Top Ten Easter Eggs in Mario Games

7. Dolphin references – Mario Sunshine

The dolphin was the original codename for the Gamecube and, though the alias lasted for a short span of time, Mario Sunshine alludes to it consistently. The dolphin statues and grafitti shapes are obvious enough, but Delfino Island is a reference to the Italian word for dolphin and the island is shaped like said aquatic creature. It’s not at all subtle, but you might have missed it all the same.

6. L is real 2401 – Mario 64

Though it’s very hard to read, a quick scan of the concrete star in the back courtyard of the castle (the one where you find Boo’s mansion) will see you finding the inscription “L is real 2401.” Many speculated on its meaning, with popular belief stating that it signified that you could find Luigi in Super Mario 64. More interestingly is the idea that it is a proto-Paper Mario reference. Luigi is indeed playable in Paper Mario and the game had a US release date of the 4^th of February 2001, or 2/4/01 for those who want it in simple terms. Interesting stuff indeed.

5. The shining reference – Mario Sunshine

This one is nice and subtle, which is how I like my Easter eggs best. The Manta Storm stage of the Sirena beach level, for those who have forgotten, sees Mario fighting a shadowy Manta ray that splits into multiple shadows when harmed. A similar scene is described in Stephen King’s The Shining. When Dick Halloran, Danny and Wendy are running from the flaming hotel, Dick spots “a ghostly manta shape, floating away over the hotel. It was paper thin, like a shadow, and then broke into smaller forms before turning into smoke and drifting away.” A coincidence? I think not.

4. Controller courtyard – Mario Sunshine

This is another Sunshine egg, that is ironically from the same stage as The Shining reference mentioned above. If you get on top of the hotel on Sirena beach and look at the courtyard below, you’ll notice that it is shaped like a Gamecube controller. Quite easy to miss if you don’t know what you’re looking for, but a nice little allusion all the same.