For years, Nintendo's iconic plumber and SEGA's blue blur have stood as two of video game's most recognizable mascots since their inceptions. Of course, although Mario and Sonic figuratively duked it out in the past as SEGA competed against Nintendo during the '90s with the fight between the Genesis and the SNES, the two iconic characters have come to coexist in games like Super Smash Bros. and Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games.
With the addition of Sonic the Hedgehog to Super Smash Bros. Brawl in 2008, waves were made across the industry as the snarky hedgehog joined Solid Snake along with some of Nintendo's most famous superstars. And while the Olympic Games were maybe the last place fans expected to see the two characters come together in 2007, a new viral video on Twitter has many rethinking that assessment.
On Tuesday, a short video clip showing two individuals dressed as Mario and Sonic dancing at a children's birthday party went viral on Twitter, now garnering nearly 10 million views, over 800 thousand likes, and almost 200 thousand retweets on the platform. The clip shows the rivals-turned-dance partners busting out their best moves to Michael Jackson's 1982 hit song "Billie Jean."
Twitter user jaay_cool posted the video, expressing hysteria at the sight of Sonic and Mario breaking it down to the classic tune. The clip quickly went viral, spreading to various social media platforms as both fans of video games and the King of Pop alike were quick to share it however possible. The individual dressed as Sonic seems well-versed in Jackson's iconic dance moves, pulling off a near-flawless moonwalk, along with some of the late artist's other iconic flair. Of course, the individual dressed as Mario pulls off a well-executed heel-toe shuffle as well, following it up with another one of Jackson's signature moves.
Right now, gamers everywhere are now clamoring for info on the individuals in hopes of hiring the dancing duo. In the replies to the viral tweet, fans began to share other instances of people dressed as iconic characters dancing to pop music at children's birthday parties. It may also be worth noting that this likely isn't the first time that Sonic and Michael Jackson's worlds have collided, as Jackson is long-claimed to have composed some of the music in Sonic the Hedgehog 3 despite receiving no official credit.
Nintendo is fresh off of celebrating Mario's 35th anniversary, which included new games like Super Mario Bros. 35, Super Mario 3D All-Stars, and Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury. As for Sonic, it seems that production on the blue blur's latest feature film is going smoothly, with new set photos seemingly confirming Knuckles the Echidna to be part of the film.