Charles Martinet, Mario’s legendary voice for more than three decades, is “stepping back from recording character voices” for Nintendo as he moves into a new job.
Martinet will now tour the globe as a “Mario Ambassador,” interacting with fans on behalf of the game firm.
Martinet will not appear in the forthcoming Super Mario Bros. Wonder game, which will be released on the Nintendo Switch on October 20. “While Charles is not involved in the game, we’re excited to honour his legacy and contributions, including looking ahead to what he’ll be doing as a Mario Ambassador,” Nintendo said in a statement to Variety.
Martinet joined Nintendo in 1991, and his first significant role as the moustachioed plumber was in 1996’s Super Mario 64, the seminal 3D platformer that introduced many people to Mario’s exuberant Italian inflection.
He’s credited for voicing Mario, as well as a few other Mushroom Kingdom characters including Luigi, Wario, and Waluigi, in over 150 Nintendo titles. Martinet put his stamp on some of Nintendo’s greatest titles, including Mario Kart, Super Mario Galaxy, and Mario Party, by bringing to life Mario’s memorable catchphrases like “Let’s-a-go!,” “Mamma Mia!” and “Wahoo!”
Martinet also had a short appearance in this year’s “The Super Mario Bros. Movie,” in which Chris Pratt replaced Mario.
“Charles Martinet has been the original voice of Mario in Nintendo games for a long time, as far back as Super Mario 64,” Nintendo of America noted in a tweet. “Charles has taken on the brand-new job of Mario Ambassador. He will no longer be recording character voices for our games as a result of this move, but he will continue to tour the globe spreading the pleasure of Mario and communicating with you all! It has been an honour to work with Charles for so many years to help bring Mario to life, and we want to thank and celebrate him. Please stay tuned for a special video message from Shigeru Miyamoto and Charles himself, which will be posted at a later date.”
Martinet tweeted Nintendo’s announcement, stating, “My new Adventure begins!” In my heart, you are all Numba One!”
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