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When it comes to references in Super Mario Bros Wonder, the new 2D-3D Mario entry is far from lacking. Between old enemies, musical references, and classic design choices, players can expect to find massive amounts of Mario history in this game. For this reason, Super Mario Bros Wonder is an absolute joy to play, especially for long-time fans. What I, and many others, didn’t expect to see referenced in Super Mario Bros Wonder is a long-standing meme from the Mario fanbase. Even more so, this small detail finally puts to rest a meme question that Mario fans have been asking for years now: Is the mushroom on Toad a hat or part of his head?
The Toad-Hat Theory
Back during the original run of the Super Mario Bros Super Show, Toad was featured as one of the primary returning characters. In this show, on multiple occasions, Toad has been shown removing the mushroom part of his head, revealing a head of hair underneath. For many players, this visual was extremely jarring to see and caused a modern resurgence of the Super Mario Bros Super Show as a new meme. This began many players’ hunts for confirmation of just exactly what the thing atop Toad’s head was. Sadly, it wouldn’t be until Super Mario Bros Wonder before this meme would receive its answer.
Before the release of the Super Mario Bros Wonder, we saw the return of the Toad-hat meme due to the new Parachute Cap power. Before the game’s release, the trailers showed Toad using a cap similar to Mario’s in order to glide. Many players were quick to make hilarious references to the Super Mario Bros Super Show, even directly citing an instance where Toad uses his mushroom hat as a parachute. While this was mainly a joke overall, it would have been even funnier to see this now iconic scene referenced in the new game.
Loading Screen Tip Denies The Super Mario Wonder Meme
Strangely enough, this is exactly what we got. When playing Super Mario Bros Wonder, in a loading screen tip, Nintendo not only references this meme but also finally confirms just what’s on Toad’s head. Officially, this tip states that the thing on Toad’s head is a part of him and not a cap or hat. Though this may be a bit disappointing to hear, it seems every time Nintendo squashes a theory like this, fans only rally behind it with more strength. It’ll be very interesting to see just how the Mario fanbase reacts to this new information.
In the end, while the door may finally close for Toad-hat theorists, Super Mario Bros Wonder gives way to a whole new list of memes and theories. Things like Yoshi riding a Yoshi, Elephant Mario, and much more have already taken over various Mario communities. In the future, it’ll be funny just how much these memes may impact later Mario entries, just like the Toad-hat theory. Who knows, maybe in a later game, we’ll see Nintendo vehemently deny Elephant Mario as a non-canon event, just like we saw in the present.
