The Legend of Zelda series contains multiple Super Mario references and cameos. Sure, there are a few crossover games that both characters appear in, but these cameos further support the idea that Hyrule and the Mushroom Kingdom aren't too far apart. This does not come as a surprise given that both franchises belong to Nintendo, but it's still interesting to see.
Some of these Mario references appear quite subtly, so they're easy to forget about and even easier to miss. To jog your memory, here are 10 Mario cameos and references in Zelda that you might have missed or forgotten about!
10 Bowser Brooches
Well, this picture pretty much says it all. In Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Talon and Ingo are nothing more than yeehaw versions of Mario and Luigi. However, that's only half of it. Take a closer look to see that Talon and his daughter are both wearing brooches that look exactly like Mario's main arch-nemesis Bowser. The game art displays the Bowser brooch a bit clearer than the original game, so it's easier to see here.
Talon and Ingo: Are they Mario and Luigi from a past life? Are they farmers who cosplay on the side? There's no way to know for sure, but the resemblance here is uncanny.
9 Banzai Bill
In Zelda: Twilight Princess, there's a nice fella named Fryer owns a human-cannon station at Lake Hylia. A Banzai Bill is visible on Fryer's right shirt sleeve on the Wii version or on his left sleeve on the Gamecube version. This is a clever little cameo since Banzai Bills are shot from cannons. Nice thinking, Nintendo!
Fun fact: Banzai Bills are different from Bullet Bills for a few reasons, but the biggest reason is that Banzai Bills wear giant smiles. While Fryer doesn't exactly look too excitable, he does get pretty hype about shooting people from cannons. Maybe that's why he loves Banzai Bills?
8 Mario Mask
In Majora's Mask, this creepy salesman has a slight obsession with masks. He owns many mask versions of Zelda characters, but somehow manages to obtain a mask of Mario's face? While slightly creepy, and a seemingly impossible, this mask is visible on the Happy Mask Salesman's backpack.
In this game, masks are important, and the masks that Link wears are made from the souls of the dead. What does that mean for Mario? It's probably best not to think too hard on that one.
7 Mario Cast Portraits
One of the most memorable Mario cameos of all occurs in Zelda: Ocarina of Time, where there are actual portraits of Mario and the gang. These photos are visible through a window in Princess Zelda's courtyard. Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, Yoshi, and Bowser are visible in portraits hanging on the wall.
Maybe Zelda and Peach are friends? It's doubtful that Ganondorf donated these portraits to the Royal Family. Oh well, this isn't an article about Mario-lore, so we'll leave that question up to the reader.
6 Thwomps
In Oracle of Seasons and Link's Awakening, Thwomps appear as enemies. The cool thing about Thwomps in Zelda is that they only appear during side-scrolling areas. This mirrors their role in Mario, making this cameo even more effective.
These Thwomps look slightly different than classic Mario Thwomps, but the concept and general design are the same. It's probably best for players to avoid these Nintendo games if they have a phobia of getting squished like a pancake.
5 Mario Figurines
As the Zelda game with the most Mario appearances, Link's Awakening includes multiple figurines of Mario's enemies. There are 10 figurines relating to Mario, including Goombas, Bloopers, Chain Chomps, and Pirahna Plants to name a few. These little trinkets are won by playing a claw machine game.
Each time you win a figurine, the dialogue box points out a common fact about that enemy type. Maybe Link fell asleep playing Super Mario and Link's Awakening is just some really cool dream? The lore in Nintendo world just keeps getting deeper and deeper.
4 Goombas and Pirahna Plants
Another great Mario cameo in Link's Awakening that is similar to the Thwomp appearance: Goombas, Piranha Plants, and side-scrolling, oh my! Thanks to some info from that nifty claw machine figurine, at least Link knows how to kill these unfamiliar enemies. But why the heck are they here in the first place?
It would be one thing if Link miraculously ended up in the Mushroom Kingdom, but Link's Awakening also contains plenty of classic Zelda enemies alongside all the Goombas and Chain Chomps. Is this mere lore? Was this a marketing decision? There's no clear answer, but it's fun to play around with the different possibilities.
3 Mario Pictures in Kakariko Village
It's time for more portraits of a plumber. In A Link to the Past's version of Kakariko Village, several houses have a photo of Mario hanging up on the wall. It's similar to how everyone had that same apple-themed wallpaper in the 1990s. Mario must be about as popular in Hyrule as red apples are in North America.
There aren't really any official reasons for why this cameo exist, Is Mario is running for Mayor? Maybe he's everybody's dream husband? The possibilities here pretty much endless.
2 Princess Peach Cameo
Another Link's Awakening cameo? Absolutely! This time it's Princess Peach's alter-ego "Christine." For some reason, Link receives a postcard from a woman by the name of Christine, yet her photo looks exactly like Princess Peach. These Link's Awakening cameos are starting to point to some sort of parallel universe.
Is Mario taking too long to show up this time? Did Bowser murder him before he could rescue Peach? Forget Zelda, it's time to go rescue Christine! It looks like Mario has a decent power-up advantage over Link; let's hope that Nintendo's two heroes will work together rather than duke it out in battle.
1 New Super Mario Bros Window Display
Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D creators do not recreate the original castle courtyard Mario cameo. Instead, the portraits of Mario and his friends are replaced by a scene from Super Mario World's first level. Look closely to see a yellow pipe and a green pipe with a classic Mario-world background.
Mario must really have a thing for castles. Either that or Zelda is just a really big fan of Italian plumbers. Regardless, it would be neat if players could get inside this room. It looks like a good time for hackers and modders to break some boundaries.