Mario has been a cornerstone of the video game industry for several decades and counting, and over the past few years, there's been an increased push toward celebrating the character's legacy on March 10 - that's 'MAR10', or 'Mario Day'. It's an appropriately quirky way to draw special attention to the highly influential series.
This also makes Mario Day the perfect time to splurge on some Mushroom Kingdom merchandise. Increasingly, retailers are joining in the fun, with enough Super Mario merch to make our heads spin. To help you decide what to snag - either as a gift to a Mario-loving companion or for your own personal collection - we've assembled this list of some of the hottest swag this side of Princess Peach's Castle.
Lego Super Mario Adventures With Mario Starter Course
It's becoming increasingly challenging to sift through Mario memorabilia and not land on Lego. That's no complaint - the famed build-it-yourself toy manufacturer has really upped its Nintendo game in recent years, most notably with the Super Mario Adventures line. You grab one of three Starter Courses - we chose Mario's for Mario Day, but Luigi and Peach have their own! - and then you can choose between Expansion Sets to enhance your experience.
This particular product pits Mario against Bowser Junior and a lone Goomba as he navigates the player-constructed field, which includes a multitude of iconic puzzles and the promise of a finished display that's vibrant with Mario-related details.
Monopoly Junior Super Mario Edition Board Game
Don't let the 'Junior' in the title fool you into assuming this is some toddler toy unfit for full-fledged family play. Monopoly Junior Super Mario Edition may not be quite as complex as the regular version, but🎐 its board is bursting with pure Mario flavor, and the addition of a battery-powered buzzer-like device that makes iconic coin jingle sounds only furthers that signature Nintendo feel.
PowerA Enhanced Wired Controller
In a world where it feels like a thousand companies have swept in to create Switch accessories, we've been pleased with PowerA's longstanding premium output. There's a reason their stuff still tends to dominate web searches for controllers and the like. Naturally, they've branched into the realm of Mario fare, because the only thing better than a solid Switch controller is one with a hero's likeness on it.
Mind you, that doesn't narrow the search down to just the one. PowerA has several Mario-themed controllers, but their Enhanced Wired is our favorite. They've added fully mappable buttons to the back of the unit, effectiv𓃲ely offering owners furth🦩er customization potential than any other piece on the market.
Super Mario Encyclopedia: The Official Guide To The First 30 Years
Comic and collectible distributor Dark Horse delivered in spades back in 2015 with Super Mario Encyclopedia, a clear labor of love that showcases every conceivable aspect of our hero's first 17 adventures. If you're at all familiar with Dark Horse's numerous published works on The Legend of Zelda, expect a similar degree of quality here.
While it's a bit of a shame that the Super Mario Encyclopedia has yet to receive an update to cover the latest mainline game Super Mario Odyssey, rest assured, there's an extraordinary amount of information to learn about everything prior to then.
Mario Party Superstars
"Celebrate Mario Day with... a Mario video game." Perhaps it's a bit on-the-nose, but then, if there's one aspect of the franchise where you're virtually guaranteed to have a good time, it's got to be the games themselves. And what a game Mario Party Superstars has proved to be. By successfully blending some fun and sophisticated course layouts alongside arguably the best batch of mini-games, this is a high mark in Mario Party's board game-like sense of multiplayer fun.
SanDisk 128GB microSDXC-Card
The Switch is one of Nintendo's most universally beloved and financially thriving pieces of hardware in the company's vast history. By electing to combine the portable and TV elements of its predecessors, myriad companies have crafted great games that will be remembered for decades to come. SanDisk, a leading brand of memory storage devices, has partnered with the Big N for Mario-themed SD cards.
These cards do exactly as it says on the tin, storing save data and such externally. The Switch is many things, but one area it lacks is in its relatively low amount of internal storage capabilities, so these cutely-themed cards can help out a lot. Besides, there's no way you'll forget which device you stored your saves on, or wish to transfer screenshots and video from.
PowerA Joy-Con Comfort Grip (Super Mario Red)
We're mixing practical gift ideas in with more novel ones, and surely, these Joy-Con Comfort Grip belongs to the former category for anybody who intends to handle the Switch's Joy-Cons for an extended period of time. If you'd prefer not to spend on a brand-new controller, getting further mileage out of your Joy-Cons whilst still making life easier for your wrists, this will serve you well.
PowerA's Comfort Grips manage to feel nice and light without sacrificing build quality, which is really the bottom line for any Comfort Grip. The 'Super Mario' logo doesn't pop so brightly as to feel garish, though the telltale all-red finish certainly puts us in the mood to stomp Goombas.
Mario And Friends Protective Switch Case
When we were looking for the best Nintendo Switch carrying cases, we noticed something that adds a wrinkle of difficulty to what ought to be an easy thing to shop for - most cases are designed for the original and/or OLED models, meaning the smaller Switch Lite models will shuffle about during travel, potentially damaging them in the long run.
On the other hand, there are cases exclusively for Switch Lites, though they're on the rarer end. Finding an all-in-one solution case with a rad Super Mario aesthetic wasn't the easiest task, but this one - another PowerA product, for the record - has a built-in removable foam piece to keep a Switch Lite snug with plenty of room for the other versions as well.
Game & Watch: Super Mario Bros.
Nintendo's line of retro Game & Watch re-releases also includes a Legend of Zelda machine, which is pretty nifty in its own right. Yet few things feel more 'right' in life than gaming on the go with such a vintage design and the 2D platformer that started it all - and that's precisely what you get here.
In addition to Super Mario Bros., you'll also be able to play The Lost Levels, a Mario-themed version of Ball, and - oh yeah! - this also serves as a watch. It was right there in the name. We wonder whethﷺer the Game & Watch: Super Mario Bros. device will become prohibitively costly as the years go by; at least i🅰t remains reasonably cheap right now.
Paladone Super Mushroom Digital Alarm Clock
Speaking of sweet Mario merchandise that doubles as a time-teller, look no further than fandom super-company Paladone for some bright ideas like the Super Mushroom Digital Alarm Clock. We've chosen a photo that demonstrates its lovely color scheme, though the link we provide below should do well to showcase the surprisingly gorgeous stand piece and sleek font on the display.
Finding someone who 1.) has trouble waking up in the morning; 2.) loves Mario, and 3.) has room in their bedroom to place a gadget that's hardly five inches in length shouldn't prove overly difficult. In fact, we dare say this group includes us.