Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
Three words turn a plumber with a moustache into a person: the cheerful Italian lilt of "it's-a me" became the way the whole world imitates Mario. Hearing it was many players' first sign that a 3D Mario was real, so fans now use it as a greeting, a joke about announcing themselves, or a wave back to the Nintendo 64 era.
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In context
Spoilers for Super Mario 64Show the scene
Super Mario 64 (1996) was the first game to give Mario the spoken voice players know today. The Western release adds voice clips on the title screen, where an interactive 3D Mario face, programmed by Giles Goddard, lets the player pinch and stretch his cheeks. The Mario fan wiki lists "It's-a me, Mario!" among the game's Mario quotes. Charles Martinet voices it: he said he crashed the 1990 auditions without knowing who Mario was and was asked to try an Italian accent. Super Mario 64 made his voice the standard, and he stepped down from the role in 2023.
Sources (4)
- Mario Wiki (Fandom): Super Mario 64Differences between versionsReference checked
- Wikipedia: Super Mario 64DevelopmentReference checked
- Super Mario Bros. Wiki (Fandom): Charles MartinetBiographyReference checked
- Mario Wiki (Fandom): MarioQuote box and Quotes: GamesReference checked
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