23 Mario Memes for Gamers Who Grew Up Racing Friends and Stealing Stars in the Mushroom Kingdom

Celeste Mello • Writer and Editor

Sep 2, 2026 9:00 AM EDT

Have you ever made friends online? Well, playing Mario Kart can do the opposite. If your friend uses a blue shell during the final lap, that means friendship is over.

Mario Party was even more dangerous than Mario Kart. The game is an adorable collection of minigames, but it literally encourages you to steal coins and stars from other players. Few betrayals felt as personal as watching another player hand Boo the coins to steal the star you had worked very hard to earn. I'd rather you steal my girlfriend.

Anyway, some childhood friendships were built on trust, shared interest, and genuine affection. Until Mario Kart broke those rules. A friendly race could become a tense competition within seconds. Don't tell me your zodiac sign; tell me which character you chose to race. Winning felt incredible, but losing because of a last-minute shell could ruin your mood for the rest of the afternoon.

I'm talking in the past tense, but many gamers still play these games. Mario games are forever. You loved it once; you'll love it forever. Certain Mario games became permanently attached to our childhood memories, so I enjoy them in a nostalgic way. But there's a reason we keep returning to the Mushroom Kingdom. Mario games are bright, imaginative, easy to understand, and above all, always challenging. They historically gave siblings something to argue about, friends a reason to gather around the television and share an experience, and single players entire worlds and adventures to explore.

The traditional Mario games are the closest to our hearts because they are the ones we played first. We missed jumps, learned how to double jump after a month of practice, and faced new challenges every time we turned on the console. The characters and graphics have changed over the years, but the feelings remain familiar. A stolen star will always feel like betrayal, and missing a jump is still embarrassing, no matter if you're a lifelong gamer or a new one. Whether you were racing friends, saving Princess Peach, or throwing a penguin off a mountain, the Mushroom Kingdom probably left a mark on you.