The Super Mario Bros. Movie arrived amidst some notable online controversy surrounding the voice casting of its main characters. Still, Illumination’s movie went on to become a box office juggernaut, grossing over $1.36 billion worldwide. This massive success marked a triumphant return to cinemas for Nintendo, its first major theatrical effort since the infamous 1993 live-action Super Mario Bros. movie failed critically and commercially. The animated feature’s popularity has since ignited a new wave of Nintendo adaptations, with a live-action The Legend of Zelda movie officially in production and persistent rumors of a Donkey Kong animated film in the works. Naturally, the immense success also guaranteed a sequel, officially titled The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, which promises to expand the cinematic universe with an even larger cast of characters from the games.
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A first look at some of that expanded cast has now appeared from a decidedly unexpected source. New online store listings for a licensed Pillsbury cookie dough product have inadvertently revealed the cinematic design for Yoshi. The front of the “Ready-to-Bake Yoshi Egg Sugar Cookie Dough” packaging prominently features Mario alongside Yoshi, giving fans their first official look at the beloved dinosaur in the new film. This reveal directly pays off the post-credits scene of the first movie, which teased Yoshi’s imminent arrival.
The back of the cookie dough box offers even more revelations. It features a maze puzzle that includes imagery of Rosalina’s Comet Observatory, a key location from the Super Mario Galaxy games. While the inclusion of her cosmic home base isn’t a total shock given the movie’s title, a more curious detail lies in one of the maze’s dead ends. Tucked away on a wrong path is a painted image of Bowser Jr. Since the product is official movie tie-in merchandise, this inclusion strongly suggests that Bowser’s heir will make his debut in the sequel.
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The depiction of Bowser Jr. on the cookie dough packaging contains a specific visual cue that points directly to his video game origins. The small icon of Bowser’s son appears to be rendered in dark, goopy ink. This is a clear reference to Super Mario Sunshine, the Nintendo GameCube classic that served as Bowser Jr.’s very first appearance in the franchise. In that game, he disguises himself as “Shadow Mario” and covers the beautiful Isle Delfino with toxic graffiti. His primary tool for causing this chaos is a magic paintbrush, an invention that can create portals, manifest creatures, and cover entire landscapes in goop. The paintbrush became instantly iconic and has remained a signature part of Bwoser Jr.’s character ever since. He has wielded it as a weapon in various sports titles, and it played a key role in the story of the Bowser’s Fury expansion for Super Mario 3D World.
The fact that the movie’s promotional material specifically chooses to render Bowser Jr.’s image in this distinct inky style is a strong indicator that his magic paintbrush will be a core part of his character in the cinematic universe as well. This nod to Super Mario Sunshine suggests the film is not just adapting the cosmic elements of the Galaxy games but is also drawing from other beloved entries in the series to flesh out its new characters.
The Super Mario Galaxy Movie is scheduled to be released in theaters on April 3, 2026.
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image courtesy of 20th Century Studios -
Image courtesy of Prokino Filmverleih
