Shouting, grunting, and yahoo-ing may sound easy at first glance, but Super Mario voice actor Charles Martinet not only came up with a dozen or more different ways to make the same sound. He also imbued each falling yell, burned overalls, and triumphant leap with an enduring sense of joy that became as much a part of the Mario series as the Koopa King and platforming action. With the news that Martinet is leaving his role as Nintendo’s iconic plumber, we delved through his prodigious voice work over the past 25 years and picked out some of our favorite Super Mario voice lines.
I’m fallen and I can’t get up (Mario Teaches Typing 2)
I’m ashamed to say I laughed when I first heard this. The ‘90s were full of Life Alert jokes, poking fun at the ridiculously cheesy ads for alarm systems that helped old people who fell and, well, couldn’t get up. It’s such a strange inclusion, though, and I can only assume Nintendo gave the Mario license to Interplay without much oversight.
This was the last Mario edutainment game before Nintendo yanked the license back, and it’s maybe not hard to see why.
Wahoo (Almost literally every Mario game)
It’s hard to decide which is better and more iconic – “Wahoo” or “Yahoo.” Wahoo has some nice added flexibility, though. You can shake up the emphasis on the first or second syllable to make an entirely different sound or just sneakily slide ride into a “Wahaa” like Mario sometimes does after pulling off a particularly challenging high jump.
Yahoo (Almost literally every modern Mario game)
Good as a nice “Wahoo” is, I’m a bit more partial to “Yahoo.” It rolls off the tongue more naturally, and in my mind, I like to imagine the break between the “Ya” and “Hoo” like a little jump that pushes the note – and Mario – a bit higher.
Ow hao hao agagagagag! (Super Mario Odyssey)
My unique quote if I fell into a deep pool of lava would probably be “!!!” before near-instant death stopped me from saying more, so I appreciate how much creativity and fun Martinet infuses Mario’s flaming pain reaction with. It’s even more impressive considering how he recorded maybe half a dozen different “Mario’s burning” sounds over the years, each with their own special cadence and sound.
Saying “Nintendo” (Mario Kart Double Dash)
The Gamecube was the era of Nintendo having Nintendo characters say “Nintendo” before the title screen shows up, so you knew the Nintendo game you just bought for your Nintendo Gamecube was created and developed by Nintendo. The ghosts of Luigi’s Mansion say it in a sepulchral tone that suggests they’ll eat your soul once the game starts. Animal Crossing’s villagers say it in their cute lil’ voices.
My favorite, though, is Martinet’s opening for Mario Kart Double Dash. There’s so much energy in his delivery that it’s impossible not to feel a tinge of excitement about the races ahead. Best of all is the trademark “Woohoo” after it, that totally unnecessary, brilliant extra touch of fun.
Open salami (Super Mario Sunshine)
Apparently, Mario sometimes says “Open salami” when you start a level in Super Mario Sunshine. I don’t remember ever hearing him say this, but maybe I was just too far away to hear it, sat back from my clunky, early 2000s TV and the threat of permanent eye damage.
Anyway, it’s such a quirky, silly thing to say. Mario Sunshine really was the peak of Mario voice lines.
Hey, Stinky (Mario Party 7 and Mario Party 8)
As if multiplayer Mario Party wasn’t competitive enough as it is, the later Gamecube games introduced taunting. It’s adorable to think that the worst Mario can come up with is “Hey, stinky!” but Martinet gives it a slight edge of malice as well. When Mario calls you Stinky, you know you’ve been got.
Luigi’s Mansion noises (Luigi's Mansion)
Pretty much everything Luigi says in the original Luigi’s Mansion is adorable, but his shaky, tentative, terrified “MarioooOOooooOooo” and all its variations are easily among the best. Martinet gives Luigi such an injection of personality with every one of them, which is genuinely impressive since it’s nearly a dozen variations of saying the same word.
Oh yeah, who’s number 1 now? Luigi! (Mario Kart Double Dash)
Luigi has a tough lot in life – younger brother to a hero, streak of cowardice, floaty jump, slippy landings. It’s not easy for the poor guy, and while he normally bears it with a smile, you get a glimpse of his frustration in his Double Dash line “Who’s number one now?”
Finally, it’s Luigi’s time for the spotlight! At least until he loses it again.
Talking in Mario and Luigi (Mario and Luigi Superstar Saga)
The lads come out with this any time they talk in the Mario and Luigi spinoff series, a mixture of pure gibberish and a few random Italian words thrown in. I’d give good money to see the outtakes from Martinet’s recording sessions here.
Dream-listing pasta names and giggling (Super Mario Odyssey)
Mario Odyssey is full of surprises, but one of my favorites has to be Mario’s dream talking. Mario goes to sleep if you wait idly long enough, and if you’re really patient, he starts listing pasta types and random Italian words.
He even gives a little giggle at his own name and Capellini and lets out a sign of adoration when he says “Peach,” which breaks the pattern by virtue of definitely not being an Italian word.
Whatever this is from Super Mario Sunshine
I’ve played Super Mario Sunshine more times than I can count, and I don’t actually know… what’s going on here. It sounds like maybe he’s being electrocuted? Frying in lava? Either way, Martinet’s giving his whole Mariussy here, and it’s brilliant.
That’s Amore (Mario Teaches Typing 2)
Miyamoto and Nintendo might have pulled the Mario license after Teaches Typing 2, but at least we got to hear Charles Martinet sing Dean Martin’s “That’s Amore” and turn it into a terrible pun first.
It’s a-go time (New Super Mario series)
Anyone who’s played a modern Mario game knows “Let’s a-go” is Mario’s standard phrase when you start a level. It’s so integral to Mario that any changes to the formula stand out, which is why the “It’s a-go time” line that plays in the New Super games when you start a castle level is so good.
Castles are a big deal in Mario, and I just get a bit of a kick out of Mario saying “It’s go time,” like all the other miracle jumps and incredible acrobatics were just child’s play. Now, it’s (a) go time, chumps.
Oh, doggy! (Luigi’s Mansion 3)
Polterpup steals Mario’s cake before the luxe hotel in Luigi’s Mansion 3 turns into an otherworldly nightmare, and Mario just looks on in surprise and says “Oh, doggy…” The joyful Mario that Martinet created absolutely would say doggy – not pooch, pup, here boy, dog, or anything like that – and he says it with such a tone of disapproval that I’m surprised we didn’t see Polterpup blush with shame.
Ah, Princess-a (Super Mario 3D World)
Things go terribly wrong in the first five minutes of Super Mario 3D World, with kidnappings, terror, destruction and all the usual Mario predicaments, but before it all turns sour, Mario actually says one whole, complete sentence to Peach: “Ah Princess-a, what a beautiful evening!”
It’s the most complex expression of emotion we ever hear from Mario.
Thank you so much for playing my game (Mario Galaxy 2, Mario Odyssey)
No Charles, thank you for 27 years of endlessly creative ways to spark joy and imagination.
Written by Josh Broadwell on behalf of GLHF
