie were canon to the games though, then what about Yoshi's Island? That game very much says otherwise about which dimension Mario was "born" in (his parents are shown living in a Mushroom house at the end), and there's no reason to believe that Yoshi's Island is non-canon to the other Mario games.

[@ExodusCore]

The developer was an idiot. Frankly, I hope the explain away the new Donkers in a later Mario game and make them into some sort of dimensional creatures that just took on a fake shape and that their world was not real and was just based on Mario's memories.

[@Victini7472]

i don't mind the humans in odyssey, obviously they feel unfitting and i feel like that's the point, but i do prefer it when they either make new species (like piantas), or do what the mario movie did and make the humans match the mario style, but that's just my opinion

[@alexpotts6520]

It just raises too many confusing questions IMO. Either Mario (as well as Luigi, Peach etc) are human, OR the New Donkers are. But clearly not both because they look too different. So which one is it?

[@seandwalsh3]

@@alexpotts6520hey’re all humans, just different races from different parts of the planet. Kenta Motokura confirmed it in an interview.

[@Victini7472]

@@alexpotts6520 i'm guessing theyre both human, but theyre two different subspecies of human? idk i kinda treat sonic like that, with the humans from adventure/sa2 compared to the unleashed ones

[@meno3104]

@@Victini7472 and Sonic 06 too

[@paolasalazar9840]

@@Victini7472 Y’all are thinking too of much this. Humans are humans, Mario is human and humans come in all shapes and sizes and colors. That’s where the uniqueness comes from everyone. I mean who all wants to look the same anyways. Human is human and it’s been stated. I don’t understand the pluto/goofy thing when there’s a complete difference when Mario isn’t a pet to these humans. He’s as human as they are, he’s just unique and special

[@YanntastischGER]

The game's art book had so much more Mario-like designs. I kinda get they choose realistic GTA people because Odyssey was all about unexpentancy, but I still feel like the old designs would have fit way better. Even the idea with a city of 8-bit humans would've fit the Mario world better. The movie just recently showed us a perfect example for humans in the Mario world, too.

[@manuelk1853]

I totally agree 100%!!

[@flow185]

They would fit better but lost so much of that little spice they had

[@PhattyBolger]

Never played Odyssey, but I think since Mario is from Brooklyn, a borough of New York City, it's a bit strange to make humans from a big city look completely different to him. Kind of creates some Goofy/Pluto level confusion if they're both humans. Also, they look like the NPCs from Sonic '06.

[@Bluestlark]

Actually in the current cannon, confirmed by nintendo, Mario IS from the mushroom kigdom, his design is based on blue collar workers from brooklin, but the funny man is from the mushroom kingdom :3

[@d.d5619]

dude its a game

[@PotatoPatatoVonSpudsworth]

@@Bluestlark| This is true, but I wonder if the old backstory's been re-established now, due to the movie?

[@FlynnHutchinson2000]

@@PotatoPatatoVonSpudsworth The movie is not cannon

[@FancifulDancingStar]

@@PotatoPatatoVonSpudsworth The movie and the games are different continuities (there's plenty of evidence of this beyond just the Brooklyn thing). And as much as I loved the movie, I hope they still remain separate entities, since I've never been a fan of the whole synergy mentality, and I believe different versions of a series can co-exist as their own thing. I feel that movie Mario can be from Brooklyn, and game Mario can be from the Mushroom Kingdom, without either changing to be more like the other.

[@titanic_monarch796]

From what it says in the artbook, they intentionally played up the uncannyness.

[@manuelk1853]

What do you mean by that?

[@titanic_monarch796]

@@manuelk1853 It's honestly a little hard to decipher from the way it's translated, but it seems to indicate that the deisgners were aware of the weird disparity between mario and the new donkers, and intentionally focused on it somewhat till they were satisfied. From what I can tell the matching outfits for all of them are part of this also? It seems to have been a conscious effort to make them seem "different to the usual".

[@manuelk1853]

@@titanic_monarch796 Ahh now I see what you mean. Yeah I get that, but honestly, I would have been happier with their designs that were more cartoony and Mario-like from that one concept art.

[@zynux8252]

From the English Artbook: _"Among the many different lands, the Metro Kingdom stands apart, and its look underwent many changes to reach its final design. Making this world a setting far removed from that of the Mushroom Kingdom stoked the lead designers' imaginations, which shines through in their sketches._ _The design went from life-sized buildings to cartoony proportions before we settled on the more realistic look. In addition, we researched various architecture styles, which influenced our design. This, together with the visual impact of Mario's presence here, was an important consideration. We always made sure to keep Mario in mind while fleshing out the city. The visual of Mario in the Metro Kingdom highlighted the freedom of expression central to Mario games._ _This land symbolizes the game from its earliest days of development, including the trial and error inherent to the process. We got the reactions we had hoped for during the trailer presentation and after the game launched, which was a great relief to us."_ - Art Director Rikuto Yoshida (Page 170) _"We wanted the visual of Mario meeting the New Donkers to astonish players, so we started thinking about it early in development. We tried lots of different styles, including making the New Donkers look more cartoonish, but we decided realistic proportions would work best. In the end, limiting their characteristics to the bare minimum fit the New Donkers well, emphasizing their presence as part of the collective whole."_ - Art Director Rikuto Yoshida (Page 195) _"The hats on the female designs are the same shape as Pauline's, which added a nice similarity between them. The New Donkers went through several redesigns as the Metro Kingdom came together. The more uncanny we made their designs-and I mean that in a good sense-the more appealing this game became, so we were fastidious in fine- tuning their appearance. I cannot give enough praise to the lead designer who worked so hard to make them."_ - Character Art Lead Sho Murata (Page 195)

[@jadethenidoran]

I do think having Mario surrounded by other cartoony humans like himself would have been plenty new without having this strange disparity in realism. I do hope the original concept for the people of New Donk is revived and reused in some way.

[@adil0028]

The movie?

[@jadethenidoran]

@@adil0028 That was pretty close, yeah. I meant in a game, but the movie proved it could work well.

[@deepmind5318]

Yeah but the whole point of having realistic humans in a realistic city was to make it feel weird and fresh for a Mario game. Now i wonder if new donk city is where mario and luigi came from in the games. The movie says they are from Brooklyn New York, but the games don't have New York, it's just New donk city.

[@FancifulDancingStar]

As much as I appreciate the feel that it gave in Odyssey, I agree that I'd love to see a future game revisit New Donk with more cartoony looking humans.

[@jadethenidoran]

@@FancifulDancingStar Yeah!

[@CheshireCatMystic]

It is a little odd to see these realistic looking humans right next to Mario, but I’m a sonic fan so I’m used to it seeing that kind of stuff.

[@brodude3709]

In my opinion Nintendo copied Sonic Adventure. In that game Sonic walks around town with normal humans.

[@CheshireCatMystic]

@@brodude3709 well some of the people that worked on Sonic Adventure did work on this game as well.

[@jestfullgremblim8002]

Yeah hahaha

[@jestfullgremblim8002]

@@CheshireCatMystic exactly

[@perryakers4222]

5th

[@rizzo-films]

What I LOVE about the humans in Odyssey, and I think goes perfectly with the Mario aesthetic, is that they’re not realistic humans at all. They’re the childlike ideal of adults. They all walk around in suits but what they’re actually doing and how they behave is so silly and imaginative and not realistic. They do what a young child imagines they do when they step out into the strange world. The fact that Mario looks nothing like them reminds us that Mario is the childlike ideal of a hero. He’s the avatar for children and children at heart. It makes sense that the humans are way taller and look nothing like him.

[@gamr9655]

Honestly I didn't really care about the realistic humans in mario odyssey the first time I played it but it's kinda weird seeing pauline in it when she kept her cartoonish design

[@cbsyll]

True but id just say its cause Pauline wasnt born the new donkian race

[@RikThunder33]

@@cbsyll how did she get there...?

[@HandledToaster2]

@@RikThunder33 magic pipe

[@christianaldrete902]

What I think really helps sell the idea of Mario and the New Donkers both being human is Pauline being the mayor of New Donk City. Her design fits well with the Mario brothers, princesses, and even the Toads, as well as matching the design style of the New Donkers. I think she really pulls it all together.

[@pizzatimegirl1344]

"Is Mario human?" "Yes" "Why is he so different, then?" "In the world there are so many different types of people, ya know?" Best answer ever. (makes you think Mario is just a human with a different art style and different skills xd)

[@chompythebeast]

Or maybe he's just very short, and maybe somehow his muscles have been compressed and can be uncompressed like springs, granting him his super jumping abilities

[@ianAEF]

Or maybe he’s just…. built different

[@MarioFRC32]

Nah he's a Homo Nintendonus

[@MetaGamingDojo]

Or maybe he's just.... a different breed of human

[@feeno1188]

He's very deformed

[@JoekuRose]

I know Oddesssey was before the announcement of the Mario movie. But imagine how funny it would have been to see Mario looking like Chris Pratt as he walked around this city. Or just a guy that looked like a realistic human version of Mario walking around the city.

[@SonicSatamAnimations]

Super mario bros super show sitcom mario: *Hey paisanos!*

[@brinbin_]

I just got the Mario Odyssey artbook the other week and read up to the New Donk City chapter and was so curious to learn why they included more realistic humans. While looking at the design concepts they never explained it so it's a HUGE coincidence that you made this video! I personally love the concepts for the more toony mario-proportioned humans they had because I feel like it would've been just as a surprise to see that an entire kingdom of people like Mario exist besides our classic characters we have (Luigi, Peach, Wario, etc). Though I understand why the final choice was more realistic because the thought of there being different types of humans is neat, much like Roger Rabbit's world where there's toon humans and real world humans.

[@AlmightyArceus]

I really think in the future the humans should look more like Mario characters. The Illumination movie actually did a great job of making the human look translate in a way that made the Mario Bros stick out while also being realistically human like the rest of the people in the world.

[@poyo3087]

I never liked the photo realistic look for the humans. I can respect what they went for but it never felt right. I always personally believed if they made the humans look more like how the Mario Movie portrayed them, along with past games, that the same effect of surprising the players could have been achieved, just through the novelty of having other humans than Mario and friends, appear in a main line game for the first time.

[@DaNintendude]

I think Odyssey's take on Pauline shows that you can still have tall New Donkers that fit into Mario's world. The Mario we see in the games is from the Mushroom Kingdom, and they're proportioned a lot more cartoony. Meanwhile, New Donkers are proportioned more realistically. Despite Pauline's more realistic body proportions in Odyssey, she still had a large, cartoony head. And I think that's all that's really necessary for the New Donkers to fit in better.

[@nihilisticprophet6985]

Yeah and peach is a human too and she still maintains the cartoony look, just like Pauline and even Rosalina. I don’t understand why Nintendo had to make the people in new dong city so realistic. It’s not like they’ve never put other humans in Mario games before.

[@poyo3087]

@@DaNintendude Exactly my point.

[@childofcascadia]

@Nihilistic Prophet Nice typo. It made me snicker. And for the record, I totally agree. I hated the realistic humans. Why didnt they have mario proportions? It would have been really cool to see other Mario-like humans living in a city. If the devs were going for "fun surprise" they failed. It wasnt so much "fun surprise" as "I got Sonic '06 flashbacks" surprise and "What, so Mario is some kind of deformed human-like creature and not an actual person?" surprise

[@poyo3087]

@@nihilisticprophet6985 Yep. And the whole "Because people in the real world look different, so Mario now living along side with realistic people" statement doesn't help it as well. Dosen't a cartoony art-style, which is how Mario humans were often protrade in the past, naturally allow for more diverse appearences, since nearly everyone would seem unique and special from their shapes/body types alone which realistic bodies couldn't even attempt or naturally pull of, due to it being based on reality. I hope in future games they change them to look like the Mario Movie.

[@Obzi3289]

After watching the movie and now getting around to playing this game, I think its fun how there are thousands of different universes out there and thousands of different creatures yet to be explored. The more you think about it the more intruiging it becomes ; Rosalina just watching over it all. Mario is constantly battling and exploring new realms everyday.

[@Shayzis]

It's the way they look that's so odd. Pauline still looks cartoony, she fits with Peach or Daisy, but the humans of new donk city are just real looking and it's sooo oddd

[@RylixBlizzai]

in all fairness it'd probably have been just as weird the other way round too if the cartoony ones stuck around a bunch of mario style humans walking around a realistic city having normal office jobs and junk

[@SemiHypercube]

Weren't there also normal-looking humans in the Mario Golf games or something

[@devinsauls9137]

Yes, but they were designed in a cartoony style that fits in with the Mario series

[@Bryce_the_Woomy_Boi]

With character's everyone remembers like "kid"

[@seandwalsh3]

@@devinsauls9137despite being from a different dimension to all of the other characters

[@devinsauls9137]

@@seandwalsh3 I don't remember that being the case. Source?

[@seandwalsh3]

@@devinsauls9137 They all take place on Earth for the most part with the final tournaments being set in the Mushroom Kingdom, which the playable characters access through a magical inter-dimensional portal.

[@shlokwaghela9560]

Those concept arts are gold, makes me wonder how good a Mario story that takes a very rarical approach turns out like, and no the rpgs don't count, they are amazing but still very Mario

[@Fatih_M177]

The Mario Movie had cool human designs that seem like they could fit, they do have some illumination DNA in it, but it could fit a lot, if they make a 2nd odyssey, i would definitely like those style of humans if it has any, maybe for example mario revisiting an old town place he's been in? Idk

[@SopokistaJr]

cool idea, but it’s still kinda weird having Mario just stand right next to normal looking guys. like bro went to their dimension 😨

[@bekahchu4102]

Either New Donk City is full of people with gigantism or who have evolved to be taller OR Mario is canonically a little person and I'm happy with either lol

[@Boooo]

"Why is he so different?" "He's just built different, don't judge him"

[@jofh2o]

I hope in future games, new donk city will be replaced with brooklyn, with cartoony humans, like in the movie

[@NTBXP1]

Movie's Brooklyn looks way closer to what anyone would expect on Mario Odyssey.

[@SoniXperias]

Hey Thomas, I'm going through a really tough time right now and I have to say that your videos make my days so much better. I've enjoyed every one of them. Even the Luigi's mansion one that everyone hated

[@nemoisnobody]

I felt the same way about Sonic Adventure. Kinda reminds me of this article I read somewhere about Nintendo being asked about Sonic ever meeting Mario in a game. Apparently, one of the reasons they were having difficulty coming up with an idea was because of how different their worlds are and couldn't figure out a way for them to meet without it being too jarring for the player. Now, whether it was intended or not, I feel like we got a place. (Pretty sure the article predated the Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games, 'cause I know someone will bring it up.)

[@shammahikoro8475]

You should talk about the humans in the that were in the golf and tennis games. I actually liked them and thought they added some variety to the Mario Roaster. I hope they bring them back!

[@MagillanicaLouM]

Me too idk why people treat them like abominations lol. Many of them are very funny and cute designs and don't look out of place at all next to like Peach.

[@thecosplaycrafter8017]

I have a headcanon that Mario is just a dwarf (a human with dwarfism, not a fantasy dwarf). That's why he's so tiny compared to other humans and has pretty odd proportions.

[@user-3899]

really well put together vid man keep up the good work!!

[@thewildcash6788]

4:05 That Mario in that art style is surprisingly cute

[@thatrandominternetgeek]

TGD is entertaining because he answers our useless everyday questions and makes them interesting.

[@cool_bug_facts]

Thomas is one of the few people who could make a video about literally anything and I'd be hooked from start to finish

[@raizerker]

Good video, Thomas. Love the Hyper Potions music in the background, too!

[@Lindsay-um2ud]

Love your vids been bing watching all of them!!!!

[@xxroyalprincexx6811]

This isn't the first time humans were in the Mario games, the Mario sports games anyone?

[@mightythistle]

Not canon doesn’t count. Those aren’t even first party Nintendo games

[@seandwalsh3]

@@mightythistlethe sports games are explicitly canon and started out as first party Nintendo games regardless. Nowadays they’re largely done by other studios but in close collaboration with Nintendo’s teams.

[@mariajimenafigueroa233]

But those humans didn't look realistic

[@ppo1502]

@@seandwalsh3 ye but is not a mainline Mario game

[@seandwalsh3]

@@ppo1502 but still canon

[@GamepadStudios]

Honestly having Mario near realistic humans was a nice change of pace and its my favorite kingdom, but everybody has their own tastes.

[@alejandrososa3168]

Same

[@fedweezy4976]

It perfectly captured the feeling of being in a large city for the first time and you realize just how busy everyone is, and I think the realistic looking people really help to create that feeling.

[@killjoy6166]

I had just assumed the game was meant as a tech demo for the Switch. The presence of all the different types of non-traditional Mario locations & assets to show off what the console was capable of

[@larrykoopa64dshacker64]

1:10 They changed their minds because according to Odyssey Director, Kenta Motokura "I thought that we needed a scale that was easy to understand. Users will wonder how high Mario can jump and how far he can fall. We thought that it would be easier for users to understand and relate to the world in which they actually live. Mario is a strong enough character that he fits in just fine in a realistic environment." which, to sum it up, they wanted players to figure out the scale of Mario's abilities. But no one knows how tall Mario is or how tall anything in the Mushroom Kingdom is, right? There was no way to scale Mario's abilities prior. So they decided on putting Mario in "our world" so that we can estimate the scale of Mario's abilities, in comparison to the world in which "we live" essentially.

[@jasonhunt6842]

Yes, Mario is human; he's an Italian plumber who was drawn into the world that includes the Mushroom Kingdom and the like. Kind of an early isekai, when one thinks about it. This is actually why Mario alongside 'normal' humans can seem off-putting; he's actually ONE OF THEM. A better explanation is that all of his time in the alternate universe permanently changed his appearance. My thoughts on this run a little deeper than this, but this is what I could easily explain in a comment section. ^_^;

[@koolaid33]

I mean when you really think about it, Mario's always been surrounded by more 'human' humans. Pauline, who has been in the franchise since the original Donkey Kong game in 1981, was basically just an actual human. In Odyssey, she is portrayed more cartoonish, however I've always felt she was just an average person who fell in love with Mario.

[@Oscar97o]

The princesses and Pauline all look more like regular humans than Mario and Luigi, even though they're still cartoony.

[@zakuraiyadesu]

Love the videos, man. Keep it up!!!

[@sciencek1d171]

This kind of aligns with the movie as well. It's like when the fantasy world of Mario clashed with Brooklyn, things were changed and Brooklyn turned into a kingdom.

[@JRS06]

Me patiently waiting for the Sunshine beta to get leaked so we can see what these cut human NPCs looked like:

[@L_A_R_G]

Why did Nintendo put humans in Mario games???? _because they’ve been doing it since 1981…_

[@jnhcunha]

Sonic was truly ahead of his time

[@disneyvillainsfan1666]

I have a theory that Mario spent so much time in the Mushroom Kingdom, he just appears as a more cartoony looking person.

[@UltraLeevi]

i dont mind that humans are in mario games and sonic games

[@Blizzarus]

Ironically, there was a Nintendo character book a while back that listed Mario as a species called "Homo Nintendonus." I suppose that's a specific sort of human lol

[@CannonKnight]

Apparently in the Mario universe, there's a 1940s world where all the humans wear hats.

[@goldenlotus3046]

"In the world there are many different types of people, you know" That is SUUUUUUUUUUCH a fucking COP OUT!! It just raises so many more questions.......

[@chan.username]

I couldn't care less about the height difference, but why do they make the humans look realistic? The first idea was great but their attempt at realism wasn't very great nor needed...

[@Rappini_]

The reason is so wholesome. Mario is in a new strange place to him,people look at him weird probably,but he´s making the most of it. Is just like visiting or immigrating to a new country irl. It´s relatable.

[@Curttehmurt]

I remember there was a popular Tumblr post at the time where one person was like "is Mario human?" To which someone responded, "He's Italian"

[@shaked2441]

Thank you for sharing your insights on this very complicated and personal subject 🙏🌺 Much appreciated 😊

[@successanimation]

I find Miyamoto and Illumination's approach to humans in the Super Mario Bros Movie infinitely better than Odyssey's approach. I don't want to see the realistic humans anymore.

[@undercoverduck]

I loved this decision. It made an otherwise very normal environment feel somehow alien.

[@tracyclements1467]

Who would have ever thought that a Japanese man came up with the idea of a short Italian Plumber collecting mushrooms, throwing fire balls, and breaking bricks?

[@stenh.6243]

Mario is canonicaly 5ft+, knowing this makes the realistic humans even more unsettling.

[@gregtom3272]

i would like if at least they were more in mario's style despite their difference , i mean look at Pauline , she is very tall but she's mario's style of her look in the gam

[@anprimpaul2557]

Well now I gotta know. I am also wondering about the dinosaur.

[@Lemonscop]

Oh the humanity!

[@andrewjoslyn3523]

Many the people evolved from dinosaurs just like in the first movie.

[@Zolomight]

yeah in the Mario movie it's confirmed as well that Mario is a human. Also he lives in Brooklyn, even if its non-canon it gives us a better idea and perspective on who and what Mario is.

[@LKDesign]

In the red-carpet-commercial for *Super Mario All Stars* they showed the cartoon characters of the games placed in a world of regular looking people. This was always totally fine by me.

[@peblezQ]

I actually like the New Yorker's in the Mario Movie. They made them look more like Mario and Luigi

[@SanderEvers]

Yeah, no doubt inspired by Super Mario Odyssey.

[@shinobirecords2018]

If you ask me, the extreme contrast between Mario and New Donkers is absolutely charming in its own way.

[@ZachGilbert13]

It also reminded me of the humans in Sonic Adventure for the SEGA Dreamcast, it was super surprising.

[@Stonefallow]

New Donk City is clearly Brooklyn. The Kongs must have travelled there through the interdimensional pipe and made it their new Kingdom along with mayor Pauline.

[@voldrik1364]

If Mario can go to places populated by sentient forks, robot watering cans or mushroom people without needing an explanation, why would realistic looking humans be an issue?

[@Kywriter475]

List of Human Mario Characters: Mario Luigi Spike Stanley Giuseppe Mario’s Family Peach Daisy Wario(Only if those elf ears are just cosplay) Waluigi(Same with Wario) E. Gadd Rosalina Pauline Captain Syrup

[@Joke.ExeTheJokingLookingDevil]

The Sonic Cast?

[@Kywriter475]

@@Joke.ExeTheJokingLookingDevil Um…Are you asking all the humans I know in the Sonic Universe?

[@Joke.ExeTheJokingLookingDevil]

@@Kywriter475 yep

[@Kywriter475]

@@Joke.ExeTheJokingLookingDevil Well here are the ones I can think of at the moment: Robotnic Stone Tom Maddie Wade Carl Rachel Jojo Randal Walters The Human Antagonists in Knuckles. Maria Gerald Elise Pickles

[@Joke.ExeTheJokingLookingDevil]

@@Kywriter475 thx. :)

[@Luckyj714]

Really reminds me of Station Square from Sonic Adventure. Something about the cartoony character in a realistic setting is oddly endearing despite being initially quite jarring.

[@rickydargence5948]

Thing is, Peach and Pauline also look like Mario, makes me wonder where they come from? Also, what was the deal with Bowser's country? Does he also rule over it or is it just his place of origin because I think he just lives in his lava castle near the Mushroom Kingdom, right?

[@Its_a_me_mario_wahoo]

I'm just being honest. I love that Mario is this Cartoon character among some real humans. It just looks kinda right

[@cinnamonsugarcourtney6073]

Considering New Donk City is a Donkey Kong reference and there is a lot of giant and highly variable animal sizes in Donkey Kong, having giant humans isn't too surprising.

[@dechha1981]

It is weird to see realistic humans in a Mario game, but WAY before you see even a glimpse of New Donk City, a cartoony plumber throws a hat at a realistic T-Rex, and you play the T-Rex.

[@Gredran]

Funny enough they backtracked AGAIN for the new movie. Obvious spoilers coming but I’m sure most people here have seen the movie Not totally, Mario, Luigi and Peach are referred to as humans, but they’re their normal designs and Mario and Luigi’s family and the restaurant goers and other people are also their similar stylized designs, even when their just in Brooklyn. So yea, straight up humans are weird. It doesn’t make a lot of sense, but the retcon in the movie, kindaaaa can connect some things more now. I’m at least happy with it since Miyamoto himself probably ok’ed that retcon of them being in Brooklyn and all referred to as humans.

[@dogsteeves1]

Isn't Mario from new Donk city tho

[@crashlandstudios]

Well, according to the Super Mario Movie, he's from Brooklyn

[@seandwalsh3]

@@crashlandstudiosthe movie isn’t canon. He grew up in New Donk City in the games.

[@seandwalsh3]

Mario is from the Mushroom Kingdom (as in, that’s where he was born), he just grew up in New Donk City.

[@crashlandstudios]

@@seandwalsh3 Mario and Luigi from Yoshi's Island were in fact carried by a stork to the Mushroom Kingdom when they were young, but no version of Mario ever grew up in New Donk City. The Arcade Version of Super Mario Bros. is actually based in the sewers of New York City. Super Mario Odyssey is the first time New Donk City is introduced.

[@seandwalsh3]

@@crashlandstudios No. They grew up in New Donk City, and that’s where Donkey Kong, Mario Bros., etc. canonically took place. Mario has never lived in New York or any real world location in the games. The Mario in Mario Bros. is, of course, the same Mario from Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island.

[@Bryce_the_Woomy_Boi]

According to Mat, they're so tall because of potassium

[@kamikeserpentail3778]

I actually always liked it. I remember the Mario Brothers 3 cartoon there's a point where Bowser steals the White House, with the president of the United States inside. Mario is human, from Brooklyn. These guys are from New Donk city which is apparently on the same planet the mushroom kingdom is on.

[@Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaghhghgggaaaagh]

A lot of the comments are saying that they wish that the humans were more cartoony, but I'm glad they made them realistic. I really like the contrast it provides, and for me adds a lot to the environment and makes New Donk City stand out.

[@brodude3709]

In my opinion, they copied Sonic Adventure. In that game sonic is around with humans. I think Nintendo copied Sega. Sega did it first.

[@kingdoingstuff]

Yeah Why IS link so hot??

[@justmateloutre4768]

Because he is a chigachad

[@flippinmegaman]

💀

[@justmateloutre4768]

@@flippinmegaman ?

[@JuicyJam]

Mario Galaxy: jumps from planet to planet. Mario Odyssey logic: he's in a different country 😂

[@G1MM1CK_W_and_M]

I like that the new donkers are just normal humans, but I wish they made Pauline the same race(?) as Mario. Seen as they are a similar height in the original Donkey Kong, it would have made more sense and been a nice reference to the first design of the new donkers

[@connorbeith3232]

I do kinda wish the crew at Illumination actually went for this in the film, just to see what would happen lol

[@flippinmegaman]

There was actual art of Mario interacting with humans his size, although i have no idea if it was movie art or not.

[@poweroffriendship2.0]

That's the Mario Odyssey art book by the way.

[@DelpreteVictor]

Love the video, Thomas

[@coinsilver3]

His smallness was his character, the mushroom power up was supposed to make him bigger. Also his 8bit height difference to Peach was canon.

[@ketchup5253]

B-But Mario is a human

[@flippinmegaman]

N-No, he's a plumber.

[@thehawk8332]

​@@flippinmegamanI like the thought of plumbers being a species in the mario universe.

[@poweroffriendship2.0]

He's not a human, he's a homo-nintendonus.

[@AlphaSteam2]

Someone didn't watch the entire video

[@josueveguilla9069]

Isn’t Super Mario himself a human being or based on one?

[@flippinmegaman]

None, he's a plumber.

[@seandwalsh3]

Yes he is, as is pointed out in the video

[@josueveguilla9069]

@@seandwalsh3 Awesome. Thank you.

[@ultraslang]

Mario walking among regular looking humans is the same as Sonic walking (and kissing) regular humans....it removes a little something, like that thin later of plastic on electronics n such.

[@marcossanjuancordovilla6879]

What a wholesome way to answer that interview. Mario is love!

[@lukkik]

If Mario isn't a human himself then what is he?

[@flippinmegaman]

A plumber, what else?

[@Bryce_the_Woomy_Boi]

Luigi's brother

[@paolotaglia1]

Bowser's enemy

[@LobsterMobsterTheCrispiestLoaf]

Red Luigi

[@seandwalsh3]

He is a human, as the video points out.