Original artwork, not a still
Thank you Mario! But our Princess is in another castle!
— Super Mario Bros. · 1985
Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
The cruelest gentle joke in early gaming: seven worlds of effort answered by a polite thank-you and a pointer to the next castle. It became the shorthand for any goal that keeps moving, and Nintendo winks at it itself: in Super Mario Bros. 3 the princess teasingly echoes it before confessing she is kidding. Fans quote it for every near miss.
Context reviewed
In context
Spoilers for Super Mario Bros.Show the scene
The end of each of the first seven castles in the 1985 Super Mario Bros. Mario defeats what looks like Bowser at the end of the castle, but each time it is an impostor in disguise, not the real king of the Koopas. Once the fake is beaten, one of the mushroom retainers is freed and delivers the news, thanking Mario and sending him on to the next castle. Only at the end of World 8 does Mario free Princess Toadstool herself, which ends the adventure and unlocks a harder second quest.
Sources (1)
- Super Mario Bros. (Super Mario Wiki)PlotReference checked
Context reviewed
