National Mario Day (March 10)

ByClare Brown Updated on
A Mario figurine wearing a red hat and blue overalls held in a hand with a blurred background.

National Mario Day is on March 10, and yes, it’s because “Mar10” looks like Mario.

That’s the entire reason.

What started as a visual joke on a calendar turned into an annual excuse to replay old levels, argue about who gets Player One, and remember how many hours were spent trying to land a jump perfectly.

Mario has been around since the early 1980s, which means he’s survived multiple console generations, changing graphics, and at least one phase where we all thought 3D gaming was the future of everything.

If you’re working through the playful holidays in March, this one leans heavily into nostalgia, even if you didn’t grow up with it.

When is the Holiday?

It’s celebrated every year on March 10, once you see “Mar10,” you can’t unsee it.

Who Invented It?

Fans noticed the date long before Nintendo did.

For years, it was just something people pointed out online. Then in 2016, Nintendo officially leaned into it. Sales popped up. Social posts multiplied. Mario Day became… real.

Which feels very on-brand for a character who started as a background carpenter.

The History of the Holiday

At first, it was just internet chatter.

Once Nintendo acknowledged it, the day expanded into game discounts, tournaments, livestreams, and themed promotions. It’s now one of those annual moments where even casual players remember they own a Mario Kart cartridge somewhere.

The nice thing about Mario Day is that it doesn’t require new content. Most people already have a favorite version.

mario

Top 5 Facts About the Holiday

  1. Mario didn’t start as Mario. In Donkey Kong, he was just called “Jumpman.”
  2. He was named after Mario Segale, who happened to be Nintendo’s landlord in the early days.
  3. The red hat wasn’t a fashion choice, early graphics made animating hair complicated, so a hat solved the problem.
  4. He was originally a carpenter before he became a plumber. The pipes came later.
  5. The franchise has sold hundreds of millions of copies worldwide, which is slightly wild for a character who spends most of his time jumping on mushrooms.

Coloring Page

If you’re celebrating with younger kids, a Mario-themed coloring sheet keeps things simple. It works well during game breaks or if someone is waiting for their turn.

National Mario Day Coloring Page
Mario Coloring Sheet

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Activities to Celebrate

You don’t need to marathon every title ever made.

Pick one game. One world. One track.

Replay a level you remember struggling with. Let younger players take turns instead of trying to “win.” If you’re feeling ambitious, a quick craft break, Perler beads, drawing your own power-ups, keeps the theme going without staring at a screen all day.

And yes, one Mario Kart race at the end of the day is mandatory. Winner chooses dessert. That part feels fair.

Related Recipes for the Holiday

Links to Resources

Related Holidays

  • National Video Game Day (July 8) – celebrates gaming culture across all platforms
  • Batman Day (Third Saturday in September) – honors another iconic pop-culture hero
  • Science Fiction Day (January 2) – honors sci-fi storytelling that has influenced games, movies, and worlds much like the imaginative settings in the Mario universe.

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National Mario Day Mar10