List of references in publications

This is an alphabetical list of Mario-related sightings and references in novels, comic books, comic strips, magazines, and other print publications.

A to Z Mysteries
In "The Jaguar's Jewel", one chapter mentions a "tall man with a green outfit", and the image shows a man that resembles Luigi in a bellhop outfit.

Alex Rider Series
In the novel Skeleton Key, when Alex Rider is playing on his Nintendo DS, the book quotes, "At least, he'd got to level five of Super Mario and so far it hadn't exploded in his hands."

Bad Girls
On page 162, the following text occurs: 'Can I see what you've written, Arthur?' I said. 'Here, I bet those two haven't even heard of King Arthur and all the knights of the round table. They're still way down at the Super Mario and Sonic stage.'

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Flies Again
When Jem is talking to Nanny on the Chateau Bateau, they have the following conversation. Jem: ''It's just. . . a house like this - I thought he'd have Playstations and a Wii. I thought he'd want to play 'Mario Kart.'' Nanny: ''Mario Kart? What's 'Mario Kart?'' Jem: ''It's a game - a racing-car game. We each have a steering wheel and you choose a car from all kinds of different designs. . .''

While in an arcade, a character named Brandon spots "the new Mario Brothers game".

Diary of a Wimpy Vampire
At the very end of the the book, Nigel states that he is tough to beat on Mario Kart.

EB City 2004
The book has information regarding upcoming GameCube games at the time, including Mario games. Some of the games came out without any changes, some came out on different platforms, and others never came out at all.

Geek-Art: An Anthology: Art, Design, Illustration & Pop Culture
The front cover of this book features fan art of Mario (in his Paper Mario appearance) on the front, and several pieces of Mario fan art inside as well.

Goosebumps: The Curse of the Mummy's Tomb
Page 146 reads: "She thought she was really hot stuff because she could get to the last level of Super Mario Land."

Josh Baxter Levels Up
Numerous references to Mario are made during the book; one of the chapters is called "Your Princess is in Another Classroom".

Koji Kondo's Super Mario Bros. Soundtrack
Koji Kondo's Super Mario Bros. Soundtrack, written by Andrew Schartmann for the "33 1/3 series", discusses the soundtrack of the original Super Mario Bros. as composed by Koji Kondo. It details Kondo's experience and various works, as well as the limitations of the NES console and how it was used to great effect. As the author says, "[i]t is my job, over the next ~100 pages, to convince you that Kondo's Super Mario Bros. soundtrack is just as important - and just as culturally and musically rich - as any great album of the twentieth century."

Mockingbird
In Chapter 5, Caitlin says "I still feel like a Fake Item Box that Mario is going to run over any minute now."

The Edumacation of Jay Baker
When Jay is referring to his lack of athleticism, he states, "I caught Luigi on my Mario Kart, not balls."

The Loser List
In Chapter 6, Danny Steve nearly tripped over a beanbag chair next to an old-fashioned Super Mario machine, which may refer to the NES. The beanbag chair appears in the image, but the Super Mario machine wasn't shown.

Mac B, Kid Spy
Mario is directly mentioned in a book titled The Tale of Mario. Also, Spy Master plays like a Mario game and is produced by Nintendo.

Monogatari
In the first story of the Monogatari series, Bakemonogatari, The Mayoi Snail arc has Mayoi Hachikuji attack Koyomi Araragi by attempting to bite him. He then has inner monologue, stating:

"I recalled there being an enemy in some old video game like her (it looked like an iron ball with a chain) as I soothed her."

Midnight Arcade
The Midnight Arcade book series features interactive stories involving the reader being transported inside the worlds of parodies of video games. The second book in the series features the game "Excellent Ernesto Cousins 3", an obvious parody of Super Mario Bros. 3.

N.E.R.D.S.: Attack of the B.U.L.L.I.E.S
In chapter 19, Matilda played Donkey Kong at Marty Mozzerella's.

The Tales of a Sixth Grade Muppet: The Good, the Bad and the Fuzzy.
In chapter 6, when Mr. Piffle asks Danvers what the names of Columbus's three ships, 2 of Danvers' responses were "The Mario and the Luigi".

Reboot Adventure Game
Virtual Life: In a book based on the CGI television show, after narrowly winning a game, Enzo complains about how awful it was, and Bob replies, "At least there weren't any Italian plumbers!"

Ripley's Believe It or Not! 2013: DOWNLOAD THE WEIRD
Page 168 contains an entry about a man named Mitsugu Kikai, who set the record for the largest collection of Super Mario memorabilia. The entry states that he was born in 1985, the same year that Nintendo released the first Super Mario Bros. game, and has more than 5,400 items of Super Mario memorabilia.

Ripley's Believe It or Not! 2014: DARE TO LOOK!

 * On page 188, there is an entry which says;

''"In New Berlin, Wisconsin, in 2011, 425 people dressed as characters from video games including Angry Birds, Super Mario Bros., Halo 3 and Pac-Man.

Runnerland
A minor character named Mike Magee, the owner of an arcade parlor, was rumored to have crazy-glued all the doors and windows of his high school because he wanted to figure out how Super Mario could get through a locked-door maze.

TimeRiders
Throughout the series, Liam frequently plays Mario Kart.

Timmy Failure: Now Look What You've Done
The start of Chapter 16 reads:
 * I march down to Principal Scrimshaw's office as a man at the peak of his tactical power. Like *Napoleon in Austerlitz.
 * (Picture of Napoleon)
 * Grant in Vicksburg.
 * (Picture of Grant)
 * Mario in the Mushroom Kingdom.
 * (Picture of Mario)
 * Only to find no mushrooms.

The Heroes of Olympus: The House of Hades
At one point during the battle with Hygea, Leo and Jason mention Mario Party 6.

Zac Power
In the book Zac Power: Blockbuster, it is mentioned that riding in a golf cart from a robot security guard is harder than Mario Karts.

33 Minutes
The main character, Sam Lewis, discusses vegetables in a salad bar, and says that "Mushrooms are only acceptable as an extra life in video games."

Adventure Time
The D cover to issue 2 of the Fionna & Cake special has Fionna flying in Cake's body in a spoof of the boxart to Super Mario Bros. 3.

Archie & Friends Double Digest #2
During the first story, which is the second of Cyber Adventures, Archie is in a virtual game, and enters a castle to save Betty. Inside, he has to go through a few enemies, which resemble enemies from the Mario franchise - specifically Goombas, Hammer Bros., Bullet Bills, Spinies, and Piranha Plants. After fighting off the enemies, he goes into a room with an enormous amount of Fire Bars. After getting past that room, he comes across a bridge, where he has to fight a Bowser look-alike. Archie defeats him by using an ax to cut a chain, which causes the bridge to collapse. Finally, he comes across Betty, who's wearing a pink dress and crown that closely resembles Princess Peach's outfit.

Sonic & Mega Man: Worlds Collide (part 10)
A Goomba makes a cameo on board the Wily Egg along with a group of Buzz Bombers, Metts, and Motobugs in Mega Man issue 27.

Sonic the Hedgehog
In issue 263's back-up story "Consequences", one of Dr. Eggman's monitors is on a site titled "Mustacio Afficionado" (spelled with an extra "f"). The site shows a glimpse of both Mario and Luigi's mustaches, along with Dr. Light and Dr. Wily.

Beano Comics
On page 38 in the November 10th, 2008 issue, the introduction to Dodge of the Week is: ''Uh-Oh! I've forgotten to do my homework. Well, I say 'forgotten', but what I really mean is 'spent my evening playing Mario Kart on Wii multiplayer online'. Be warned fellow dodgers, no matter how good you think you are, there's someone in Japan who's better.''

On page 8 in the issue released on the 13th August 2013, a maze with Les Pretend as a plumber where he is trapped in the sewer appears. One of the possible paths to take shows Les dressed as Mario holding a plunger and jumping towards some small 1-up Mushrooms.

Cable & Deadpool
In Issue #35 (Past Indiscretions), Deadpool passes a videogame store with what appears to be Mario wearing a baseball uniform. In another issue, when Deadpool is underground, he says "Sewer pipes. The Super Mario Strategy. Always works for him, So why shouldn't it work for me?"

Darkwing Duck
In Issue #8 (Crisis on Infinite Darkwings), one of the alternate universe Darkwings is based off of Mario.

Futurama Comics
Issue #38: Rumble in the Jungle
 * At the beginning, instead of Fry doing what Leela asked him to do, he played on his handheld video game, stating, "Come on, you dumb hedgehog, get those rings, or you can't survive the lava pit! I don't want to lose you the same way I did, and Mario!".

Issue #44: The Fry and the Furious
 * When Fry is in court with the chicken lawyer, Mario is in the jury.

Annual #1: Bendocchio!
 * When Professor Farnsworth is entering his house, Mario and Princess Peach are walking hand-in-hand down the street behind him.

My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic
Friends Forever Issue #4
 * There are several scenes in this issue that have two stallions that look like Mario and Luigi. Both stallion's are light-blue color Crystal Ponies with black mustaches and wearing respective red and green caps. Their cutie marks are a red mushroom and an "L" shape pipe respectively.

Simpsons Comics
Issue #110: Bad News Bearer Milhouse: Come on, Bart, jump over those cement-filled barrels and make it to the top of the Gorilla Mafia ladder! Bart: I know Milhouse! I know! Bart: Aaaah! He got me!
 * Near the beginning, Bart is seen playing a Donkey Kong-like game, while Milhouse tells him what to do:

DK (in a blue tux): I'm a legitimate business monkey! Mario: You-a-Italian stereo-types demean us all! Mama mia!
 * While on screen the characters speak:

Marge: Get him, Homer! Homer: I'm on it! Bart: Mama Mia!
 * Near the end, Ned Flanders, after coming home from the hospital after becoming uncouncious because he played too many video games, says he'll make a mushroom pizza. In the next panel, a Toad-like being appears by Ned. In the next full page panel, Ned is Luigi, chasing him. The Simpsons are also computer Game characters. Homer is DK, Bart is Mario, Marge is Lara Croft, and Lisa is Sonic the Hedgehog.

Issue #130: Marge the Sellout
 * Marge gets into the habit of auctioning off all of the family's possessions online. She soon auctions off Bart's old video games to the chef character Luigi Risotto. After Luigi wins the auction, the next panel reveals that he has a brother; a plumber who's dressed up like Mario. The "Mario" character asks Luigi to help him fix a leaky pipe, to which Luigi responds "Hold your mushrooms! I'm-a coming!".

Issue #161: Mighty MMORPG Player Rangers
 * The cover is a spoof of Donkey Kong. Homer and Bart assume the roles of Donkey Kong and Mario respectively, with Homer tossing barrels of toxic waste. Lisa appears to be standing in for Pauline, but seems more interested in reading a book.

Simpsons Super Spectacular
Issue #11
 * During the Comic, Fat Tony wants Mario's Moustache. Mario asks him to take an eyebrow instead but this version of Mario has no eyebrows.

Turma da Mônica (Monica's Gang)
Mônica (Abril series) Issue #172
 * The first story "A Incrível Aventura Eletrônica", Monica and Jimmy Five are teleported into a video game. In one part of the story Monica wears clothing similar to Mario and rescues Pauline from Donkey Kong, as a reference to the game Donkey Kong.

Mônica (Panini first series) Issue #68
 * The first story "Cada Um na Sua História" is a reference to the classic Mario games. Jimmy Five uses the Marina's magic pencil to transform the neighborhood in a scenario similar to Yoshi's Island stages from Super Mario World. During the whole story, enemies such as Koopa Troopas, Bullet Bills, Rexes, Thwomps, Goombas, and Bowser can be seen.

Cascão (Panini second series) Issue #2
 * The strip on the last page is a reference to the Mario games, with Smudge is imagined as Mario.

Clássicos do Cinema Issue #52
 * This issue features an issue-long story called "Gamebusters", a parody of the original Ghostbusters movie, in which the ghosts are represented by retro video game characters. In the Sedgewick Hotel sequence, the ghost haunting the hotel is instead a chef-themed spoof of Mario called "Mariano". He grows to giant size after Smudge comments on what would happen if he ate a red mushroom, but soon he gets contained in a proton pack.

Turma da Mônica Jovem (Monica Teen)
Issue 31: Meninos x Meninas In this comic, Smith (teen Smudge) is playing a Nintendo DS with some friends. He eventually says: "Pula seu encanador bigodudo! Pula!" (Jump, you mustachioed plumber! Jump!). The boys also comment about playing "Dario Party", a reference to Mario Party.

In another comic, the gang is at a costume party. Toddy is dressed as "Superdário", another reference to Mario. The comic also introduces an overweight woman in a princess costume known as "Princesa Píti" ("Píti" being pronounced similarly to "peach"). Her title is princess of the Caramel Kingdom (Reino dos Caramelos, an allusion to Reino dos Cogumelos, Mushroom Kingdom translated to Portuguese).

Adam@home

 * 09/6/2012 - Clayton tells his friend that he "really want[s] the new Wii", and when his friend comments on how "console gaming [is] dead", Clayton replies with "be careful... I hear Mario and Luigi hold a grudge".

Alley Oop

 * 22 January 2019 - After Dr. Wonmug brought Oop and Ooona to the future, he brought Oop to an arcade place to play Donkey Kong. Oop thought that the titular Donkey Kong is him, adding a quip that he hated plumbers.

The Argyle Sweater

 * 19 October 2010 - One of the featured people with "Majestic Mustaches" is Mario.
 * 15 August 2012 - It is alluded that Mario is the one who dealt with a giant ape with a Hammer, in reference to Donkey Kong.
 * 07 January 2014 - Mario was interrogated by the police because of his possession of Mushrooms.
 * 31 July 2015 - Mario raises his hand as one of the students when answering the question about a crescent moon.
 * 29 November 2017 - A huge pixel Mario is shown blocking the basketball shots, while a Mushroom is being held by an umpire, who believed that the team Mario is on used Performance Enhancing Drugs (PED).
 * 05 March 2018 - Mario is shown to be in terminal condition due to flatlining, while one of the nurses rushed to the doctor with a 1-Up Mushroom.

Bizarro

 * 26th August 2001 - Batman was annoyed by Commissioner Gordon calling him repeated, while he and Robin were playing a Mario game on TV.

Foxtrot

 * 10/14/1990 - The Sunday strip published on this date revolves around Jason playing Super Mario Bros., all the while Paige demands he turn the game off so she can watch Star Search. This strip is reprinted in the collection Eight Yards, Down and Out.
 * 1/14-19,21-26/1991 - A two-week storyline where Jason gets upset that his friend Marcus has beaten Super Mario Bros. first. Attempting to beat the game himself, Jason stays up all night playing it, so Andy takes it away for two weeks, despite his complaints. She eventually gives it back to him a week early because Roger wouldn't stop playing it himself. This storyline is reprinted in Eight Yards, Down and Out.
 * 9/??/91 - Jason begs Andy to buy him a Super Nintendo, one of his reasons being "it's got the latest Mario cartridge", and if she doesn't buy it, "I'll be stuck playing dumb ol' Mario 3 forever!" Reprinted in Bury My Heart at Fun Fun Mountain.
 * 7/??/92 - Andy unplugs Jason's NES while he's playing Mario Bros. in order to make him come to dinner. This leads to Jason becoming so furious that he kicks his NES and destroys it. Reprinted in Say Hello to Cactus Flats.
 * 12/17/93 - At the end of an unrelated storyline, Jason bothers Peter by holding up a game cartridge and saying, "Super Mario Universe 2 awaits..." Reprinted in Take Us to Your Mall.
 * 2/??/97 - Jason plays a game titled Super Earthworm Mario Country 3 and has trouble finding a Blue Star in a level called the Rainbow Sewer. Paige infuriates him by suggesting he triple-jump to a ledge with a secret door (she knows this from reading the strategy guide). Reprinted in Come Closer, Roger, There's a Mosquito on Your Nose.
 * 12/13/2005 - As part of a storyline where Jason attempts to do his own remake of King Kong, Peter wears a Donkey Kong mask and tie. Reprinted in Houston, You Have a Problem.
 * 04/01/2006 - How Come I'm Always Luigi? is released. The cover shows Jason and Marcus pretending to be Mario and Luigi (based on a week of strips where the boys imitate video game scenarios while playing in the snow).
 * 01/25/2005 - the strip the anthology was based on. After Peter asks his mom if she actually told Jason he couldn't play video games (with Andy correcting him and saying he had to play outside before acknowledging it was the same thing), it shows Marcus and Jason re-enacting Super Mario Bros. 3, with Marcus, standing on a mushroom, asking irritably why he's always Luigi, with Jason, while leaping down, promising he can be Mario next time.
 * ??/??/?? - A comic where Jason played all of his video games to put "Mom" as #1 for Mother's day. One of the games he had was called "Mario Vs. Predator".
 * 4/27/14 - In this Sunday comic strip, Jason designs his signature to be "Crazy hard to forge," featuring many doodles of various TV shows, movies, etc. The first part of the signature shows a Goomba, Mario, 2 pipes, and a flag.

Gui & Estopa
In one strip, Gui tells a joke to Cróquete about why girls like dolls so much. On the next frame, as he calls her habit childish and plays with a superhero toy, a Mario action figure can be seen among other characters in the background.

Howard & Nester

 * October 1988 - Howard gives a tip for Super Mario Bros. 2.
 * June 1990 - Howard and Nester debug Super Mario Bros. 3.

Both these strips can be seen at The Howard & Nester Comics Archive.

Off the Mark

 * 25th August 2008 - Several Marios are in heaven for the several deaths that they experienced, which based on what is seen, includes "Fell", "Hit by a barrel", "Touched by an enemy" and "Ran out of time". All of these death scenarios are possible in Donkey Kong.
 * 25th May 2014 - Mario is shown as one of the characters in need of treatment, for being "on mushrooms".
 * 27th September 2014 - The panel is a parody of Mario Kart Wii's boxart, in which Mario and Luigi are shown dismembered as though they are figurines.
 * 3rd December 2015 - Several Marios with some differences are seen, with the subtitle stating: "Super Mario Fertility Drug Bros.", shown alongside a Goomba in a Pipe.

Pearls Before Swine
In one strip, Larry, a crocodile, jumps on his son, Junior, to prevent him from going to school. Junior says "Most parents inspire their chidren to go to school, dad." In response, his father says "Not me. Stay home. Play Wii." In the last panel, Larry's wife, Patty, is shown holding a hammer from Super Paper Mario and says "Look over here, Super Mario."

Retail
3/14/09 - Lunker makes a box sculpture of the blocks from Super Mario Bros. and has Cooper punch the one with the Question Mark on it. Cooper is immediately buried beneath a presumably painful cascade of coins, and while he good-naturedly comments on the authenticity, Lunker admits it didn't work how he imagined it would.

Sally Forth
10/27/06 - New storyline has Sally and Ted dressed as the Super Mario Bros. for a Halloween party. Unfortunately, no one has any idea who they are supposed to be, and the closest guess is "an affront to the Italian Defamation League?" Also, a Donkey Kong-like costume can be seen in the background of one of the strips. The strips can be seen here.

The Far Side
One panel includes the caption "Hopeful Parents", which includes a boy playing on an NES, and his parents thinking of him writing articles about Nintendo needing Mario experts in 2005.

xkcd

 * Mario themes appear in xkcd 151, 290, 409, 423 and 1350.
 * One picture that can be seen from 1037 makes a reference to Boos.
 * In the interactive comic (1110), if the reader goes right from the starting point, after a mountain there is redrawn version of World 1-1 from Super Mario Bros..
 * Super Mario Bros. is also referenced in 1416.

Air Gear
In chapter 18, during the battle with Buccha, Ikki uses the "Reverse Donkey Kong" moves with a bunch of flower pots, and even a parody of the actual game takes place, apparently named "Air Gear Kong".

Assassination Classroom
In chapter 18, when the sniper Red Eye is reminiscing about his past targets, Mario's cap is briefly visible.

In chapter 116, as Nagisa talks about how talents can be used in a variety of ways, his dialogue is illustrated by Mario playing baseball, golf and tennis. Mario is realistically proportioned and his eyes are obscured, but he retains his trademark nose and mustache.

Boruto: Naruto Next Generations
In chapter 29, Boruto is seen playing a Super Mario Bros.-like game on a console resembling the Nintendo Switch.

City
In chapter 4, Nagumo picks up some of her items after they had been stolen; one of these items is a ? Block.

Death Note
In Chapter 16 of the manga, Ryuk asks Light to play Mario Golf with him.

Densetsu no Stafy (Yumiko Sudō)
Wario appears in chapter 8 of volume 2 of the Densetsu no Stafy manga illustrated by Yumiko Sudō. This chapter is called Wario to Saikyou Tag da Fii! (Japanese: ワリオと最強タッグだフィー!), roughly meaning "With Wario, this is the Best Tag Team, Fii!". The chapter has Wario looking for treasure near a town in Starfy's world, before losing his treasure map, so Starfy and Moe decide to use Wario's treasure map to look for treasure and the map leads them to a cave containing the treasure, however, Moe gets separated from Starfy after Starfy accidentally activates a trap door.

When Wario comes (despite losing his treasure map), Wario and Starfy team up to find the treasure and they use the Wario Attack and Shooting Star ability to break a boulder blocking their way (which fell after Starfy activated the trap door) but it turns out that Moe had already found the treasure before them. When Wario and Starfy find Moe eating at a restaurant, they use the Wario Attack and Shooting Star ability against him.

Densetsu no Stafy R
In chapter 5, "Otaku no Seichi, Biba! Akiba!!" (Japanese: オタクの聖地、 ビバ！ アキバ ！！) of the Densetsu no Stafy R manga, roughly "Holy Place of Otaku, Viva! Akiba!!", Starfy and Moe find a bookshop called "Book Spring" in the fictional city Akiunabara (based on the real world Akihabara), where drawings of characters like Mario, Tom Nook and Grandpa Danger appear. Mario is referred to as "Sawarayukio", a corruption of the name of the author of Super Mario-Kun, Yukio Sawada, like how there are corruptions of the names of other things in this manga.

Heaven's Lost Property
In chapter 67, Mikako Satsukitane and Yoshitsune Hououin can be seen in the background playing what appears to be the original Super Mario Bros. on the Wii. Later on in the same chapter, Ikaros and Mikako can be seeing playing it this time, revealing that it's a parody of the game featuring main protagonist Tomoki Sakurai and his grandfather.

Hunter × Hunter
In chapter 346, Pekotero asks Ging to play a Mario game with him.

Hyperdimension Neptunia
In one chapter of the Japanese-only manga version of this series, the main character Neptune ends up rolling down a road while trying to slow down a baby carriage she was keeping her rejuvenated sister and friends in. In a direct reference to the Mario Kart series, they pass by a group of floating Item Boxes, out of one of which pops a Koopa shell.

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Vento Aureo
The old janitor who works at Giorno Giovanna's school wears blue overalls and a red undershirt and cap, referencing Mario's iconic outfit.

Kaidan Tochuu no Big Noise
Chapter 2 features the main characters looking for an advisor for their club. Keito suggests asking the odd-looking Katosen, but Tsukumo objects and proceeds to list off Katosen's dubious nicknames. One of them is accompanied by a depiction of a Toad surrounded by Mushrooms.

Komi-san wa Komyushou Desu
In chapter 48, the main characters play a parody of Super Smash Bros.. Parodies of Ness and Captain Falcon are depicted, while the main characters directly play as Mario, Luigi, Yoshi, and Princess Zelda.

My Hero Academia
In chapter 3, as Present Mic explains the rules for the Yuei entry exam, he uses silhouettes inspired by the original Super Mario Bros. and Super Mario Bros. 3 to illustrate them. Heroes' powers are represented by Super Mario, Tanooki Mario and Fire Mario, while the enemies are represented by a Goomba, Koopa Troopa, Piranha Plant and Thwomp; Present Mic directly references the latter enemy and the game by name as he continues his explanations.

My Little Pony: The Manga
In chapter 2, Pinkie Pie asks if Princess Celestia can beat her high score in Super Mar-io brothers, but Celestia is fixated on banishing a claw machine to the moon for disrespecting her.

Nichijou
In chapter 18, it is revealed that the Professor modified Nano, a robot girl, to make her react in over-the-top ways to jokes and absurdities. One of these reactions involves Nano bouncing and hitting Brick Blocks, out of which pop coins

In chapter 135, an item resembling a ? Block can be seen on a street merchant's stall.

Not Lives
In Chapter 10.5 — Let’s Play a Retro Game, Mikami and Amamiya participate in a video game based off of World 1-1 of Super Mario Bros., featuring a boss referred to as Mappa rather than Kuppa (Bowser), enemies referred to as Malonbo instead of Kuribo (Goomba), and !? Blocks. Having developed a taste for them, Amamiya claims a large number of size-altering mushrooms as her prize upon completing the game. In Chapter 11, Amamiya makes reference to the Tanooki Suit. In Chapter 35.5, Mikami and Amamiya Play a game of Nario Cart on the Shining Road track (based on Mario Kart and Rainbow Road) while respectively playing as characters resembling themselves mixed with Bowser and Princess Peach, in addition using power-ups based on Bullet Bills and Torpedo Teds while assisted by Lakitu.

Onii-chan is Done For
In Chapter 27: Mahiro and Girl's Night (Part One), a game titled Super Marimo Party (based on Super Mario Party) is played.

Saiki Kusuo no Psi-nan
In chapter 3 of volume 0, when Saiki is commenting on a street magician's life choices, he remarks "If this was Mario Kart, Lakitu would have turned him around forever ago." Lakitu's eyes (as well as the eyes on his cloud) are notably censored out.

Squid Girl
In chapter 128, Eiko hands Squid Girl and Kiyomi a copy of a game called "Ponkey Kong", a parody of Donkey Kong.

Chapter 316 features Eiko replacing her broken-down Famicom with a Nintendo Wii. The console's home menu screen can be seen in one panel, with several games bought from the internet; some of these look strikingly similar to Super Mario Kart and Super Mario World. At the end of the chapter, Eiko and Squid Girl are seen playing Super Mario Kart, specifically its Battle Mode.

To Love-Ru Darkness
In chapter 69, Nemesis is playing a game on Rito's Nintendo DS, which greatly resembles the original Super Mario Bros.. Mario, who is shown to be named "IIIGEO", can be seen jumping on a Goomba.

The World God Only Knows
In chapter 24, as Keima is summing up how escaped spirits attempt to resurrect, he uses paper cut-outs of Boos to represent said spirits. In chapter 57, an 8-bit Keima dressed as Mario, complete with fake nose, is shown performing the unlimited 1-Up trick from the original Super Mario Bros. game.

World War Blue
The entire manga is a re-imagining of the console wars between Nintendo and Sega. One of the antagonists, Marcus, is clearly based off of Mario due to his mustache and the letter M on his forehead. Marcus is the general of the Ninteldo Empire who occasionally rides a green dinosaur named Yozu, based on Yoshi. Marcus' brother Guliji, the commander of the Ninteldo Army, is based on Luigi and has the letter L on his forehead.

Club Nintendo México

 * In the first number, Cape Mario can be seen landing on Mexico City in the "Ángel de la Independencia" area.
 * Year 1 No. 2 - it features Super Mario World as the cover.
 * Year 2 No. 8 - it features Super Mario All-Stars as the cover.
 * Year 3 No. 5 - it features Donkey Kong for the Game Boy being played on the SNES with the Super Game Boy
 * Year 3 No. 11 - Donkey Kong Country in the cover.
 * Year 4 No. 10 - Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island appears in the cover.
 * Year 4 No. 12 - Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest as the cover.
 * Year 5 No. 1 - Mario going to grabbing the Nintendo 64 as cover.
 * Year 5 No. 2 - Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars in the cover.
 * Year 5 No. 7 - solo artwork of Mario in a plain white background from Super Mario 64 as cover.
 * Year 6 No. 9 - Win a signed Nintendo 64 gold controller signed by Shigeru Miyamoto promo appeared.
 * The special publication in April 2007 was a tribute to the Mario games where the title was "El Arte de los juegos de Mario Bros." and where Charles Martinet sign an autograph that reads: "Para mis amigos de Club Nintendo ustedes son el número 1!!! Woo Hoo!!! - Charles Martinet."
 * Year 20 No. 1 - Super Mario All-Stars Limited Edition on cover.

Edge

 * Edge Christmas 2007 – Ice Mario appears on the cover, debuting the Wii game Super Mario Galaxy.

EGM

 * EGM #16 – Super Mario World on the cover, formerly called Super Mario Bros. 4 during development.

EGM2

 * EGM2 #23, Ziff Davis Publications – Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars appears on the cover
 * EGM2 #26, Ziff Davis Publications – Super Mario 64 is the cover story
 * EGM2 #27, Ziff Davis Publications – Super Mario 64 appears on the cover
 * EGM2 #28, Ziff Davis Publications – Super Mario 64 appears on the cover
 * EGM2 #30, Ziff Davis Publications – Mario appears on the cover
 * EGM2 #32, Ziff Davis Publications – Mario Kart 64 appears on the cover
 * EGM2 #45, Ziff Davis Publications – Yoshi's Story is the cover story
 * EGM2 #6, Ziff Davis Publications – Donkey Kong Country 2 appears on the cover
 * EGM2 #31, Ziff Davis Publications – Donkey Kong Country 3 appears on the cover
 * EGM2 #32, Ziff Davis Publications – Donkey Kong Country 3 appears on the cover
 * EGM2 #41, Ziff Davis Publications – Diddy Kong Racing appears on the cover
 * EGM2 #43, Ziff Davis Publications – Diddy Kong Racing appears on the cover

Expert Gamer

 * Expert Gamer #58 – Mario Party is the cover story
 * Expert Gamer #59 – Super Smash Bros. Melee appears on the cover
 * Expert Gamer #69 – Mario Party 2 is the cover story
 * Expert Gamer #75 – Mario Tennis is the cover story
 * Expert Gamer #75 – Paper Mario is on the cover

GamePro

 * GamePro #213 – New Super Mario Bros. is on the cover.
 * GamePro #231 – Mario flying in space in the cover, debuting the Wii game Super Mario Galaxy.

Gamemaster

 * Gamemaster #37 - Mario is on the cover.

Nintendo Gamer/ NGamer

 * Nintendo Gamer Mario Party 8 appears on front cover.

NGamer (spanish version)

 * Nintendo Gamer #1 - Super Mario Galaxy appears on front cover.

NGamer (brazilian version)

 * Nintendo Gamer #3 - Mario Kart Wii appears on front cover.
 * Nintendo Gamer #6 - Super Mario Galaxy appears on front cover.
 * Nintendo Gamer #8 - Super Smash Bros. Brawl appears on front cover.
 * Nintendo Gamer #10 - Mario Kart Wii appears on front cover.

Nintendo World
As the official Nintendo magazine in Brazil for many years, and a long-running Nintendo-dedicated publication even after losing official status, Nintendo World had many of its covers dedicated to or featuring Mario, including:


 * Nintendo World #7 - Mario Party appears on the cover.
 * Nintendo World #18 - Mario Party 2 appears on the cover.
 * Nintendo World #29 - As a retrospective of 2000 releases, Mario shares the cover with Conker (for Conker's Bad Fur Day), MegaMan Volnutt (for Mega Man 64) and Spider-Man.
 * Nintendo World #30 - Various incarnations of Mario appear on the cover, because the issue's main feature is focused on thr character's trajectory up until Paper Mario, then the most recent release.
 * Nintendo World #34 - The issue's main feature was the coverage of E3 2001, where the Nintendo GameCube's first games were unveiled; Mario as he appears in Super Smash Bros. Melee and Luigi as he appears in Luigi's Mansion, among other Nintendo characters, appeared on the cover.
 * Nintendo World #37 - Mario appears holding the "newborn" GameCube in his hands on the cover.
 * Nintendo World #38 - Mario Kart: Super Circuit appears on the cover.
 * Nintendo World #41 - A reproduction of the Super Smash Bros. Melee box art, with Mario, Bowser, Link and Pikachu fighting.
 * Nintendo World #43 - Super Mario World: Super Mario Advance 2 appears on the cover.
 * Nintendo World #48 - Super Mario Sunshine appears on the cover.
 * Nintendo World #58 - Mario Kart: Double Dash, then having been announced at E3 2003, appears on the cover.
 * Nintendo World #63 - Mario Kart: Double Dash, now released, appears on the cover.
 * Nintendo World #64 - Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga is one of the RPG titles that illustrate the issue's cover.
 * Nintendo World #70 - Mario appears on the cover, as the issue covers the series' forthcoming releases for 2004.
 * Nintendo World #90 - Mario Kart DS appears on the cover.
 * Nintendo World #91 - Super Mario Strikers appears on the cover.
 * Nintendo World #94 - New Super Mario Bros. appears on the cover.
 * Nintendo World #97 - Super Smash Bros. Brawl appears on the cover.
 * Nintendo World #98 - Super Paper Mario appears on the cover
 * Nintendo World #99 - Super Mario Galaxy appears on the cover.
 * Nintendo World #104 - Mario Party 8 appears on the cover.
 * Nintendo World #108 - 50 Mario's best power ups and special moves, Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games and Super Mario Galaxy appears on the cover.
 * Nintendo World #109 - Mario Kart Wii appears on the cover.
 * Nintendo World #115 - The magazine's commemorative 10th anniversary issue, has a golden statuette of Mario on the cover, holding a Nintendo DS and a Wii Remote while surrounded by a Luma.
 * Nintendo World #118 - A Mario-themed vacation cover.
 * Nintendo World #124 - New Super Mario Bros. Wii, after its announcement at E3 2009, appears on the cover.
 * Nintendo World #128 - New Super Mario Bros. Wii appears on the cover.
 * Nintendo World #134 - Super Mario Galaxy 2 appears on the cover.
 * Nintendo World #142 - Mario Sports Mix appears on the cover.
 * Nintendo World #143 - Mario appears leaping out of the top screen of a Nintendo 3DS on the cover.
 * Nintendo World #150 - Super Mario 3D Land appears on the cover.
 * Nintendo World #151 - Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games appears on the cover.
 * Nintendo World #153 - Mario Kart 7 appears on the cover.
 * Nintendo World #155 - Mario Party 9 appears on the cover.
 * Nintendo World #157 - Mario Tennis Open appears on the cover.
 * Nintendo World #160 - New Super Mario Bros. 2 appears on the cover.
 * Nintendo World #163 - Paper Mario: Sticker Star appears on the cover.
 * Nintendo World #166 - Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon appears on the cover.
 * Nintendo World #170 - Mario & Luigi: Dream Team appears on the cover.
 * Nintendo World #172 - Cat Mario appears on the cover, although Super Mario 3D World is not the main feature.
 * Nintendo World #175 - The commemorative issue of the magazine's 15th anniversary, the cover has a large "15" made up of characters and elements from various Nintendo games, Mario included.
 * Nintendo World #177 - Super Mario 3D World appears on the cover.
 * Nintendo World #181 - Mario Kart 8 appears on the cover.
 * Nintendo World #185 - A reproduction of the Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS box art, which features Mario, Yoshi and Rosalina among its characters.
 * Nintendo World #187 - Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker appears on the cover.
 * Nintendo World #189 - Mario Party 10 appears on the cover.
 * Nintendo World #192 - Super Mario Maker appears on one of the variant covers.
 * Nintendo World #195 - Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash appears on the cover.
 * Nintendo World #198 - Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games appears on the cover.
 * Nintendo World #200 - The cover is a mosaic of Mario's face made up of the magazine's past covers.

n-Revolution

 * n-Revolution #6 – The cover depicts of a preview of Mario Strikers Charged.

Official Nintendo Magazine

 * ONM #12 – Among the group of characters in the cover, there is Mario, Luigi, Wario, Bowser, Peach, and Donkey Kong carrying Pauline.
 * ONM #34 – Wario Land: The Shake Dimension on the cover.
 * ONM #40 – Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games on the cover.
 * ONM #56 – There are five versions of this issue, all of them depicting the review of Super Mario Galaxy 2. The following versions include: The subscriber version with Mario riding on Green Yoshi, Cloud Mario form, Rock Mario form, Mario using the Spin Drill, Mario riding on Bulb Yoshi, and Mario riding on Blimp Yoshi.

Pocket Games

 * Pocket Games #4 – Wario Land 3 appears on the cover.
 * Pocket Games #6 – Mario standing on a Game Boy Advance. At the right is the logo of Super Mario Advance.
 * Pocket Games #7 – Mario leaning next to a Nintendo GameCube, and its controller.
 * Pocket Games #14 – Artwork of Mario and Luigi from Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga.
 * Pocket Games #16 – The debut of the Nintendo DS game, Super Mario 64 DS.

Super Play

 * Super Play #36 – Features Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island on the cover. It mentions a preview for Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars.

Total 64

 * Total 64 #9 – Yoshi's Story appears on the cover

Scott Pilgrim
The band that Scott plays in for much of the series is named "Sex Bob-omb". Also, in Chapter 4 of the first book, Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life, when Ramona is trying to explain about the subspace highway running through Scott's head and how she uses it to travel long distances in a short amount of time, he asks "Is it like in Super Mario 2?" After staring at him for a moment, she replies "Ummmmmm... No. It isn't really like that at all." However, the star-emblazoned doors Ramona uses to enter subspace were inspired by the design of the doors in Super Mario 64. In Chapter 11 of the second book, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, when Ramona asks Scott if they were "an item", he responds in confusion and a thought bubble showing a Super Mushroom, a Star and a Fire Flower from the first Super Mario Bros. appears next to him. In the final book of the series, Scott Pilgrim's Finest Hour, Scott pictures himself wearing a Tanooki Suit when he tries to remember what his relationship with Envy was like.

Smile
In chapter 1 of the book, Amara is playing on a Nintendo Entertainment System, and Raina says "You can only watch your sister die at Super Mario Brothers so many times..." in her thoughts. In chapter 2, Jane's brother has a Mario poster on his bedroom wall. In chapter 3 when Raina is describing her summer, in the Nintendo panel a Super Mushroom and Star can be seen. In chapter 5, Raina can be seen playing Super Mario Bros. In chapter 6, Raina is reading Nintendo Power issue with a picture of Mario on the front.

Cracked Magazine

 * Cracked Summer Special #3 (1993) features a five-page comic featuring a satirical look behind the scenes of the Super Mario Bros. movie, where the real Mario and Luigi are working as creative consultants.
 * Cracked Collectors' Edition #109 (January 1997) features a four-page comic in which Mario is interviewed about the "Ninnytendo 64". According to this comic, Mario is Nintendo's mascot because he saved all the employees when their plumbing sprang a leak. The Super Mario Bros. movie parody comic is also reprinted here.
 * Cracked Collectors' Edition #115 (July 1998) features cover art of Lara Croft from Tomb Raider coming upon skeletons resembling Mario, Sonic the Hedgehog, Pac-Man, and Goro.

Disney Adventures

 * Disney Adventures Volume 9 Issue 6 (May 1999) - The "Secret Lives of Video Game Stars" feature includes a section titled "Mario's Secret Notebook" (written by Yolanda Crous), which features a satirical synopsis of Super Mario 64 from Mario's perspective.

Mad

 * Mad #292 (Jan 1990) features cover art of Mario and Luigi (the latter one wearing the clothes as seen in Super Mario Bros. and having an M on his cap) attacking a TV hooked up to a Neumantendo System. On the screen is a pixelated picture of Alfred E. Neuman. Despite what the cover implies, the actual article does not lampoon any existing video games.
 * Mad #457 (Sep 2005) - The cover article is entitled "50 Worst Things About Video Games" and features various video game characters on the cover, including Mario. The Mario series is referenced three times throughout the list.
 * 2 - "Console manufacturers selling systems without basic essentials like memory cards or a second controller, so you have to shell out another 60 bucks before you can see so much as a hair on Luigi's mustache."
 * 20 - "Donkey Konga, which combines the '60s-era art of bongo drumming with none of the mind-bending hallucinogens that made it tolerable in the first place."
 * 25 - "Mario's ridiculous Italian accent, which comes in just behind Grand Theft Auto: Vice City's infamous "Kill all the Haitians" message as the worst ethnic offense in gaming."
 * Mad #510 (August 2011) - In "Green Lunkheads", Yoshi appears as one of the Green Lunkheads along with Frankenstein's Monster, Oscar the Grouch and other famous green people.
 * Mad September Special (2011) - In "Harry Plodder is Definitely Halted-Adieu!", Harry mentions Donkey Kong Country, Super Smash Bros. Brawl, and Mario Kart Wii among other video games with mine carts.

Mad Kids

 * Mad Kids #10 (March 2008) - The cover depicts Mario, having tangled himself in a Wii Nunchuk cord with the headline "The Dumbest Wii Games Ever!" The actual article, entitled "The Least Popular Wii Games", showcases several fictitious Wii games, most of which center around various chores. The game entitled "The Wii Omelet Station" stars a blue character who resembles Princess Peach.

1001 unbelievable Facts
One of the facts is: "There are no donkeys in the Donkey Kong computer game."

Guinness World Records
In 1989, eight-year-old Brett Martin's (USA) parents gave him a 4-cm-tall (1.6in) Mario holding a Mushroom. As of October 2012, Brett had amassed a treasure trove of 8,030 gaming items, which he stores at his Video Game Memorabilia Museum (videogamemm.com). The Mario inflatable (left) come's from a store display and is one of Nintendo's earliest and rarest Mario marketing items. More merchandise was produced for Mario than for any other games character, though Link is Brett's favourite. the "Most Super Mario Kart world records" record, Thirteen-year-old Leyla Hasso (UK) wasn't born when Super Mario Kart (Nintendo EAD) was released in 1992, but by 19 September 2012, she held 30 out of 40 possible time trial records on the PAL version. That's 26 more records than her closest rival Tanja Bronnecke (Germany). the "Best-Selling Games by Genre" records, Platform: Super Mario Bros. (Nintendo, 1985)- 40.24 million
 * Super Mario Bros. was the best-selling video game of all time for many years, until it was beaten out by Wii Sports, meaning the series received no mention in the 2011 and 2012 edition.
 * In Guinness World Records 2014 there is a videogames section on pages 216 & 217. It contains the "Largest collection of videogame memorabilia" record,

Racing: Mario Kart Wii (Nintendo, 2008)- 33.33 million

Fighting: Super Smash Bros. Brawl (Nintendo, 2008)- 11.49 million and one of the "Most Critically Acclaimed Games" records. Wii: Super Mario Galaxy 2..................... 97%

Guinness World Records Gamer's Edition 2008

 * Mario has been referenced and mentioned throughout the entire book, as well as having a big reference in the Platformer Games page. But in the book, he even has his own two pages: Super Mario and Mario Kart. Mario's Super Mario 64 DS artwork is shown on the cover.

Guinness World Records Gamer's Edition 2010

 * Mario is mentioned a lot throughout the book and is dubbed the 6th most popular series of all time. Additionally, his Super Mario Galaxy artwork is shown on the cover.

Guinness World Records Gamer's Edition 2011

 * One page states that Super Mario Bros. was remade on the Nintendo 64, which is false.

Guinness World Records Gamer's Edition 2013
"Will have your head spinning like a weekend in Mario Land"
 * Mario's Super Mario 3D Land artwork and a Super Star are shown on the cover. Additionally, the review at the top of the book says:

Guinness World Records Gamer's Edition 2015

 * Mario Kart and Super Mario Bros. are in positions 2 and 15 respectively as determined by the readers.

Guinness World Records Gamer's Edition 2016

 * Artwork of Luigi on the Poltergust 4000 from Mario Kart DS and Lakitu riding his Cloud are featured on the first page's logo.
 * In the foreword written by Smosh Games, they make a comment about the book having plenty of content for all interests, "[w]hether your thing is for moustachioed plumbers, League of Legends champions or giant Minecraft cities."
 * Artwork of Bowser is featured on the pages detailing how to submit a record.
 * While describing Nintendo's plans to enter the mobile market, the cover art for Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS is featured above. Other news also includes the leaked e-mails from Sony Pictures which mentioned wanting to make an animated feature film about Super Smash Bros..
 * The book summarizes the year's various gaming awards ceremony, which includes several Mario-related series:
 * At The Game Awards, Mario Kart 8 was the "Best Sports/Racing Game" and Super Smash Bros. for Wii U was the "Best Fighting Game".
 * At the South by Southwest Gaming Awards, Super Smash Bros. for Wii U was awarded the "Excellence in Multiplayer".
 * At the DICE 18th Annual Awards, Super Smash Bros. for Wii U was the "Fighting Game of the Year", Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS was the "Handheld Game of the Year", and Mario Kart 8 was the "Racing Game of the Year".
 * A section of the book is dedicated to the "Evolution of Mario", which features the sales of the series' various installments from Donkey Kong in 1981 (basing their sales on the Atari 2600 release) to Super Mario 3D Land in 2011. It also mentions several pieces of trivia, such as how the Boos were based on Takashi Tezuka's wife, that Mario has fought "1,925 different types of enemies and 588 bosses", and that Mario was originally named Jumpman before being renamed to honour Nintendo's landlord, Mario Segale.
 * New Super Luigi U is the first platformer in the Mario series not to feature Mario (instead featuring Luigi).
 * On a feature page for Metacritic, in which it lists the games with the highest score for each console, Super Mario Galaxy is listed as the Wii's highest-rated game with an average score of 97 and Super Mario 3D World is listed as the Wii U's highest-rated game with an average score of 93.
 * On a feature page listing "Classic Rivalries", Mario and Sonic the Hedgehog are compared: Mario boasts the highest-rated game (Super Mario Galaxy with 97.64% against Sonic Adventure with 86.51%) and the most overall sales (533.31 million against 110.04 million).
 * The Ground Theme from Super Mario Bros. spent 125 weeks in the Billboard ringtone chart and has been performed by various orchestras during concerts.
 * One of IGN's articles is quoted when it mentions the Cat Suit, as IGN described it as the "most powerful skill-based Mario power-up in history".
 * Super Mario Maker, referred to as simply Mario Maker, is mentioned in a section detailing future video game releases.

Guinness World Records Gamer's Edition 2017

 * The Mario Kart section covers twenty-five years of the series.

Encarta
In the '97 edition, the photo for the Video Games article depicts a family playing Mario Paint.

1001 Unbelievable Facts
One of the facts is "There are no donkeys in the game Donkey Kong."

1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die
In this book, Donkey Kong is listed number 23, Dr. Mario is listed as number 27, Mario Kart Wii is listed as number 59, Super Mario 64 as number 104, Super Mario Bros. as number 105, Super Mario Bros. 2 as number 106, Super Mario Bros. 3 as number 107, and Super Mario World as number 108.

365 Fun Facts, Weird Trivia and Amazing Lists on Nearly Everything You Need to Know!
In this Australian book published and released in 2006, Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door and Mario Pinball Land are listed as two of the top ten most popular video games in Australia.

Brain Quest
In the fourth grade edition in "page" 65, one of the questions is "Which game is the oldest: Super Mario Brothers, Monopoly or Game Boy?".

Hot dog!

 * Hot dog! #58, Scholastic – Mario's face is the cover.
 * Hot dog! #74, Scholastic – Mario and Luigi fighting Bowser can be found on the back cover.

It's a-me Density!
The physics paper It's a-me Density!, published in the Journal of Physics: Special Subjects, by the Department of Physics and Astronomy at England's University of Leicester, discusses the physics, density and astronomy from Super Mario Galaxy and its sequel.

The paper also explores the effect of short-range gravity on the Mario Brothers, along with their jumping abilities and overall appearance.

''"Clearly, the degeneracy pressure far outstrips the gravitational pressure by eleven orders of magnitude," the paper concludes. "The outcome of this discrepancy is that if constructed, the planet would survive for only a very brief moment before violently destroying itself and any short plumbers who happen to be running about on its surface."''

Mirai Japanese Course Book Stage 2
On page 118 of this Japanese language education textbook, there is a picture of what looks like a screenshot from Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3.

Maths Quest 7 for Victoria Second Edition
In this Australian mathematics textbook, the first part of a question on page 68 reads: "Mario, Luigi, Zoe and Daniella are playing on a playstation." The fact that both names were mentioned in one question and that it is about video games (despite Sony's PlayStation having no relation with Nintendo), it is very likely that the question was intended as a reference.

Nintendo Fun Club News

 * Nintendo Fun Club News #1, Nintendo – Contains an article about Super Mario Bros.

The Picture of Everything

 * Several Mario characters, items, enemies and other Mario elements can be seen in The Picture of Everything.

Transformers

 * Geno and Samus Aran appear in an illustration for the TransTech prose story "Gone Too Far."