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Is/was Mario a Latino?

This is a half-serious thread in response the Mario Kart 8 racial controversy. Keep in mind that the name 'Mario' is also very commonly used in hispanic cultures just as often as in Italian.

I've always wondered if Mario was supposed to be a Latino. Here are a few points in favor of the idea:

1. Prior to International localization of the Mario franchise, a Mario anime was released in 1985 where he was clearly a Latino, specifically Mexican.

A few screen grabs from this anime movie prove the point.

In the intro of this movie it shows Mario in traditional Mexican garb:
4s8jCVc.png


Mario and Luigi's hometown is in a desert with cacti and mesas, both are indigenous only to North and Central America.
eHF1Ow6.png


When Mario hears the plight of Princess Peach he is impassioned, invigorated, and dons a sombrero, bullet vest, and starts shooting pistols
tgh4YDk.png


2. Music. The father of the Mario series' music is Koji Kondo, who has a deep love for Latin music. When asked to arrange the original Mario Bros. theme for Smash Bros Brawl he composed this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u589pvON9nE

This was written about it on the official website:

"The original overworld theme in Super Mario Bros. had a certain, almost Latin flavor to it,"

Mario music has had many Latin-flavored themes. The Starman theme is heavily influenced by Salsa, the NSMB theme's intro has a strong resemblance to "Samba Una Nota So", and the Water Land theme from Mario 3 is so bossa nova it hurts.

3. Stereotypes. The 'Mexican' stereotype is very close to the 'Italian' stereotype. An overweight, short, man with a large mustache. Doing a quick Google Image search of the Japanese Google of 'Mexican" gives us this image:

UQ1D0xy.jpg


A Man with brown hair and black facial hair (a trait that I, as a Latino also have) with a large mustache. Just some food for thought.

4. "Grito". You don't know what grito is? Anyone who has been to a Quinceañera knows what this is. I'll explain.

It's a high pitched falsetto cry associated with joy or sorrow that is shouted during latino, especially Mexican, festivities. It's very, very similar to the high pitched "Woohoo"s and "Aaaaahaaa"s that is commonplace in Mario's vocabulary. Here are a few examples:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SpQu5lg9i7Q

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=whmPh9Ucp7I


This thread is mainly just for fun, so don't get too serious here. I'm also incredibly drunk on a weekday (which may add to the 'drunk Mexican stereotype', but who gives a shit!)
 

tnaden

Member
Q: Mario is Italian. Or we assume he is Italian, was there something behind that?
As a kid, I was a big comic fan and I liked foreign comics as well. So I drew some characters that had more western type features with a little bigger noses and what not. Now with Mario, I think with Mario Bros. we had a setting of course that was underground, so I just decided Mario is a plumber. Let's put him in New York and he can be Italian. There was really no other deep thought other than that.

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/gamehunters/post/2010/11/qa-mario-creator-shigeru-miyamoto/1
 

Phediuk

Member
Have the games ever actually stated he's Italian or is it just assumed based off his accent?

Actually, does Italy even exist in the Mario universe?
 

Fasty

Member
You actually make some pretty strong arguments! Especially the latin nature of the original Mario theme and the cactus/desert settings. I'm half convinced :p
 

GlamFM

Banned
His brothers name is Luigi....

Luigi is an Italian given name, equivalent to the name Louis and Lewis. It is the Italian form of the German name Ludwig, through the Latinization Ludovicus. Other forms of the same name in Italian are the names Ludovico, Clodoveo, Aloisio and Alvise.

Italian
 
The reason why Mario is also used in Spanish speaking cultures is because Spanish and Italian has the SAME linguistic and etymological roots.
 

baconcow

Member
I don't think any of the Mario games have stated that Mario is of Italian or Latino descent. I think the Italian thing came from his accent and some of his sayings "It's-a me, Mario". However, Mario seems to be a name of Roman descent (originally in Latin, as Marius) and is widely used in Italy, Span, and Portugal (according to WikiName).
 

GlamFM

Banned
Because people from one culture never name their kids names from another culture. Never happens. Never. Not once. Ever.

I never said that. OP asks for Marios origin and I´m simply pointing towards his brothers name for further proof that he´s italian.

Half-brothers. That could explain the very different body types.

Because brothers never have different body types. Never happens. Never. Not once. Ever.
 
Would you fucking relax please?

I never said that. OP asks for Marios origin and I´m simply pointing towards his brothers name for further proof that he´s italian.

Woah, dude. I was just playing around and being flippant. Didn't know I hit a nerve.
 

Shanlei91

Sonic handles my blue balls
He's an Italian from Brooklyn, isn't he?
Yup
2rOiWza.jpg

Brooklyn Bound: The Mario Bros finally find a way back to Brooklyn but they are faced with a big decision when Koopa catpures the Princess just at the moment they can return home.
Flatbush Koopa: The Mario Bros return to Brooklyn to find that Koopa has taken over and renamed the city Kooplyn.

Mario Lopez!
Haha
 

pixlexic

Banned
A popular story of how Mario went from Jumpman to Mario is that an Italian-American landlord, Mario Segale, had barged in on Nintendo of America's staff to demand rent, and they decided to name Jumpman after him.


Another cool fact is that mario was a carpenter in Donkey Kong but Miyamoto changed it for Mario brothers.
 
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