Super Mario 40th Anniversary Release Officially Stealth Dropped By Nintendo

The Super Mario series has been around for decades, and it remains important to Nintendo for a variety of reasons. For one, it still makes them a ton of money. It's also one of their oldest properties, which is saying something since Nintendo was founded in 1889.

Mario has made the literal jump from 2D to 3D, back to 2D, and everything in between. The franchise is also enjoying a resplendent era of successful films in partnership with Illumination, with more on the way.

Now, Nintendo has officially confirmed on YouTube that the celebrations aren't done yet, as they've stealth dropped a 40th anniversary release.

To celebrate Super Mario's 40th anniversary, Nintendo has been rolling out several more shorts recently as part of its "My Mario" branding. The first short has Mario and Toad running around a level full of pipes, warping around and causing mischief. It clocks in at 52 seconds and features classic Mario music, so it's worth watching at least once. Mario and Toad are a great pairing, so it's an easy watch.

Here's what Nintendo is trying to do with these: "Fans of all ages can enjoy this series of stop motion shorts featuring Mario and his friends, from the My Mario product line. My Mario is a collection of products designed for young children and their parents to enjoy together! Select My Mario products are now available at Nintendo New York, Nintendo San Francisco, and select retailers. Stay tuned for more information on the official site."

For reference, My Mario started in the past few years, and contains a multitude of family and child-oriented products, including building block amiibo. Think of it as something younger kids can enjoy without worrying about tons of toy parts to juggle or a laborious setup.

They're incredibly hard to get in many markets (in the sense that they don't exist at all), and even in the US, you need to head to an official Nintendo Store to get much of the product line. As a result, several products sell at premium prices on the secondhand market, like the amiibo.

Take the 30-piece Mario & Friends wood block set, which contains several wood block amiibo. The retail price is about $129.99 USD, but it can nearly double on eBay.

The second short is Shell Scramble, featuring Mario and Toad. They play with a green shell in a setting similar to a level from a classic game, and things go awry. It's a cute short that Toad fans will want to check out, and since it's under 60 seconds, it's not a massive chore to watch.

Mario fans are eating well at pretty much any given moment. While not every anniversary measures up to the ones before it, the series has been around for so long and remains widely popular, including its recent theatrical film series.