Sign of the Times: Nintendo decides that Mario is no longer a plumber
By Buckie Wells
As Nintendo unveils a new description of Mario, it looks like our favorite Italian plumber will be putting aside his plunger and putting his plumbing days behind him.
Where do we begin with this? It’s almost like finding out you’re adopted and suddenly you feel like your entire identity is in question. Like, who are we really if Mario is not a plumber?
Nintendo’s decision to alter the description of their most iconic character changes everything. If Mario isn’t a plumber, why does he wear work boots and denim overalls? Are we going to change his iconic look now, too? His hat is already a sentient, magical thing, so what’s next? And if he’s no longer a plumber, do the greens tubes suddenly seem out of place? Does the fact that he has a goofy mustache just relegate him to an everyday stereotype?
According to Kotaku, the official description from Nintendo now reads:
"All around sporty, whether it’s tennis or baseball, soccer or car racing, he [Mario] does everything cool. As a matter of fact, he also seems to have worked as a plumber a long time ago…"
The best thing about Mario’s plumber status happens to be that he’s a blue-collar, princess-saving dude. But personal feelings aside, this isn’t the first time Mario changed his careers. Originally, he was a carpenter (same idea, though). Plus, Mario has done many things over the past few years. He’s a hardcore party guy, a doctor, a ghost hunter, an extreme (and aggressive) racer, a painter of sorts. “Plumber” happens to just be one of the many, many things he can do. As creator Shigeru Miyamoto so decisively said, “The scenario dictates his role.”
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Miyamoto’s original idea basically states that Mario changes with the times. If he is whatever the world needs him to be, the future is wide open for Mario. Basically, we’ll soon discover that Mario isn’t Italian anymore either and Luigi suffers from sort of mental disorder. Perhaps we may even see Mario save a prince one day, too.