Halloween Costume Idea For Families
Mario spends most of his games running through the Mushroom Kingdom to rescue Princess Peach from Bowser, usually with a mushroom or fire flower helping him along the way. The red cap with the white M is the piece doing most of the identifying work, more than the mustache or the overalls. Mario first appeared as Jumpman in the 1981 arcade game Donkey Kong before getting his own name in Super Mario Bros. (1985) (Wikipedia), and Nintendo’s mascot status means this one gets recognized at basically any party, no context needed.
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The cap is what gets noticed first, and a floppy or badly shaped one immediately reads as a generic red hat rather than Mario. The overalls need to actually be overalls, not a shirt with a printed strap design, since the bib and buttons are part of what makes the silhouette work. Under regular room lighting, a costume in a dark or muted blue instead of Nintendo’s bright saturated blue tends to look washed out in photos.
Mario jumps out of a warp pipe and announces himself with “It’s-a me, Mario!” before sprinting off toward the next obstacle without waiting for a response. He does this constantly, game after game, like it never once occurred to him that people might already know who he is.
The mustache glue situation
If your costume doesn’t include a built-in mustache, a stick-on one starts peeling by the second hour at any warm, crowded party. Cheap spirit gum from a costume shop holds up better than the double-sided tape that ships with drugstore mustaches.
Kids and adult costumes size differently
Kids’ costume sizing runs small and inconsistent across brands, so check the size chart against actual measurements rather than age. Adult costumes tend to run generously, so sizing down is usually the safer bet if you’re between sizes.
Couple Idea
Excellent couple idea and about the safest bet in this entire guide. Mario and Peach’s rescue dynamic is the plot of dozens of games, and pink dress next to red cap reads instantly to basically anyone who has touched a Nintendo console.
Duo Idea
Excellent duo, and one of the easiest to pull off since the costumes are nearly identical except for color and height. If your Luigi is noticeably shorter than your Mario, that’s actually backwards from the games, where Luigi is the taller one, so pick your taller friend for that role.
Group Idea: Super Mario Characters
Excellent group and one of the most recognizable lineups on this whole site. Bowser and Bowsette standing next to each other in the same photo raises a question about their relationship that the games have never actually answered, which is either funny or confusing depending on your group.
Group Idea: Iconic Video Game Mascots
Might work, but Lanky Kong is a deep cut compared to the other three. Sonic, Pac-Man, and Link will all get recognized instantly on their own, and Mario ties the group together as the most famous mascot in the lineup, but plan on explaining who Lanky Kong is to at least half the room.
This costume is cheap to build from scratch if you already own basic pieces, or fast to buy as a one-piece set if you’d rather skip assembly.
Mario doesn’t have a huge range of catchphrases, which actually makes this easier.
The one-piece costume covers the cap, overalls, and shirt in one purchase, and comes in kids or adult sizing. Add white gloves and a mustache if they’re not already included, and any brown shoes finish the look.
Yes, and it’s not close. Mario is still Nintendo’s official mascot across new games every year, and the character has been recognizable since 1985 without a redesign that changed the silhouette. Almost nobody at any party, kid or adult, will fail to recognize this one.
“It’s-a me, Mario!” is the one everyone knows, voiced by Charles Martinet starting in Super Mario 64. “Let’s-a go!” is what he says at the start of basically everything. “Mama mia!” is the one for when things go wrong.
Shigeru Miyamoto created Mario for Nintendo, first as Jumpman in the 1981 arcade game Donkey Kong.
Go by size, not by who’s technically an adult. The kids’ version runs small and stops fitting most teenagers, so check the size chart on both before choosing.
No. Nobody is checking eye color at a Halloween party, and the cap, mustache, and overalls do all the actual recognition work.
Yes. A drawn-on mustache smudges with sweat or touching your face, while a stick-on one holds its shape for the whole night if you use real adhesive instead of the tape it ships with.
What was Mario originally called before he got his own name?
Who is taller in the games, Mario or Luigi?
Who voices Mario starting with Super Mario 64?