No way Mario is just 24.

Paper Luigi Balls

Paper Luigi Balls

Lover of Luiginary Balls
Banned User
Every time Miyamoto opens his mouth and inserts his opinions about the Marioverse, it's either something wrong, or something I don't agree with, I.e., Koopalings. aren't :bowser: 'skids. I've always visualized Mario as being AT LEAST in his middle thirties, possibly early forties. I mean, come ON! If he's only 24, that means two years ago, he was only 22! *bleep*, please. I'd assume that he was about that age when he was just starting out as a carpenter who was then known as Jumpman (late teens or early 20's back then). It wouldn't make sense otherwise, as Cranky is the original Donkey Kong, and he was Donkey Kong's age now at the time. I know gorillas don't live as long as humans, but not by THAT MUCH, it's not like dogs or something. I think that Miyamoto would welcome his fans to leave it up to their own interpretations, and that is not one that I choose to agree with.
 
Mario's age is pretty ambiguous but it's still a bit believable that he's 24-26 though he in his 30s is also acceptable for me. Still I find the idea of Mario being a young man rather than a middle-aged person more palatable but maybe that's my young woman in me, a young woman who's got a thing for Mario, speaking. The whole Cranky narrative is kind of messed up anyway as Mario was envisioned to be an aging middle-aged man at the time but his age went down through the years while Donkey Kong apparently aged. The Cranky narrative is that narrative that I don't accept as I like the idea of Mario and Donkey Kong tussling at each other for years rather than Mario tussles one guy and then later tussles his ancestor. Miyamoto has seen Mario at around 24-26 for quite a while I think, since even back at 2001, the Japanese Melee trophy description places him at 26, so not far from 24 at all.
 
LeftyGreenMario said:
Mario's age is pretty ambiguous but it's still a bit believable that he's 24-26 though he in his 30s is also acceptable for me. Still I find the idea of Mario being a young man rather than a middle-aged person more palatable but maybe that's my young woman in me, a young woman who's got a thing for Mario, speaking. The whole Cranky narrative is kind of messed up anyway as Mario was envisioned to be an aging middle-aged man at the time but his age went down through the years while Donkey Kong apparently aged. The Cranky narrative is that narrative that I don't accept as I like the idea of Mario and Donkey Kong tussling at each other for years rather than Mario tussles one guy and then later tussles his ancestor. Miyamoto has seen Mario at around 24-26 for quite a while I think, since even back at 2001, the Japanese Melee trophy description places him at 26, so not far from 24 at all.
Click to expand...
I'm sorry you feel that way about the Cranky Kong thing. It is canonical (he referred to "whisking off maidens" in his younger days in the original Donkey Kong Country. As far as I know, it was never contradicted by Miyamoto. Therefore, it remains canon. But I'm not so sure that Miyamoto just saying something off the cuff makes it canon. I think that his canonical age is still 26, therefore. If you disagree and think that anything Miyamoto says is heretofore canon, I'd like to know. But I don't think they should give any age IMO. I think it should be left up to your own imagination or interpretation. I mean, they fill in SO LITTLE of his backstory. Why do they have to fill in this? How will gamers in their late twenties feel who were little babies playing Mario? They will be upset to know that they are now older than Mario. I mean, I'm 19 myself, but I am still very sympathetic to those born in the late 1980s feeling this way. So that no one is upset and everyone can be happy, why can't it just be left up to your own interpretation? The people who feel he's somewhere in his upper or later thirties can hold that opinion, and the people who feel he is in his mid-20s can think that way too. Everyone could have had their cake.
 
Remove his mustache and he definitely looks 24.

I mean people often say I look like I'm in my 30s and I'm only 25.
 
Same here.

Two years ago, people used to think I was in 11th grade rather than 7th just because of my mustache. And now that I shaved it I discovered I had a baby face.
 
I've been told in this forum that I look at least 15 years old despite being actually 22, and no one can accurately guess my age upon first meeting me.

Looks aren't everything.

Paper Luigi Balls said:
It is canonical (he referred to "whisking off maidens" in his younger days in the original Donkey Kong Country. As far as I know, it was never contradicted by Miyamoto. Therefore, it remains canon.
Click to expand...

lol, WHAT canon?
 
Paper Luigi Balls said:
But I don't think they should give any age IMO. I think it should be left up to your own imagination or interpretation. I mean, they fill in SO LITTLE of his backstory. Why do they have to fill in this? How will gamers in their late twenties feel who were little babies playing Mario? They will be upset to know that they are now older than Mario. I mean, I'm 19 myself, but I am still very sympathetic to those born in the late 1980s feeling this way. So that no one is upset and everyone can be happy, why can't it just be left up to your own interpretation? The people who feel he's somewhere in his upper or later thirties can hold that opinion, and the people who feel he is in his mid-20s can think that way too. Everyone could have had their cake.
Click to expand...
Those people who are upset can just ignore what Miyamoto says since nothing in the Mario series is canon anyway. It's how I ignore the Cranky Kong thing and I also ignore Koopalings not being Bowser's kids statement and I think it may be possible to pretend that Yoshi's New Island didn't exist. I don't see the problem of why people will be upset over an age difference, especially if they discover that Mario is younger than them. It seems petty to be upset over, no?
 
Something wrong? You do realize he basically created Mario, right? You don't work for Nintendo.

Also, i don't really think the series' timeline is the same as the dates they were released, it makes more snese if there was a lot less time between the games.
 
Speaking of Cranky Kong, there's actually a huge plot hole there. So Cranky Kong is the Donkey Kong from the arcade who fights the adult Mario. He looks younger here and around the same time, Donkey Kong Jr. (modern DK's father) looks like a kid. But in Yoshi's Island DS, Mario and modern DK are both babies. Therefore, the arcade has to take place at least 20 years after Cranky Kong already had a grandson. How is Cranky still alive? Furthermore, how can DK Jr. be a kid if his son was born 20 years ago? The only way for this to work is for two things to be true: 1) Kongs live a lot longer than real life apes, and 2) DK Jr. looks like a kid in the arcades but he is actually an adult (this would make sense with Mario Tennis 64 having modern DK and DK Jr. in the same game). If these things aren't true, than the Mario from the arcade can't be the same person as modern Mario.
 
I have never thought about Mario's age except for the fact that he's an adult, but thinking about his age, I agree that 24 is a reasonable age for Mario. He looks youthful even with his moustache, so that's a reasonable age for Mario.

At least we know for sure Mario's in-universe age is supposed to be, given that many cartoon characters like Mickey Mouse and Popeye doesn't have an age in the context of their universe beyond being an adult. Meaning for example, the most likely answer to Mickey Mouse's age is based on the year he's introduced in, which is 89 years old this year. Another example: one of Don Rosa's Donald Duck's comics treated Donald as though he's 65 years old (based on the year he's introduced in the cartoon) even though he shouldn't have an appearance of a 65 years old. That's why it's surprising that even Sonic, a character inspired by a classic character, has an in-universe age (15 years old). It fleshes out Mario's character even more, because I think some people see him as some sort of avatar, which is a label I don't feel fits Mario.

With that said, Mario's production age is a very unique case: while Mario is introduced in Donkey Kong in 1981 (his true appearance), some people saw his Super Mario Bros. as his proper introduction at 1985, so you have two different opinions on Mario's production age. Some say he's supposed to be 36 years old this year, but some would point out that he's 32 years old instead. It should be noted that Nintendo never celebrated Mario the character's anniversary (but they celebrated Luigi's based on his Mario Bros. appearance as an origin point, if you can believe that), but instead, of the game Super Mario Bros. on two separate occasions.

Thank you for reading.
 
i think 36 is a much more reasonable age for mario than 24

yeah, he looks a bit younger without the moustache, but i like to think mario is someone who would be older than he looks because he takes care of his body
 
LeftyGreenMario said:
Paper Luigi Balls said:
But I don't think they should give any age IMO. I think it should be left up to your own imagination or interpretation. I mean, they fill in SO LITTLE of his backstory. Why do they have to fill in this? How will gamers in their late twenties feel who were little babies playing Mario? They will be upset to know that they are now older than Mario. I mean, I'm 19 myself, but I am still very sympathetic to those born in the late 1980s feeling this way. So that no one is upset and everyone can be happy, why can't it just be left up to your own interpretation? The people who feel he's somewhere in his upper or later thirties can hold that opinion, and the people who feel he is in his mid-20s can think that way too. Everyone could have had their cake.
Click to expand...
Those people who are upset can just ignore what Miyamoto says since nothing in the Mario series is canon anyway. It's how I ignore the Cranky Kong thing and I also ignore Koopalings not being Bowser's kids statement and I think it may be possible to pretend that Yoshi's New Island didn't exist. I don't see the problem of why people will be upset over an age difference, especially if they discover that Mario is younger than them. It seems petty to be upset over, no?
Click to expand...
The Koopalings was a clarification no one asked for. If it can only serve to upset, WHY SAY ANYTHING?
 
Because the creator is entitled to a headcanon like anyone else and if he wants to express it, why shouldn't he?
 
I guess he is, but I don't understand why he'd want to retcon something he himself established (or at least approved the establishment of) in one of his most acclaimed games and the one that introduced the characters in the first place, along with something that didn't even hinder Bowser Jr.'s existence since they could easily be siblings. Bowser Jr. could even keep his more prominent focus as the eldest and heir to the throne, who just happened to not be at the scene in the Koopalings' earlier appearances.

But as far as character's specific ages go, I think that detail is very irrelevant in a franchise like this. Some are older than others in appearance and personality, but like many cartoon characters, don't age, at least once they've hit adulthood (Baby Mario grows up into Mario but then stops aging)
 
The clarification that the Koopalings are Bowser's minions didn't seem to upset me when I first know this. Maybe it's because I am not that invested in that bit of detail? I have wondered: if the Koopalings weren't considered part of Bowser's children in the first place, would they be as famous as they currently are? Perhaps it's their association with Bowser that have provided them with a source of popularity that they might not have gotten if it weren't for this. Since I am not part of the people who are upset that the Koopalings are unrelated to Bowser, I guess I am not qualified to comment further on this issue.

Thank you for reading.
 
The silver lining to them not being Bowser's kids, at least to me, is the thought that now there may actually be a Morton Senior out there. My current belief is that Blue Bowser's real name is Morton Senior, making Bowser the Koopalings' uncle and Junior their cousin.
 
SiFi said:
The silver lining to them not being Bowser's kids, at least to me, is the thought that now there may actually be a Morton Senior out there. My current belief is that Blue Bowser's real name is Morton Senior, making Bowser the Koopalings' uncle and Junior their cousin.
Click to expand...
HA!, HA!, HA!....I go by Lemmy's Land headcanons and characters.
 
Mario has officially been referred to as middle aged a few times in games, manuals, etc. I don't have time to dig up the actual quotes though :/
 
TheSuperStarSaga said:
Mario has officially been referred to as middle aged a few times in games, manuals, etc. I don't have time to dig up the actual quotes though :/
Click to expand...
Well, there is this:

180px-Old_Man_Naming_Penguin.png
 
Those penguins speak in slang, though, so it could be referring to anyone older than them, even if they're not much older than them.
 
Paper Luigi Balls said:
LeftyGreenMario said:
Paper Luigi Balls said:
But I don't think they should give any age IMO. I think it should be left up to your own imagination or interpretation. I mean, they fill in SO LITTLE of his backstory. Why do they have to fill in this? How will gamers in their late twenties feel who were little babies playing Mario? They will be upset to know that they are now older than Mario. I mean, I'm 19 myself, but I am still very sympathetic to those born in the late 1980s feeling this way. So that no one is upset and everyone can be happy, why can't it just be left up to your own interpretation? The people who feel he's somewhere in his upper or later thirties can hold that opinion, and the people who feel he is in his mid-20s can think that way too. Everyone could have had their cake.
Click to expand...
Those people who are upset can just ignore what Miyamoto says since nothing in the Mario series is canon anyway. It's how I ignore the Cranky Kong thing and I also ignore Koopalings not being Bowser's kids statement and I think it may be possible to pretend that Yoshi's New Island didn't exist. I don't see the problem of why people will be upset over an age difference, especially if they discover that Mario is younger than them. It seems petty to be upset over, no?
Click to expand...
The Koopalings was a clarification no one asked for. If it can only serve to upset, WHY SAY ANYTHING?
Click to expand...

I don't think it only serves to upset. It also serves to enlighten, mainly because there are some pieces of information that are different in different places, so to get the actual piece of information is enlightening. If there's a question that I don't understand, it's a good thing to ask the right person to enlighten myself on something I don't understand. Similarly, Miyamoto's clarification comes from somebody asking this question (in the Koopaling's case, GameInformer). For sure, not everybody is going to be happy with what they hear, but it's refreshing to have the creator come out and state their clarification.

Thank you for reading.
 
TheSuperStarSaga said:
Mario has officially been referred to as middle aged a few times in games, manuals, etc. I don't have time to dig up the actual quotes though :/
Click to expand...
When you or somebody else gets the chance can you dig up a couple? I'm really intrigued.
 
The penguins thought he was forty. But when he eats too much pasta and meatballs, he's farty.
 
That's actually one of the few things Miyamoto announced that I'm kind of on board with to be honest. Despite his early Ossan-days, Mario never really seemed to be that old to me.

If it were up to me though, I'd probably bump him up to at least a twenty-seven or twenty-eight.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back