Shigeru Miyamoto says no dirty jokes in Mario films — and he means it.
The legendary Nintendo designer recently spoke with Japanese media while accompanying the domestic release of Illumination’s Mario feature, reiterating Nintendo’s long-standing focus on family-friendly entertainment even as its properties reach new, global audiences.
Miyamoto’s comments arrived in the context of the Super Mario Bros.
Movie’s staggered international rollout.
Illumination, led by producer Chris Meledandri, partnered with Nintendo and Universal Pictures on the 2023 animated feature; the film opened in the United States on April 5, 2023 and in Japan later that month.
The movie went on to become a commercial phenomenon, grossing over $1.3 billion worldwide and setting a high-water mark for video game adaptations.
In his remarks to the Japanese press (reported via machine translation), Miyamoto framed his approach to creating Mario content around respect for younger audiences.
Paraphrasing his statement for clarity: Miyamoto said he treats children as adults who simply have less life experience, so he avoids humor that relies on crude or sexual gags.
He joked that he has explicitly told Illumination and its founder Chris Meledandri not to include dirty jokes in Mario films.
Miyamoto also stressed the value of action and broad visual storytelling.
Rewriting his point in plain journalistic language: he believes that action sequences communicate across generations, and a film focused on action can entertain both children and adults without resorting to coarse humor.
He added — perhaps teasingly — that this restriction doesn’t rule out future appearances by edgier characters such as Wario.
Those remarks are consistent with Nintendo’s careful stewardship of its IP.
Characters like Mario and Wario have deep histories on Nintendo hardware: Super Mario Galaxy originally launched on Wii in 2007 and later appeared in the Super Mario 3D All-Stars compilation for Nintendo Switch in 2020.
Nintendo continues to promote its franchises across platforms — from first-party software on the Nintendo Switch to announcements at Nintendo Directs and sales through the Nintendo eShop — while managing how those properties are represented in other media.
Miyamoto’s public reminder highlights how Nintendo balances broad appeal and brand protection as its characters expand beyond consoles and into film.
With Illumination’s collaboration proving commercially successful, Nintendo’s oversight of tone and content remains a key factor in how its IP appears on screen and on platforms including the Nintendo Switch.
The legendary Nintendo designer recently spoke with Japanese media while accompanying the domestic release of Illumination’s Mario feature, reiterating Nintendo’s long-standing focus on family-friendly entertainment even as its properties reach new, global audiences.
Miyamoto’s comments arrived in the context of the Super Mario Bros.
Movie’s staggered international rollout.
Illumination, led by producer Chris Meledandri, partnered with Nintendo and Universal Pictures on the 2023 animated feature; the film opened in the United States on April 5, 2023 and in Japan later that month.
The movie went on to become a commercial phenomenon, grossing over $1.3 billion worldwide and setting a high-water mark for video game adaptations.
In his remarks to the Japanese press (reported via machine translation), Miyamoto framed his approach to creating Mario content around respect for younger audiences.
Paraphrasing his statement for clarity: Miyamoto said he treats children as adults who simply have less life experience, so he avoids humor that relies on crude or sexual gags.
He joked that he has explicitly told Illumination and its founder Chris Meledandri not to include dirty jokes in Mario films.
Miyamoto also stressed the value of action and broad visual storytelling.
Rewriting his point in plain journalistic language: he believes that action sequences communicate across generations, and a film focused on action can entertain both children and adults without resorting to coarse humor.
He added — perhaps teasingly — that this restriction doesn’t rule out future appearances by edgier characters such as Wario.
Those remarks are consistent with Nintendo’s careful stewardship of its IP.
Characters like Mario and Wario have deep histories on Nintendo hardware: Super Mario Galaxy originally launched on Wii in 2007 and later appeared in the Super Mario 3D All-Stars compilation for Nintendo Switch in 2020.
Nintendo continues to promote its franchises across platforms — from first-party software on the Nintendo Switch to announcements at Nintendo Directs and sales through the Nintendo eShop — while managing how those properties are represented in other media.
Miyamoto’s public reminder highlights how Nintendo balances broad appeal and brand protection as its characters expand beyond consoles and into film.
With Illumination’s collaboration proving commercially successful, Nintendo’s oversight of tone and content remains a key factor in how its IP appears on screen and on platforms including the Nintendo Switch.