The 20 Best Easter Eggs in 'The Super Mario Galaxy Movie'

The movie opens on the Comet Observatory—the floating spaceship in Super Mario Galaxy (2007) that serves as the game's main hub. We see Rosalina telling a bedtime story to the Lumas. This is an optional quest of sorts in the game; Mario can attend the storytime sessions with the Lumas, and Rosalina will tell you more of her backstory as you complete the single-player campaign.

Bowser, Jr. is the game's main antagonist. He's armed with a paintbrush, which made its first appearance in Super Mario Sunshine (2002) and gave him the power to create obstacles and baddies. In the movie, its powers are conflated to include those of the Wonder Flower seen in Super Mario Bros. Wonder (2023).

The Megaleg is one of the first major bosses in Super Mario Galaxy. In the video game, the Megaleg fires tracking Bullet Bills, and Mario must climb onto the Megaleg and trick it into shooting itself. The movie Megaleg also shoots Bullet Bills, and Rosalina is able to catch and throw a Bullet Bill back at it to debilitate it.

Luigi and Mario investigate an inverted pyramid (taken from the Sand Kingdom in Super Mario Odyssey (2017)). While skulking about in the dark, Luigi comes across a Buzzy Beetle and starts hurling fireballs at it in a panic. In the games, Buzzy Beetles are one of the only enemies impervious to fire.

Yoshi eats Toad's snack, which appears to be a Red Berry. Berries are a common collectible in Yoshi games. In Super Mario World (1992), for example, eating 10 red berries will cause Yoshi to lay an egg containing a Mushroom.

The glittery stuff that falls from the sky of the Mushroom Kingdom is called Star Bits. You collect them in Super Mario Galaxy, and collecting 50 of them gives you an extra life. You can also use them as a projectile attack by aiming them with the Wiimote.

Boss Bass is the most infuriating, anxiety-provoking baddie in Super Mario Bros. 3 (1990)—the Angry Sun and Chain Chomp are a close second and third. Boss Bass is a massive, fast-moving fish that eats you whole. It's an instant kill, whether you're powered up or not.

When Yoshi jumps off the cliff during the escape sequence from the castle, he walks in mid-air for a brief moment before plummeting. In the games, this is known as a flutter jump, and it debuted in Super Mario World: Yoshi's Island (1995).

The monkey that steals Toad's backpack (a reference to Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker (2014)) is an Ukiki, which made its debut as a baddie in Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island. In that game, the Ukikis kidnap Baby Mario. A notable Ukiki also stole Mario's hat in Super Mario 64 (1996).

The casino aesthetic from Wart's lair is taken from Super Mario 3D World (2013), as is the Bowser amusement park aesthetic at the end of the movie. In the background of the casino, you can hear a jazzy version of "Jump Up, Super Star!”, the theme song for Super Mario Odyssey.

During the scene where Mario is searching for transport off Gateway Galaxy, he runs into the Pikmin, who star in their own, eponymous series of Nintendo games. It's become Shigeru Miyamoto's personal goal to include Pikmin in everything that he can.

The character who eventually transports Mario and his friends is Fox McCloud, the main character of Nintendo's Star Fox franchise. We learn that Fox came from another universe (which also includes teammates Falco, Peppy, and Slippy), confirming a popular online theory that each Nintendo franchise exists in its own universe. That opens the door to numerous spinoffs and solo films down the line.

The scene in which Bowser, Jr. puts Peach and Mario through a massive, chaotic obstacle course of Fire Bars and Thwomps is a reference to Super Mario Maker (2015), a game that lets you design a 2D Mario course and then challenge the online community to complete it.

R.O.B. stands for Robotic Operating Buddy, and he was included with the Nintendo Entertainment System launch in 1985. He only had two games he could pair with before Nintendo discontinued him for being too non-engaging and slow. In the movie, he is the robot assistant at the Gateway Galaxy's information desk and is similarly inefficient.

The gun that Bowser Jr. uses to turn Mario and Luigi into babies is a homage to the Super Scope, an electric light gun compatible with the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. Like R.O.B., the peripheral wasn't successful, and Nintendo discontinued it after 12 compatible games. In the movie, Yoshi uses the same Super Scope to turn the Odyssey T-Rex into a baby as well.

There are multiple power-up references; we see Mario, Luigi, and his friends in different costumes throughout the movie, including Fire Mario (during the Sand Kingdom sequence), Penguin Mario (during the casino sequence), and Cape Mario (in the movie’s closing moments). During the final Bowser and Bowser, Jr. battle, Mario, Luigi, and Yoshi turn into Drill Mario, Cloud Luigi, and Hot-Air Balloon Yoshi, respectively.

Mr. Game & Watch, which Luigi summons during the final battle against Bowser and Bowser, Jr., is one of the oldest characters in Nintendo's history. He debuted as the main character of his own handheld game franchise in 1980.

The mid-credits sequence features the creepy Lumalee from the first movie, who is now the prison guard for Bowser and Bowser Jr. But before that, we see Fox McCloud again, who says he's heading back to his universe. Could we see a Star Fox movie in the Lylat System if this one does well? The ease by which the Nintendo characters can visit each other's universes also raises the possibility of a Smash Bros. tournament in the future.

The end-credits scene features Daisy, who stops the Ukiki from stealing again. Daisy is the princess of Sarasaland and debuted in Super Mario Land (1989). She's become popular in the decades since as a participant in numerous Mario spinoffs such as Mario Party and Mario Tennis. She's also the canonical love interest for Luigi, which will be an interesting plot strand for a third Mario movie.