Super Mario Bros. 35th Anniversary
The "Super Mario Bros." 35th Anniversary was a celebration of the "Super Mario" video game series. The series began when Shigeru Miyamoto developed "Super Mario Bros." on September 13, 1985 and the series has since spanned over twenty games and have appeared on every major Nintendo video game consoles. Through a series of leaks initially reported by "Video Games Chronicle" in March 2020, plans revealed that Nintendo originally planned to celebrate the anniversary earlier in the year; however due to the COVID-19 pandemic the anniversary was postponed and the beginning celebration of the anniversary to  September that same year. The anniversary was marked with a Nintendo Direct on September 3, 2020 and went on until March 31, 2021. The anniversary saw the release of many titles unveiled or re-released. "" was first to release, followed by "Super Mario Bros. 35", "Super Mario 3D All-Stars", "" and "Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury". Additionally, a limited time Game & Watch handheld was released, containing "Super Mario Bros." and "Super Mario Bros. The Lost Levels" as well as a remix of the Game & Watch game Ball. All the games were received generally positive reviews by critics . In addition to games, Nintendo partnered up with many companies and brands to release merchandise which tied into the anniversary. One of the most notable releases of the Lego Super Mario sets in collaboration with The Lego Group, which came with electronic figures that interacted with certain parts of the set. Other companies and brands that were collaborated with include Levi's, UHU and Hasbro. Events, such as the opening of Super Nintendo World, were also meant to coincide with the celebration of the anniversary. History. Background. The "Super Mario" series was first created in 1985 when Shigeru Miyamoto developed  and produced "Super Mario Bros." for the Famicom in Japan and Nintendo Entertainment System elsewhere. The game became a critical and commercial success, which warranted two more sequels on the NES. The next entry in the series was "Super Mario World" for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, developed in 1990. The game upgrade the series from 8-bit to 16-bit graphics, as well as introduced series staple features such as Yoshi. In 1996, "Super Mario 64" was released as a launch title for the Nintendo 64, which brought the series into 3D gameplay. The game became a critical success  and is often noted as influential within the gaming industry. The 3D gameplay of "Mario 64" was then greatly expanded upon with two successors, "Super Mario Sunshine" (2002) for the Nintendo GameCube and "Super Mario Galaxy" (2007) for the Nintendo Wii. The series has since released over twenty entries split between 2D and 3D gameplay, with at least one released for every major Nintendo video game consoles. The "Super Mario" series was first celebrated in 2005, for the series' 20th anniversary. In late July 2005, Nintendo announced the release "" and "Dr. Mario & Puzzle League" for September 13 that year in  Japan, as well as the re-release of the Famicom Mini version of "Super Mario Bros." for the Game Boy Advance. In addition, they also released a special edition version of the Game Boy Micro styled after the colour scheme of a Famicom controller to commemorate the anniversary. In early September 2010, Nintendo celebrated the series' 25th anniversary. To commemorate the anniversary, a limited edition of version of Super Mario All-Stars bundled with a CD and artbook was released called 'Super Mario All-Stars 25th Anniversary Edition' for the Wii. The game was initially a limited release, however they  announced a re-print for March 13, 2011 due to high demand. Furthermore, other titles such as "" and "Super Princess Peach" received additional reprints at Toys "R" Us for the anniversary. Similar to the 20th anniversary, limited edition consoles were also commissioned for the celebration specifically for the Wii and DSi, the DSi of which was a promotional deal with Japanese 7-Eleven. However, unlike the last anniversary celebration Nintendo also released a line of merchandise on Club Nintendo, as well as raffles users could participate in to win Mario themed prizes such as pins, tote bags and playing cards . As well as the merchandise, Nintendo held an event at the Nintendo World Store in New York City, which had recently been renovated. The event featured Shigeru Miyamoto and former Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aimé, cutting a giant cake with decorations designed to recreate levels from "Super Mario Bros." The series celebrated its 30th anniversary, starting in April 2015. For the anniversary Nintendo released Super Mario Maker in September, which became a big part of the celebration. The game also spawned two amiibo styled after 8-bit Mario called the "Mario 30th Anniversary Amiibo", which were sold separately  or in bundles. Other than games, Nintendo also teamed up with other brands to mark the anniversary such as Hot Wheels, Romain Jerome and Moschino. Anniversary. The anniversary celebration unofficially started on March 10, 2020, Nintendo and The Lego Group teased a collaborative partnership on Twitter with a short video of a Mario figurine with an LED display, under the name of Lego Super Mario. Two days later, a trailer was released on the Lego YouTube account, depicting multiple interactive playsets based on level themes in the Super Mario franchise. The sets launched in August that same year. On March  30, Video Games Chronicle reported on rumours of a big celebration for the series' anniversary, in which Nintendo will re-release games from Mario's 35-year-old backlog. Additionally, VentureBeat claimed they received information from sources that the celebration was originally scheduled to be held at Nintendo's E3 2020 presentation, however due to the COVID-19 pandemic the event was cancelled and the celebration would have to be postponed. Furthermore, information later added on the official website for a "Super Mario Maker 2" event suggested that some plans had originally been planned for as early as April 2020. Supplementary  sources corroborated by Eurogamer and Gematsu claimed that one of the games in the celebration was a collection of remasters of 3D Mario titles reminiscent of Super Mario All-Stars, with sources claiming the game contained "Super Mario 64", "Super Mario Sunshine and Super Mario Galaxy. "Additional sources claimed that Super Mario Galaxy 2 was also bundled with the game, however these claims were later withdrawn."" Other sources also claimed that there were a new Paper Mario games as well as a "deluxe" port for Super Mario 3D World which were also being developed for the anniversary. A Paper Mario  game, , was later announced in May 2020 in a standalone trailer. In July, Nintendo fans discovered a hidden Twitter account for the anniversary celebration, the account of which shared the same email address as other official Nintendo Twitter accounts."" On September 3, Nintendo showcased a variant of their Nintendo Direct online presentations, titled "Super Mario Bros. 35th Anniversary Direct". Within the direct, several of the previously rumoured games were announced, including the rumoured "All-Stars 2" revealed as Super Mario 3D All-Stars. The original Super Mario All-Stars was also re-released as a part of the Nintendo Switch  Online service. Other games not mentioned by insiders were also announced, including Super Mario Bros. 35, and the handheld. In addition to the new titles, the direct also featured a recap of previously announced promotions within the year in the form of events in other Nintendo games as well as merchandise provide by collaborations with other companies. The Direct ended with a montage of most of the mainline Mario releases since 1985, omitting "", "", "Super Mario Galaxy 2", "New Super Mario Bros. 2", and "New Super Mario Bros. U". After the direct ended, it was announced that the celebration would last  until March 31, 2021. Nintendo later added that 3D All-Stars, Super Mario Bros. 35, the re-release of All-Stars and the Game & Watch handheld were all to cease sales after the end of the celebration. Games. The first Mario game to be released in 2020 was "", which released July 17. Information for a "Paper Mario" game for the Nintendo Switch had been leaked to "Eurogamer" in late March 2020, including information that this was meant to be revealed as a part of the anniversary at E3 2020. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the announcements were split, and  instead the game was announced May 14. In the September Nintendo Direct, it was revealed that "Super Mario All-Stars" would be coming to the Nintendo Switch Online SNES service, and was released on September 3; this was rumored about a week before the reveal. The next game celebrating the anniversary, "Super Mario 3D All-Stars", was released on September 18, 2020. It is a compilation title featuring "Super Mario 64", "Super Mario Sunshine", and "Super Mario Galaxy", all of which have been remastered with HD graphics, aspect ratios and updated controls. "Super Mario 3D All-Stars" was first rumored  in March 2020. Also announced was "Super Mario Bros. 35", a battle royale based on the 1985 original, which is an exclusive for the Nintendo Switch Online service. The gameplay involves 35 Marios competing in "Super Mario Bros." levels, until the last Mario wins, and was released on October 1, 2020. The September Direct also revealed "", developed by Velan Studios, that was released on October 16. The concept of the game involves a real life toy depicting Mario or Luigi in a kart, where the player can draw a map using the kart and four gates. The player can then  race with in-game opponents being the Koopalings using augmented reality. The game comes in two versions, either a Mario version or a Luigi version, both of which come with a charging cable, arrow signs and race gates. "", a limited edition compilation Game & Watch handheld, was released on November 13, 2020. The game is compiled with "Super Mario Bros.", "Super Mario Bros. The Lost Levels", and an updated version of the first Game & Watch title "Ball", replacing the original character with Mario. It was also said to contain 35 hidden easter eggs, in reference to the anniversary. The handheld itself  is based on a modified Widescreen Game & Watch handheld with a d-pad and a full-color LCD screen. "Super Mario 3D All-Stars", "Super Mario Bros. 35", and "Game & Watch: Super Mario Bros." were all available for a limited time until March 31, 2021. Towards the end of the celebration, an Internet meme around "Nintendo killing Mario" began circulating due to the limited availability of these games, though Nintendo continued to offer other Mario-based games after this date with no planned limited availability, such as existing Mario games on the Nintendo Switch Online service. Finally, a port of  the Wii U game "Super Mario 3D World", titled "Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury", released on February 12, 2021. The game includes increased gameplay speed, online co-op, amiibo support, and the addition of the Bowser's Fury game mode, which introduces new levels and story. Merchandise. Lego. In March 2020, it was revealed Nintendo collaborated with the Lego Group to bring a new Lego theme to celebrate the anniversary, titled Lego Super Mario. This theme is a combination of a video game and a Lego set, with an electronic Mario figurine that can interact with barcodes  on structures resembling Mario features like Warp Pipes and ? Blocks, which can make sound effects, in linear Super Mario style levels. In total, the Lego theme has 11 sets, 4 packs pertaining to cosmetic changes to the Mario figurine, and a blind bag collection of 10 Mario enemies. It was released on August 1, 2020. More Lego information was revealed in July 2020, when Nintendo unveiled a miniature Lego Nintendo Entertainment System and CRT TV replica, which displayed "Super Mario Bros." While not associated with the Lego Super Mario theme, the set can interact with it. By having the Mario  figurine on top the TV, it can make sound effects by cranking a lever. This set also released on August 1. Clothing. In April 2020, both Uniqlo and Levi announce a range of Mario branded clothing. Uniqlo revealed a line of T-Shirts with Mario on them, a notable t-shirt being a timeline of mainline Mario games. Levi, added a wide selection of clothing including hats, overalls, tops, and hoodies, all of which were patterned with Super Mario characters. During the Direct, Nintendo announced two more clothing brands that were collaborating, Black Milk, which make clothing for women, launched  October 6, 2020, and Puma, which released basketball shoes branded with "Super Mario 64", "Sunshine", and "Galaxy" iconography. Toys. Hasbro began collaborating with Nintendo, with their plans being revealed in July 2020 and released the following month. These plans turned out to be Mario themed Jenga and Monopoly tabletop games, complete with unique Mario styled gimmicks. Another company involved in the collaboration was Jakks Pacific, which sold multiple Mario characters figurines throughout the year, both new and old. One of the figurines was a 12-inch tall figurine of Mario, fitted with sound effects and music. When "Super Mario 3D  World + Bowser's Fury" was announced, additional info was released outside the Direct, revealing the game would be launched alongside Cat Mario and Cat Peach amiibo. Other. In August 2020, the German adhesives manufacturing company, UHU, released a line of adhesive products plastered with Mario characters. In the same month, Nintendo unveiled two special edition wired controllers branded with Mario designs. One is red and gold and the other a render of Peach's Castle. Three additional Mario controllers were announced and released in the following October. After the Direct, the Nintendo online store update to include a wide  range of merchandise, including plushes, mugs and clothing. Additionally, on the My Nintendo service, members could do missions in exchange for rewards including a pin set of different Mario games. The Nintendo eShop updated its theme to Mario iconography. Various retailers offered pre-order bonuses for "Super Mario 3D All-Stars". Black Screen Records will be releasing a "Super Mario 64" vinyl record album titled "Hang on to Your Hats" for the Video Game Jazz Orchestra band. Events and partnerships. Real world. Originally, Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios Japan was going to become open to the public in early  2020, in conjunction with the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics and to celebrate the anniversary. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan both events were postponed to 2021. Another facility at Universal Japan, a Mario themed store and cafe, opened on October 16. The store sold a wide array of Mario merchandise and the cafe sold pancakes and power-up shaped smoothies. Construction on the Universal Hollywood version of the park began in August 2020. Nintendo reopened their New York store, after lockdown and vandalism, and released more Super Mario merchandise. On the day of the anniversary, September 13, Nintendo  launched two websites for "Super Mario Bros." and "Super Mario Bros. The Lost Levels" in Japan. These were meant to pay tribute to these games, and allow for people to look at an overview of the games, as well as download the original instruction manuals. In Japan, Nintendo commissioned special Mario animations for JR East trains. These animations are for weekly random trivia questions, which rotate out each Monday. On September 30, Cold Stone Creamery announced a partnership with Nintendo, which ran until December 15, 2020. The partnership involves three different items for purchase and consumption; a Rainbow Road inspired  ice cream filled cake, with the addition of the ice cream served in a "Super Mario Odyssey" themed cup and a rainbow star milkshake. In November, Nintendo partnered up with Amazon to produce Super Mario themed boxes that can be served to customers randomly through their orders. In games. Many other Nintendo games will feature in-game events related to the anniversary. "" received Super Mario items in March 2021, "Splatoon 2" hosted a Splatfest for "Super Mushrooms vs. Super Stars" in January 2021, "Mario Kart Tour" released two new characters in the form of Mario and Donkey Kong Jr. in  their original 16 bit sprites from "Super Mario Kart", "Super Smash Bros. Ultimate" hosted a Super Mario themed tournament in December as well as an Origami King spirit event, and "Super Mario Maker 2" hosted special Ninji speedruns.