Ever found yourself staring at a grainy CRT television, or maybe a modern 4K OLED, wondering why a digital plumber is yelling about gay turtles? It’s a weirdly specific phenomenon. We’ve spent decades with Mario as a constant presence in our lives, yet a huge chunk of what we think he’s saying is basically a collective auditory hallucination.
If you grew up in the 90s, you probably swear you heard Mario taunt his nemesis with a very specific, very controversial insult during the final boss fight of Super Mario 64. You weren't alone. Thousands of kids on playgrounds across the world were convinced of the same thing. But honestly, the reality of what Mario actually says is often weirder, more wholesome, or just a result of 64-bit audio compression doing its best to ruin our ears.
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The Bowser Mystery: What Mario Actually Say in Super Mario 64
Let's address the elephant in the room. Or the turtle. When Mario grabs Bowser by the tail, spins him like a hammer thrower, and flings him into a spiked bomb, he lets out a triumphant cry. For over twenty years, the internet insisted it was "So long, gay Bowser!"
It became a meme. It became a legend. It even led to some confusing conversations when Nintendo released the Super Mario 3D All-Stars collection and fans noticed the line was missing. People thought Nintendo was being "woke" or censoring a classic.
The truth? Mario was never saying that.
Charles Martinet, the man who voiced Mario for over three decades before retiring to an "Ambassador" role in 2023, eventually set the record straight on Twitter. The line is actually "So long, King-a Bowser!" The "a" at the end of "King" is just part of that stereotypical, over-the-top Italian accent Martinet developed. Because the N64’s audio was so compressed, the "K" sound at the start of "King" got muffled, and the "ng-a" blended into something that sounded suspiciously like a different word. When Nintendo updated the game for the Shindou version in Japan and later the 3D All-Stars port, they swapped it for a simple "Buh-bye!" to avoid the confusion entirely.
That Weird Japanese Rumor
Recently, a new theory went viral on TikTok and X (formerly Twitter). It claimed that Mario doesn't say "It’s-a me, Mario" at all. Instead, the theory suggested he was saying "Itsumi Mario," which supposedly means "Super Mario" in Japanese.
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Kinda makes sense, right? Nintendo is a Japanese company.
Except it’s totally fake.
Language experts and common sense both debunked this pretty fast. "Itsumi" doesn't even mean "Super" in Japanese—the word you're looking for is Subarashi or Sugoi. More importantly, Nintendo’s official merchandise and even the voice-acting scripts have always used "It’s-a me." Even the 12-inch talking figures sold in stores today literally have "It’s-a Me, Mario!" printed on the box.
The Sleepy Plumber’s Grocery List
One of the most charming things about Mario’s voice lines is how much Martinet was allowed to ad-lib. In Super Mario 64, if you leave the controller untouched for long enough, Mario falls asleep. He starts dreaming, and you can hear him muttering in his sleep.
He isn't dreaming about Peach or saving the world. He’s dreaming about dinner.
The lines are "Ahh, spaghetti. Ahh, ravioli. Ahh, mamma mia." It’s simple. It’s silly. It’s also a peek into the character’s "personality" that Martinet fought to keep positive. Early on, some developers wanted Mario to be more aggressive or frustrated, but Martinet insisted that Mario should be a guy who loves life and, apparently, carbs.
Hidden in the Sound Effects
Here is a detail that usually blows people’s minds: Mario’s voice is literally everywhere in the Mushroom Kingdom, but you can’t always hear it.
In Super Mario 64, many of the enemy sound effects are just Mario’s voice pitch-shifted into oblivion. The Bob-ombs, Monty Moles, and even the Whomps are often using samples of Martinet saying "Here we go!" or "Oof!"
Nintendo has a history of recycling audio to save memory space. Even in 2024 and 2025, with the release of Super Mario Party Jamboree, fans discovered that while Kevin Afghani has taken over the main roles of Mario and Luigi, some of those legacy enemy sound effects still use Martinet’s original voice clips.
Transitioning to a New Era
In 2023, the gaming world had a minor heart attack when it was announced that Charles Martinet was stepping down. The new guy, Kevin Afghani, made his big debut in Super Mario Bros. Wonder.
People were nervous. How do you replace a voice that has been the industry standard since 1996?
Surprisingly, most players didn't even notice the change until it was pointed out. Afghani’s "Wahoo!" and "Let’s-a go!" are remarkably close to the original, though he brings a slightly more energetic, crisp tone to the character.
If you listen to the title screen of Mario Kart World (the rumored Switch 2 launch title), you can hear the subtle difference. Afghani’s Mario sounds a bit younger, perhaps a bit more "theatrical," whereas Martinet’s Mario felt like a warm, familiar uncle.
Why the "A" Matters
You've probably noticed that Mario puts an "a" at the end of almost everything. It's-a me. Let's-a go. This wasn't just a random choice. When Martinet first auditioned for the role, he was told he was playing an "Italian plumber from Brooklyn." Instead of going for a gruff, gravelly "Hey, I'm walkin' here!" vibe, he decided to make the character soft and inviting. He used a high-pitched voice and added those trailing vowels to make the speech pattern feel rhythmic and melodic.
It’s what linguists sometimes call "paragogic vowels." In Mario’s case, it’s just what makes him sound like a friend rather than a blue-collar worker who’s about to overcharge you for a pipe leak.
Common Misconceptions and Oddball Lines
Beyond the "Gay Bowser" debacle, there are plenty of other lines that people regularly get wrong. Here is a quick reality check on some of the more obscure ones:
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- "Open Salami!": In Super Mario Sunshine, when Mario interacts with certain doors or objects, he sometimes says this instead of "Open Sesame." It's a classic Martinet ad-lib.
- "The Horror": Yes, Mario actually says this in Super Mario Sunshine when he loses a life in certain ways. It’s a very dark, very weird reference to Apocalypse Now that somehow made it into a kids' game.
- "Nighty nighty, ah spaghetti": This is a variation of his sleep-talking line.
- "Pickle": In Super Mario 64, some players swear Mario says "Let's pickle!" when entering a level. He’s actually saying "Let's-a go!" but the "g" is so soft it sounds like a "p" to some ears.
Keeping the Integrity
In a 2025 interview, Martinet mentioned that he still does the voice for fans at conventions, but he refuses to record "non-Mario" phrases. He won't swear in the voice. He won't do political messages. He won't do commercials for random brands.
This is what he calls "maintaining the integrity of the character."
It’s why, despite the internet's best efforts to turn his voice into a meme machine, Mario remains one of the most protected and consistent brands in history. Whether it’s Martinet or Afghani behind the mic, the goal is always the same: to sound like pure, unadulterated joy.
To truly understand what Mario is saying, you have to stop listening with your ears and start listening with your nostalgia. He isn't just saying words; he's providing the soundtrack to a billion childhoods.
Next time you hear that high-pitched "Wahoo!", remember that it started in a small audition room where a man was told to talk until he ran out of things to say. He didn't run out for thirty years.
Actionable Insights for Mario Fans:
- Check your settings: If you're playing the older games on an emulator or the Switch Expansion Pack, check your audio levels. High-end headphones can actually help you hear the "K" in "King-a Bowser" much more clearly.
- Listen for the "New" Mario: Play Super Mario Bros. Wonder back-to-back with Super Mario Odyssey. Try to spot the subtle shifts in how Kevin Afghani pronounces the "O" in "Mario" compared to Martinet.
- Wait for the sleep-talk: In almost every 3D Mario game, leaving the controller alone for 5-10 minutes triggers a unique animation and voice line. It's a fun way to find "hidden" dialogue.