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| - In August and September 2024, social media users resurfaced a claim that Nintendo character Mario's catchphrase is actually "Itsumi Mario" — not "It's-a-me, Mario."
For instance, one Facebook user claimed "itsumi" translated to "great or superb" in Japanese, "so he's really just saying super Mario," the name of a game series within the Mario franchise.
The rumor circulated online in English, French, German and Spanish, with a post in the latter language amassing more than 362,000 views as of this writing. It also cropped up on X in July (archived), with a post on that platform attracting more than 4.1 million views.
In fact, the claim has circulated on various platforms, such as TikTok and Reddit, for years. Some examples date back to 2021 and 2023.
However, Nintendo's website always referred to the catchphrase as "It's-a me, Mario," and never as "Itsumi Mario," which is why we rated this claim "False."
The Japanese video game company had a Mario figurine called "It's-A Me, Mario™! Figure" for sale on its online store. The product description read:
Kids of all ages will have endless fun with the 12-inch tall Mario™, packed with over 30 phrases and sound effects from the games. Includes the voice of Mario with iconic phrases like "woo-hoo", "it's-a-me" and many others!
Mario voice actor Charles Martinet also wrote "It's a me" in his Instagram bio, and his account name, charlesmartinetitsame, also referenced the catchphrase. Likewise, Martinet appeared in a Guinness World Records YouTube video titled "Charles Martinet: It's-A Me, Mario! - Guinness World Records," on Dec. 19, 2018.
Charles Martinet's Instagram bio and account name referenced the "It's a me" catchphrase. (Instagram account @charlesmartinetitsame)
Super Mario simply translated to "Sūpāmario (スーパーマリオ)" in Japanese.
Snopes contacted Nintendo for comment and will update this article if we receive a response.
Sources
'2x Gold Points for MAR10 Day!' Nintendo of Europe AG, https://www.nintendo.com/en-gb/News/2019/March/2x-Gold-Points-for-MAR10-Day--1527635.html. Accessed 19 June 2024.
admin. 'The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023) | Transcript'. Scraps from the Loft, 1 Feb. 2024, https://scrapsfromtheloft.com/movies/super-mario-bros-movie-transcript/.
English to Japanese - Google Search. https://www.google.com/search?q=english+to+japanese&oq=english+to+japanese&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyDwgAEEUYORiDARixAxiABDIHCAEQABiABDIHCAIQABiABDIHCAMQABiABDIHCAQQABiABDIHCAUQABiABDIHCAYQABiABDIHCAcQABiABDIHCAgQABiABDIHCAkQABiPAtIBCDM0ODlqMGo3qAIAsAIA&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8. Accessed 19 June 2024.
Figurine It's-A Me, MarioTM! - Site Officiel Nintendo pour Canada. https://www.nintendo.com/fr-ca/store/products/its-a-me-mario-figure-119091/. Accessed 19 June 2024.
Guinness World Records. Charles Martinet: It's-A Me, Mario! - Guinness World Records. 2018. YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-XUZE--qU8.
Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/accounts/login/?next=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.instagram.com%2Fcharlesmartinetitsame%2F%3Fhl%3Den&is_from_rle. Accessed 19 June 2024.
It's-A Me, MarioTM! Figure - Nintendo Official Site. https://www.nintendo.com/us/store/products/its-a-me-mario-figure-119091/. Accessed 19 June 2024.
'Itsumi'. Wikipedia, 13 June 2023. Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Itsumi&oldid=1159984922.
'Itsumi Mario' 'Nintendo.Com' - Google Search. https://www.google.com/search?q=%22Itsumi+mario%22+%22nintendo.com%22&oq=%22Itsumi+mario%22+%22nintendo.com%22&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOTIKCAEQABiABBiiBDIKCAIQABiABBiiBDIKCAMQABiABBiiBNIBCDg5MjFqMGo3qAIAsAIA&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8. Accessed 19 June 2024.
'Itsumi Mario' 'Nintendo.Co.Uk' - Google Search. https://www.google.com/search?q=%22Itsumi+mario%22+%22nintendo.co.uk%22&sca_esv=cbb07cb897603c0c&ei=DiFzZqrhMLm7hbIP-a63qAI&ved=0ahUKEwiqoLDZo-iGAxW5XUEAHXnXDSUQ4dUDCBA&uact=5&oq=%22Itsumi+mario%22+%22nintendo.co.uk%22&gs_lp=Egxnd3Mtd2l6LXNlcnAiHyJJdHN1bWkgbWFyaW8iICJuaW50ZW5kby5jby51ayIyBRAhGKABMgUQIRigAUjRDFCYAliDCnABeACQAQCYAYUBoAGYA6oBAzMuMbgBA8gBAPgBAZgCA6AC2wKYAwCIBgGSBwMxLjKgB7sH&sclient=gws-wiz-serp#ip=1. Accessed 19 June 2024.
'Jump into Nintendo's Super Mario Hub!' Nintendo of Europe AG, https://www.nintendo.com/en-gb/Games/Characters-hub/Super-Mario-Hub/Super-Mario-Bros-Hub-Mario-Games-627604.html. Accessed 19 June 2024.
Meet Mario and His Friends! - News - Nintendo Official Site. https://www.nintendo.com/us/whatsnew/meet-mario-and-his-friends/. Accessed 19 June 2024.
'The Super Mario Bros. Movie/Transcript'. Moviepedia, https://movies.fandom.com/wiki/The_Super_Mario_Bros._Movie/Transcript. Accessed 19 June 2024.
'The Super Mario Bros Movie/Transcript'. Illumination Entertainment Wikia, https://illumination.fandom.com/wiki/The_Super_Mario_Bros_Movie/Transcript. Accessed 19 June 2024.
https://store-queue.nintendo.co.uk/?c=nintendostoreuk&e=lrwrv2&ver=javascript-4.0.0&cver=60&man=store.nintendo.co.uk&t=https%3A%2F%2Fstore.nintendo.co.uk%2Fen%2Fsuper-mario. Accessed 19 June 2024.
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