This weekend, the Rio 2016 Olympic Games came to their conclusion, marking the end of another successful year for the international sporting event. Though the Winter Olympics will be taking place in South Korea next, the 2020 Summer Olympics will be taking place in Japan. To acknowledge this, the closing ceremony of the Rio games contained a segment dedicated to the upcoming 2020 games, and a certain famous Italian plumber made a cameo.
After a montage showing off Japanese culture and the various sports we can expect to see at the games there, the video cut to a short skit showing Shinzo Abe -- the Japanese Prime Minister -- in a car speeding down a road in Japan. Abe remarked that he wouldn't make it to Rio in time, and donned a red cap which turned him into Mario. Mario then took a warp pipe which went through the center of the Earth and emerged in Rio, which smoothly segued into Abe emerging from an actual warp pipe in Rio. Check it out below, the Mario segment starts at about 1:05:
What do you think? Did you see this live? Are you looking forward to the 2020 games? Drop us a comment in the section below.
[source twitter.com]
Comments 74
so much awesome in this. just saw on bloomberg that the prime minister showing up as mario might've even boosted stock price for nintendo.
This is exciting! More exposure for Nintendo and video games!
So Mario was the prime minister this whole time?!
I totally geeked when they played the SMB level clear theme to the fireworks. I can't wait for the Tokyo Olympics!
This was so iconic. I was watching the closing ceremony live and was shocked to see that Mario had made it in there!! And the fact that it was implemented in such a major way was also really cool. Must be good exposure for Nintendo
Awesome to the power of X
Competitive Melee/Sm4sh Confirmed as 1st Olympic eSport? 😉
@Lugia i wouldn't be surprised if mario himself was the mascot.
Nintendo is so ingrained into Japan's culture, and video games in general for that matter. It's part of their national heritage.
I literally geeked out when I saw Mario and Pac Man live on TV. It was one of the best things that happened in this Olympics. I am now hyped for Tokyo 2020
The entire video montage made my the Tokyo Olympics Committee was impeccable. The parts with Mario were obviously great, but the focus on athletes before that was also awesome! Really nicely done. Can't wait for Tokyo 2020!
It's-a-me, Shinzo Abe.
That was amazing. Isn't the Nintendo section at Universal Osaka supposed to be open by then? They'll be raking in the dough.
Amazed Mario was allowed anywhere near the Olympics after a history of using Performance Enhancing Powerups.
Ok, does anyone else want an 8-bit Pac-man Olympics game (preferably a button basher). That Maze sprint looked ace!
That was bizzare. In a good way.
I'm glad I hung around to watch it on live TV. I mentioned elsewhere that this segment was the moment that shifted this from being Rio's closing ceremony to Tokyo's pre-opening ceremony. Everything about it perfectly set the tone and hype for the 2020 Olympics.
I don't care if I'm spectating or competing, I'm gonna find a way to be there!
This is amazing. Brought a massive smile to my face. Kinda sad I didn't see it live, would have be even better.
I couldn't stop grining like mad when this happened. Nice intro for Japan, I can't wait to see what they actually do when 2020 comes.
Weird... using an Italian to promote Olympics in Japan.
Ah that was great!
But. Who cares about Mario when there was HELLO KITTY! OMG!
I am in project to save money to get in Tokyo olympics (two flies at once, visiting Japan and going to summer olympics).
Awesome. I wonder who approached whom on this. Did Japan officials think about the most Japanese things they could do at the ceremony and figured they have to bring in Super Mario, then asked Nintendo whether they were ok with it, or was it the other way round?! And did Japan pay licence fees? Or can we expect a Nintendo C&D letter soon ?
I was kinda shocked that Pikachu didn't pop up somewhere in there. Considering that Pokemon GO has been such a success and the huge popularity of Pokemon, you'd think he'd be in it somewhere!
Shame that Mario turned out to be so right-wing though... Bowser would have made more sense
That is awesome, the antics and humour are exactly like the one's in Nintendo Directs.
Watching the Olympics on Japanese TV was weird because as far as I could tell Japan was the ONLY country actually competing. I suppose if I want to actually see how other countries are doing in 2020 I'll just have to fly down to Tokyo and watch in person.
@MitchVogel Wait, is that included in this article's video? I can't hear it
@riChchestM Maybe this'll make you feel better
I know this is really left field, but, the Olympics would have been one of the greatest platforms to tease the Nintendo NX lol.
Nintendo must be glad with that exposure 😏
@AlphaJaguar Hell, imagine if they unveiled it last night...!
It makes sense that they used Mario, not just because of the impact he (and Nintendo) has had on Japanese culture, but because he's in the official Olympic video games. That's why it's weird that we didn't also see Sanic.
OMG the nostalgia.
Pac Man, Captain Tsubasa and of course Mario
That was awesome!
@MitchVogel
Pokemon Go has received enough coverage lately, the effect of having Pikachu turn up would have been negligible. Mario was a good choice. Now perhaps if they bring Link and Epona to the Melbourne Cup.... and maybe Kirby to a large culinary event.
Certainly, this is all good advertising, Mario was even mentioned on the local news.
This reminds me of the time the Bananas in Pajamas made it to the Sydney Olympics in 2000 at the ending ceremony parade. I was 5 when I got to go with my grandma and sister and be in the audience and experience the Olympics in person.
Like Mario, they hit the public consciousness as iconic figures in entertainment. What a show!
Awesomeness.
It was great to see Super Mario, PacMan, Doraemon, Captain Tsubasa and Hello Kitty. At first I thought "WTF are they really putting videogames and cartoons in an Olympic promo?!" then I realized these characters are part of their culture and arguably the single thing they are most popular for abroad.
That's the same reasoning behind Armani designing Italy's tracksuits - it's something that the world knows us for, so we kinda have to show it off.
Regardless of videogames, the next Olympics are going to be brilliant. Japan is really investing in them and I'm sure they'll put on a great show. Yesterday's closing ceremony is going to be hard to beat though. They put on a carnival inside the Maracanà - everybody was dancing - athletes, volunteers, audience and Olympics committees. Unheard of. It was ace.
I would have freaked if I had been watching this live! Great stuff, love it
Well that was amazing
That was unexpectedly cool!
Hey they could in the Mario and sonic Tokyo Olympics game 2020 have the Chinese president as a character you could play as
That. Was.
AWESOME!
Most advertising Nintendo has done in 20 years.
@MrWarner14 Except the Bananas in Pyjamas are anything but timeless lol.
@the-madprofessor Because Sonic is white trash.
When I saw it I Was SOOOO Excited! Tokyo 2020! Time to Geek out ya'll! The Japan Olympics are going to be great!
This was actually pretty fun to watch!
Still, I rate it a 5/10. It's missing something...
@DTFaux It's cheaper if you're competing, so come on, train, and train hard!
That was the best part of the entire olympics!
Yeah, I was here in Brazil watching the whole thing. The PM popped out the pipe (!) dressed as Mario. The Japanese did their presentation and, at the end, they played Mario's end of level tune. It was pretty fantastic.
Their whole 2020 Olympics Tokyo promo montage actually was really good...and so satisfying to see Mario was allowed to be included.
@MitchVogel ditto! I just couldn't suppress a discrete whoop whne that happened. And what a scoop for Nintendo... the whole world saw this homage to anime and video games. After the brief 3DS cameo in the London 2012 opening ceremony this must have been Ninty's biggest viral marketing coup.
So well done!
Already looking forward to Tokyo 2020! It's going to be epic. And well done Team GB for Rio!
Wow. I adore Mario. From time to time, I play it . It reminds me my childhood. It's so cute and nice. I can play it day in and day out
Ah, Nintendo is already in. That's clever!
Also: Doraemon confirmed for Smash, Lol!
Get ready for Mario & Sonic at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games! Anyways, that was a nice video.
Kind of surprised there was no Pokemon reference in that video. Then again, I imagine promos like these are planned many months in advance (before anyone could conceive Pokemon Go being as popular as it is). All the same, this was a fun little video. Thanks for sharing Nintendo Life.
Good Lord, that was amazing! Really impressive stuff by Japan!
Whomever was the mastermind behind this should plan EVERY SINGLE PIECE OF NINTENDO ADVERTISING IN EVERY MEDIA.
This was Superb.
@HappyMaskedGuy Admittedly, the original series may not have aged well but they still are a part of Australian culture and at the time, they were at their peak so it does make sense for them to appear.
"This video is blocked in your country..."
The olympics really suck this year. Damn >.>
And yet Sonic didn't appear alongside Mario, this time.
Absolutely awesome that they did this, and the entire video got me very hyped for the 2020 Games. Loved the Pac-Man and Doraemon cameos as well.
It was also so cool that they played the Mario stage clear tune with the fireworks... They only needed a flagpole and giant castle!
The promotion was really good!
@Markiemania95 No, but it happened shortly after. There's videos of it online.
Part of the event program at the closing ceremony:
Shinzo Abe reminds me of Stephen Harper of Canada.
Anyways, watched this live last night, and it was a pleasant surprise to see Pac-Man and Mario. Seeing Mario & Sonic at Tokyo 2020, their home turf, will be interesting to say the least.
Very curious to see their opening ceremony. Let's face it, Brazil is a bit of a mess in general.
@MrWarner14 I won't lie, I certainly remember them. I can even remember the theme song..
Perhaps they are timeless?!
I from Brazil and can I say that without Worker's Party in the power and with the Olympics I'm proud of my country again.
That said, I'll try to be in the Judo team for Japan games, if I can't I'll be watching with awe, really love Japan!
@Ed_Fairway why and how?
I like how a good chunk of it had Mario AND doremon!!! (seriously why was doraemon in this? I'm not complaining its an AWESOME anime but why though?)
@EXP It will, indeed.
Speaking of that, Sonic was supposed to be at the Closing Ceremony as well, but he had to rush off to stop Dr. Robotnik from destroying Christ the Redeemer so he could put up his own monument, Eggman the Conqueror.
Awesome!!! ^^
very good ceremony!!
The good touch at finish with fireworks and the "fanfare" of ""Completed Mario Level""
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