Who Is Giuseppe In The Super Mario Bros Movie? Secret Cameo & 42-Year-Old Easter Egg Character Explained

The Super Mario Bros Movie briefly introduced the character Giuseppe, who was a secret Easter egg to multiple aspects of the Super Mario video games. The classic character of Mario has existed in various forms since 1981, but the Illumination movie portrayed him in a whole new light. Of course, the Brooklyn plumber wasn’t the only one—The Super Mario Bros movie included most of the central characters from the Nintendo games as well as a few who played homage to important moments in Mario history.

A prime example of one such character is Giuseppe, who is seen in the Brooklyn restaurant where Mario (Chris Pratt) and Luigi (Charlie Day) watch their commercial for the first time. Like the other characters seen in Brooklyn (such as Spike and the Mario Bro’s family), Giuseppe isn’t a figure of the Super Mario Bros video games since he was created specifically by Illumination for The Super Mario Bros Movie. However, his character design and voice will likely be familiar to fans.

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Giuseppe Is A Brooklyn Resident Played By Original Mario Actor Charles Martinet (In 1 Of His 2 Movie Cameos)

During Giuseppe’s moment in The Super Mario Bros Movie, he turns away from an old-style arcade cabinet to voice his support of the Italian accent Mario and Luigi used in their commercial. The character himself has a similar accent and sounds an awful lot like the version of Mario fans know and love—and that’s because they are voiced by the same actor. Charles Martinet, who has played Mario since the character was given a voice in Super Mario 64 (1996) (via Nintendo UK), stepped away from his iconic role at Nintendo in 2023 (via Variety), so his cameo as Giuseppe in The Super Mario Bros Movie served as his grand sendoff.

Giuseppe’s moment in The Super Mario Bros Movie was especially appropriate since Pratt didn’t use the familiar accent throughout the film, so Martinet’s cameo served as a respectful nod to the voice fans are familiar with. Still, this wasn’t the end of the iconic actor’s part in the film. As well as Giuseppe, Martinet also gave his voice to Mario and Luigi’s father, known as “Papa Mario.” This is another character that Martinet has traditionally played, going all the way back to Nintendo’s interactive promotional material from 1991, Mario in Real Time—which was technically Martinet’s first official project with the video game company.

Giuseppe’s Design Is A Reference To Jumpman, The Character Mario Debuted As In 1981

Guiseppe’s voice isn’t the only reference to Super Mario‘s history. The character’s design is based on the very first iteration of the heroic plumber before he was even called Mario. In the 1981 arcade game Donkey Kong, the hero debuted as “Jumpman,” who, like Guiseppe, wore red overalls and a blue shirt—the inverse of Mario’s blue overalls and red shirt. Guiseppe is even seen playing on the original Donkey Kong cabinet in the background of The Super Mario Bros Movie scene, adding another layer to this lovingly handled Easter egg to the Nintendo mascot’s history.