With what many consider a disappointing end to the Super Mario Bros. 35th anniversary celebration, some fans on social media are calling for a change in Nintendo's official mascot. Mario has always been the clear-cut choice for the face of Nintendo's brand, with the second-place spot being hotly contended between numerous possible candidates. Today, however, fans declared that Kirby should be heir apparent to become the company's mascot.
Throughout the anniversary celebration, Nintendo managed to give many fans what they wanted, but when the anniversary ended and popular games were delisted, Nintendo received a lot of backlash. In fact, fans were so upset by the removal of Super Mario 3D All-Stars, a collection of Super Mario 64, Galaxy, and Sunshine, that many took to Twitter to get #KirbyNintendoMascot trending in an effort to replace Mario as the face of the company following his "death."
While Link appeared to be an obvious choice, with Breath of the Wild being one of Nintendo's most popular releases of all time, or Samus could be good given she is backed by the enduring power of the Metroid franchise, fans on Twitter apparently decided that Nintendo was better suited with a more kid-friendly mascot. Kirby is the type of character who could be made seamlessly into a huggable plush. With their choice made and hashtag ready to go, fans took social media by storm, sharing their favorite memes and images of Kirby.
The images shared range from impromptu shots of Kirby plushies pitted against Mario ones to time-tested memes, and even screenshots taken from a myriad of different Kirby titles. While the movement is mostly light-hearted fun, hidden among the frenzy is a reminder of the undeniable momentum that can be generated by Nintendo fans. It has been a running joke that Mario would die on March 31, and at least for today, it seems like he has for many fans. Though, on a lighter note, the feed can be viewed as an appreciation party for Kirby, who many feel has long been neglected despite years of loyal service to Nintendo.
The timing, from Nintendo's perspective, could not be any better. With April Fool's Day just around the corner, Nintendo could potentially play with this momentum in a number of ways, though it's unclear how self-aware the company is willing to be in this regard. Despite the zealous effort behind the #KirbyNintendoMascot hashtag, it's unlikely Mario will ever be replaced by Kirby as Nintendo's official mascot. He has a long history being at the forefront of video game culture, even with multiple Mario games having been cancelled in the past.