The Super Mario Bros. movie is packed with non-Mario video game Easter eggs

An old-fashioned slot machine cabinet is in use at the pizzeria Mario visits. A quick glance over the player’s shoulder reveals that this is Donkey Kong, which first invaded arcades in 1981. However, since Donkey Kong will appear as a character later in the film, the filmmakers wisely decided to change the game and give it the new title “”. Jump Man.” Old-school arcade denizens will recognize “Jump Man” as the first name of the very Mario-like character that players control in Donkey Kong. In this game, the maiden to be rescued is called Pauline, a character that many Years later it would be revived for Super Mario Odyssey.

The pizzeria is also called Punch-Out!! Pizzeria named after a Nintendo arcade cabinet released in 1984. The gimmick of the game consisted of the player controlling a wireframe model of a boxer, controlling each of his fists with a separate joystick. The game was very popular and was released in 1987 as “Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!!” The last boss of the NES game was Mike Tyson himself and is considered one of the most difficult video game bosses of his time. However, the game simply had to be renamed Punch-Out!! in 1990 when the limited license to use Tyson’s name expired. Tyson was replaced with a character named Mr. Dream. In 1991, Tyson was arrested for sexual assault, but his crime had nothing to do with the re-branding.

Like Sal’s Pizzeria in Do the Right Thing, the punch out!! The pizzeria is adorned with numerous portraits of the cartoonish international boxers featured in “Punch-Out!!” On the walls you immediately see Macho Man or Glass Joe.