Last September, Mario turned 40.

To mark the occasion, fans snapped up limited-edition merchandise from the franchise at Nintendo¡¯s storefronts around the world. In Kyoto, tickets to the Nintendo Museum bore the likeness of the 8-bit plumber, and in New York City, a of the red-capped character floated through the streets as part of the Macy¡¯s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

For the start of his anniversary year, Nintendo¡¯s poster boy was the undisputed belle of the ball. However, 2026 holds more milestones than a 1990s memory card could have possibly stored.