On a mission to a mysterious land, a caped adventurer sometimes known for using fire to dispatch his foes chanced upon a heretofore never-before-seen species. As the two traveled the land, many enemies stood in their way, but the adventurer and his young companion defeated them, working together. While this storyline might sound familiar to fans of The Mandalorian, it’s also the plot of 1991’s Super Mario World, released on the Super Nintendo. It might seem like an odd comparison, but artist Mauricio Abril also saw the connection between the two franchises, and created a brilliant mash-up he refers to as “The Mariolorian.”
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Since the show’s debut back in November, The Mandalorian has inspired a plethora of art and mash-ups. The Mariolorian sets itself apart because Abril truly finds some clever ways of mixing up the two worlds. Yoshi’s green coloration makes him the perfect stand-in for Baby Yoda, and making the child’s hover bassinet into Yoshi’s egg is supremely fitting, given that Mario first met Yoshi after breaking him out of an egg Bowser had imprisoned him in. Replacing Jawas with Shy Guys is equally inspired. While the creatures have long been a thorn in Mario’s side, they always seemed more like pests than full-on villains, and their costumes and masks make them suited for desert-like environments.
Of course, Abril’s art pushes the whole thing over the edge. The piece really is wonderful, incorporating a ton of heart and humor. It’s clear that Abril has a passion for the two franchises, just from the amount of detail in the image.
“The Mariolorian” – After securing the proper toll, the traveler and the child make their way safely through Shy Guy Canyon #nintendo #StarWars #TheMandalorian #SuperMario pic.twitter.com/HlmMfIsXMe
— Mauricio Abril (@MauArtist) April 6, 2020
If there’s one thing that’s a bit disheartening about The Mariolorian, it’s the fact that it seems to be just a one-off piece. It would be amazing to see Abril revisit the concept, using other characters from the Mario universe as stand-ins for characters from the popular Disney+ series. Perhaps Magikoopa as Dr. Pershing, or Bowser as Moff Gideon? There are certainly a lot of possibilities!
What do you think of the mash-up of Mario and The Mandalorian? Would you like to see more mash-up art from Mauricio Abril? Let us know in the comments or share directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp to talk all things gaming!
