Nintendo celebrates Mario's 40th anniversary not with a new 3D platformer for Switch 2, but a Thanksgiving Parade balloon one exec insists is "sure to have fans everywhere cheering 'Wahoo!'"

The 35th anniversary of Super Mario Bros. gave us Super Mario 35, Super Mario 3D All-Stars, and a Switch version of Super Mario 3D World with an entirely new game attached. So, if Nintendo did all of that for the 35th, surely Mario's 40th anniversary is going to be massive... but the Nintendo Direct came and went with only pricey Galaxy ports, a Switch 2 Edition update for Super Mario Bros. Wonder, and a new tennis game. Some assumed that Nintendo still had one massive Mario announcement in the bag, and it turns out they were right. It is a massive Mario.

Nintendo and Macy's have announced that Mario will be a part of the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, in its 99th year. For those outside of the US like myself, the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade is the one day a year the US summons their greatest creation, Snoopy (and other characters, turkeys, etc.), to float above New York, and worship him, and pay tribute to him in balloon form. I mean, he's not there every year, but he's appeared at many Macy's parades since his debut.

Despite the likes of Sonic, Goku, Pokemon, and Angry Birds appearing in the skies of New York in the past, Mario has never made his way into the parade despite being one of the most iconic characters of all time. "Having Mario join this iconic holiday tradition is an incredible way to honor the 40th anniversary of Super Mario Bros.," said Devon Pritchard, EVP of Revenue, Marketing & Consumer Experience at Nintendo of America.

The producer of the parade, Jordan Dabby said, "We're thrilled to partner with Nintendo to welcome a new Mario balloon to that tradition," and says the event is "sure to have fans everywhere cheering 'Wahoo!'"

There's been a mockup of the Mario balloon showing him floating through the air in a pose apparently inspired by Super Mario Galaxy, which you can see above. Joining Mario this year is Buzz Lightyear and Shrek's onion carriage, with more balloons undoubtedly still yet to be announced. Including Snoopy. All hail Esnupi.

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