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Feature

Examining Mario's Curious History (And Future) With Rabbits

by Kyle Hilliard on Aug 26, 2017 at 06:00 PM

Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle releases on Tuesday and it has been commonly referred to as an unexpected mash-up – but maybe it isn't. If you look at Mario's history it turns out he is always messing with rabbits, maybe even more than he does mushrooms.

Super Mario Land 2: Six Golden Coins
In Mario's Game Boy sequel, he was able to find and eat a carrot which would make him sprout rabbit ears which he could use to fly. Try not to think about it too much.

Super Mario 64
The rabbit in Super Mario 64 was famously crucial to crafting a 3D world during development, and Nintendo decided to place him in the game as a character Mario could chase, grab, and steal from.

Super Mario Galaxy
There were rabbits all over one of Super Mario Galaxy's first planets. He had to catch them, too. He may have also stolen from them, as well. That part is unclear.

New Super Mario Bros. U
Nabbit from New Super Mario Bros U isn't a rabbit, per se, but he has bunny ears, his name is very close to the word 'rabbit' and Mario has to catch him. And probably steal from him.

Super Mario 3D World
Again, it's another rabbit that Mario has to catch. I don't know why he assigns so much value to these long-eared creatures, but he needs them.

Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games
Cream the Rabbit appears in in this Mario & Sonic at the Olympic games and for the purpose of this heavily-researched feature, it counts.

Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle
Much like Nabbit from New Super Mario Bros. U, the spelling of rabbit is incorrect here. At least he's not chasing and stealing from them for once. Although, that could be the game's final twist. I guess we will learn on Tuesday.

Super Mario Odyssey
These guys are new as they have only been seen briefly in trailers and assorted showcases of Super Mario Odyssey. They are called the Broodals and are apparently a gang of evil wedding planners. If I were to venture a guess, however, about their motivations, I would bet they are out to get Mario having finally grown fed-up with getting chased and stolen from all the time.

Did I miss other rabbit appearances in Mario games? Let me know in the comments!