Super Mario (form)

Super Mario (called Mario in Super Mario 3D Land ) is a form of Mario which he assumes by eating a Super Mushroom. Depending on the game, Super Mario is twice as tall as his non-powered up form, Small Mario. He is able to withstand being hit by an enemy without immediately losing a life, instead he shrinks back to Small Mario.

Interestingly, the term Super Mario is often used to describe normal Mario, when Small Mario would be more appropriate here. In fact, Mario always appears as Super Mario in the endings of Super Mario Bros. 3 and Super Mario World, the opening movies created for Super Mario World: Super Mario Advance 2 and Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3 depict Mario and Luigi's Super forms as their standard forms, and the opening of New Super Mario Bros. depict Mario or Luigi starting out in their Super forms, only to revert to the Small form in time for the actual gameplay. This means that more lately, Super Mario is Mario in his regular form and he becomes small when hit by an enemy, not unlike Wario in Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3.

In Super Mario Bros. 2 and Super Mario 3D Land, should the player lose a life, they will come back in their Super form, regardless of what form they were in prior to dying.

Television Series
The term Super Mario was used to define what is otherwise known as Fire Mario on The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!. However, this was dropped for The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3, which used the correct term.

Comics
Unlike the games, the Club Nintendo comic "Super Mario: Verloren in der Zeit" depicts Super Mario as much taller than other humans, just like Mega Mario.

Trivia

 * In the Super Smash Bros. series, Mario's taunt (up taunt in Brawl) is to grow to Super Mario using the same sound and animation as changing from Small Mario to Super Mario in Super Mario Bros..
 * In Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros. 3, and The Lost Levels, if Mario or Luigi get a Fire Flower while in small form, they will turn into their Super form instead of their Fire form. This was changed in Super Mario World, and since then caught on with later 'Mario' titles.
 * In the Paper Mario series, Mario can't turn into Super Mario, instead only gain and lose health from the health meter.