It’s easy to forget that there was a time when Nintendo wasn’t sure if Mario belonged on a dance floor. Most people think of Mario as the guy who jumps on turtles or drives go-karts, but for a weird, brief moment in the mid-2000s and early 2010s, he was basically the king of rhythm games. If you’ve ever tried to search for Just Dance with Mario, you probably realized pretty quickly that it’s not just one game. It’s actually a confusing mess of spin-offs, Japanese exclusives, and a very specific Wii U crossover that most people completely ignored.
The reality is that Nintendo has always been protective of their mascot. They don’t just let anyone use him. So when Ubisoft—the masters of the Just Dance empire—finally got their hands on him, it wasn’t for a mainline global release. It was for something much more specific.
The Japan Problem and the Just Dance Wii Secret
Honestly, the "Just Dance with Mario" thing starts with a game that most Americans and Europeans never even saw. Back in 2011, Nintendo published Just Dance Wii in Japan. It wasn’t developed by Ubisoft alone; it was a collaboration where Nintendo basically curated the tracklist to make sure it hit that J-Pop sweet spot.
And tucked inside that game? The Super Mario Time track.
This wasn’t just a background cameo. It was a full-blown routine where the dancers were dressed in Mario and Luigi costumes, performing moves that mimicked jumping, swimming, and fireball-throwing. It sounds cheesy. It was cheesy. But it worked. It was the first time the DNA of the Just Dance franchise and the Super Mario universe truly fused together. For years, Western fans had to resort to region-modding their Wii consoles just to play it.
Why didn’t we get it? Licencing is a nightmare. Nintendo is notoriously prickly about how Mario’s likeness is used in third-party software that they don't have 100% control over. Since Just Dance is a Ubisoft brand, the legal "tug-of-war" meant that for a long time, Mario stayed locked behind the Japanese border.
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The Real Deal: Just Dance Kids 2 and the Wii U Era
If you’re looking for the most "official" version of Just Dance with Mario that actually hit Western shores, you have to look at the Just Dance Kids series. Specifically, Just Dance Kids 2 (or just Just Dance Kids in Europe). This featured a "Mario" track, but it felt... different. It was geared toward a younger audience, obviously, and didn't have that "mainline" polish fans wanted.
Then came the Wii U. Poor, misunderstood Wii U.
In 2013, Nintendo and Ubisoft finally stopped playing hard to get and released Just Dance Wii U in Japan. This was the peak of the crossover. It featured an updated version of the Mario theme where the choreography was tighter and the visuals were actually HD. If you go on YouTube today and look for Mario dancing, this is usually the footage you’re seeing. It’s high energy, it’s vibrant, and it captures that weird 2010s era where we all thought motion controls were the future of everything.
What actually happens in a Mario dance routine?
It’s not just random flailing. The choreographers at Ubisoft (specifically the Paris studio) had to work within Nintendo's strict brand guidelines. You’ll notice specific patterns:
- The "Jump" Pose: Every time a coin sound effect plays, the dancer performs a specific upward punch.
- The "Power-Up" Shake: When the music shifts to the "Mega Mushroom" theme, the moves get wider and more aggressive.
- Character Accuracy: The dancers don’t just "wear" the suits; they adopt the personality. Mario is upbeat and grounded; the Luigi-coded moves are slightly more frantic.
Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix (The Prequel Nobody Mentions)
We can’t talk about Mario dancing without mentioning the absolute fever dream that was Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix on the GameCube. This was the actual precursor to any Just Dance with Mario hype.
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Released in 2005, it came with a proprietary "Action Pad" (a foldable dance mat). This game was wild. It had a story mode where Mario had to win dance-offs to recover the "Music Keys" and save the world from Bowser’s rhythm-based tyranny. It featured remixes of classic tracks like "Ground Theme" and "Underground Theme," but also weirdly included "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" and Mozart's "Turkish March."
It showed that Mario could carry a rhythm game. However, it was also incredibly difficult on the higher settings. While Just Dance is about "vibing" and looking cool, DDR: Mario Mix was an aerobic workout that would leave you sweating and hating the "Extermination" difficulty level.
Why isn’t Mario in the modern Just Dance games?
You’d think with the Switch being the most successful console for Just Dance in years, we’d have a "Mario Edition" by now. But we don't. Since Just Dance 2018, the presence of Nintendo-specific characters has basically vanished from the franchise.
There are a few theories about why this happened.
- The Subscription Model: Just Dance moved to a service-based model called Just Dance+ (formerly Just Dance Unlimited). This allows players on Xbox and PlayStation to play the same songs as Switch players. Nintendo does NOT want Mario appearing on a PlayStation 5. Ever.
- Brand Dilution: Nintendo launched Super Mario Party and Ring Fit Adventure. They realized they didn't need Ubisoft to get people moving. They could just make their own fitness and movement games and keep 100% of the profit.
- The "Illumination" Shift: As Mario transitioned into a movie star, Nintendo became even more protective of his image. They want him seen as a hero, not necessarily a guy doing the "floss" or "the dab" to a Katy Perry song.
How to play Just Dance with Mario today
If you’re desperate to experience this, you have a few options, though none of them are as easy as just downloading an app on your phone.
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First, there’s the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate route. It sounds weird, but the "Moray Towers" or "New Donk City" stages essentially turn the game into a rhythmic experience if you play with the right music. Not the same, I know.
Second, if you own a Wii or Wii U, you can still find physical copies of Just Dance Wii or Just Dance Wii U through importers like Play-Asia or eBay. Keep in mind these are region-locked. A US Wii will not play a Japanese disc without "homebrew" software modifications, which—let's be honest—is a bit of a hurdle for the average person who just wants to dance.
Lastly, there are "Fan Made" levels in games like Super Mario Maker 2. Some creators have built "Don't Move" levels that sync Mario's movements to music, effectively creating a music video you participate in. It's the community's way of keeping the Just Dance with Mario spirit alive when the corporations won't.
Actionable Steps for the Rhythm-Obsessed Nintendo Fan
If you want that Mario-style movement fix without hunting down 15-year-old Japanese hardware, do this:
- Check out Fitness Boxing feat. Hatsune Miku: It's not Mario, but it’s that same Japanese-developed rhythm-meets-exercise vibe that Nintendo loves.
- Play the "Jump Up, Super Star!" level in Super Mario Odyssey: It’s basically a playable musical. It captures the exact energy that Ubisoft was trying to bottle in the Just Dance collaborations.
- Look for the "8-bit" filters in modern Just Dance: Sometimes Ubisoft includes retro-themed avatars that are "legally distinct" from Mario. They have the red cap and overalls, but they aren't him. It's as close as you'll get on a modern console.
The era of Mario officially shaking it on the Just Dance stage seems to be over for now. It was a weird byproduct of the Wii era's "Blue Ocean" strategy—a time when Nintendo was willing to experiment with almost anything to get Grandma off the couch. Today, Mario is a "prestige" brand. He’s the Mickey Mouse of gaming. And Mickey doesn't usually guest star in someone else's show unless the contract is perfect.
If you really want to see it, the footage is all over the internet. Just don't expect a "Mario DLC" pack to drop for your Switch anytime soon. The legal walls are just too high, and honestly, Nintendo is doing just fine dancing to their own beat.