Truth shared following viral theory Mario doesn’t actually say ‘It’s-a-me Mario’ as catchphrase

90s gamers have been questioning the famous ‘it’s-a-me Mario’ catchphrase that has been around ever since Super Mario 64 in 1996.

Over the past few years, there's been some rumours floating about that Nintendo’s iconic character Mario doesn’t actually say 'It’s-a-me, Mario'.

Instead, people have speculated that all this time, Mario has been actually saying 'Itsumi Mario'.

So according to a Yahoo report, it didn't take long for the theory - circulating in multiple languages including English, French, German, and Spanish - to go viral.

One Spanish-language post from 2024 apparently racked up over 362,000 views, while a related post on X garnered more than 4.1 million views.

The viral rumor suggested that the supposed catchphrase 'Itsumi' was said to mean 'great' or 'superb' in Japanese, implying that Mario was introducing himself as 'Super Mario' rather than using his familiar catchphrase.

Fans were speculating on social media that Mario doesn’t actually say 'It’s-a-me, Mario' (Getty Stock Images)

However, this claim was quickly debunked by fact-checkers and language experts.

Nintendo has consistently referred to the line as 'It’s-a-me, Mario' since the character’s debut in Super Mario 64 in 1996.

The official Nintendo online store even sells a 12-inch talking Mario figure labeled 'It’s-A Me, Mario™! Figure', which features over 30 phrases from the games, including the famous catchphrase itself.

Multiple regional Nintendo websites, including the French-Canadian version, also reference 'It’s-a-me', never 'Itsumi'.

'It’s-a-me, Mario' is the official line (Nintendo)

Now, we've got longtime voice actor Charles Martinet - who voiced the character from the mid-1990s - to thank for the iconic phrase.

Nintendo confirmed that he stepped away from the role in 2023 in a statement, thanking him for 'sharing the joy of Mario'.

“It has been an honor working with Charles to help bring Mario to life for so many years and we want to thank and celebrate him,” the gaming company said.

On the decision to move into a Mario Ambassador role, he said on a GalaxyCon Austin panel: "I'm not retired as it were, I don't know how - but I'm an ambassador and as we step forward into the future I will learn - we'll all learn what exactly that is," Martinet said.

"But in the meantime... I'm always an ambassador of Nintendo and Mario and all of these events because I just cherish every moment of it.

"And I hope your love of the games continues and grows the way mine does, so thank you so much."

He admitted at the time that he doesn't know 'anything about it'.