Top 10 Easter Eggs in Mario Odyssey

Who doesn't love costumes? This time around, Mario's got himself a good-sized wardrobe, with outfits like spooky scary Skeleton Mario, swimwear Mario, and...wait, is he really wearing a bride’s dress? Anyways, most of the outfits pay homage to Mario’s past titles. You got the Pirate and Cowboy outfits from “Mario Party 2”, Chef Mario from “Yoshi’s Cookie”, Mechanic Mario from “3D Hot Rally”... Look, we can go on and on, but there are so many references we can’t list every one of them! But, if you want something with a little less Mario, you can dress him up like Luigi, Wario, Waluigi, and Diddy Kong. Its official; Mario is a fashionista!

The Odyssey has all sorts of neat little things to amuse yourself with. (Never thought you could bounce on tea cups and not break them.) These are all cute and entertaining, but have you ever thought about jumping on the globe outside? That’s right! You can do that! Bounce on it enough times, and the globe will start playing a music box rendition of “Super Mario Odyssey’s” theme song. If you’ve visited the Metro Kingdom or any kingdom beyond, the globe changes to its tune to “Jump Up, Super Star”. It’s a nice little touch that adds to the Odyssey’s already playground-like atmosphere...and perfectly segways into our next entry.

Its rare for a video game to have a stellar theme song with lyrics. With the beautiful vocals of Kate Higgins and Aimi Mukohara to the booming and energetic big band style, who hasn’t had this song stuck in their head? Just wait until you get to the bridge. If you listen closely, the trumpeters play a kickin’ jam of the “25m Theme” from the original “Donkey Kong” game. Couple that with the catchy chorus, and you’ve got the song’s most memorable part!

We’re just having a musical day, aren’t we? Well, Mario and series composer Koji Kondo are known for their catchy jingles and songs. Even the Moe-Eye statues of the Sand Kingdom can’t stop humming them! While possessing one of these stone creatures, you can hear them hum the first few notes to the “Super Mario Bros” theme and its end theme, the end theme to “Super Mario World”, and “Gusty Garden Galaxy” from “Super Mario Galaxy”. Just make sure you’re rocking those pink shades. Otherwise, you’re not gonna be hearing anything aside from the gusts of wind.

Ah, yes, Mario’s old snoozing animation from the good ol’ “Mario 64” days. For those of you who haven’t played this legendary title, leaving Mario idle long enough will cause him to fall asleep. (Hey, you’d be bored of standing in one spot, too.) This idle animation comes back, but with a dash of cuteness to it. Once Mario lies on his back, a bird will fly in and perch itself right on his nose! Aww! Look at his little hops! A cool addition to this is that the bird changes with each world you visit.

First, adorable birds, and now, doggos? Nintendo, you’re too kind to give us this cuteness overload! That’s no ordinary dog, either. This Shiba Inu looks an awful lot like a Nintendog. Your new found furry friend will be waiting for you outside in the Sand Kingdom and Seaside Kingdom. Once you’ve given him some attention, he’ll gladly show you a hidden Power Moon somewhere in the area. We’d say this guy has earned a few rounds of fetch, and you can do just that! When Cappy is thrown, the pup will go snatch him up and bring Cappy right back. Hang on...does this mean “Nintendogs” might be coming to Switch?

Holy poisoned mushrooms, where do we even begin on this one? As many trailer analyses pointed out in early 2017, you’ll find an assortment of streets and buildings named after “Donkey Kong” characters, like Cranky Avenue, Dixie Theater, and Diddy’s mart, to name a few. The license plates on taxi cabs reference “Donkey Kong’s” release date while the girders are modeled after the girders in the 25 meter stage. Speaking of which, have you been paying attention to the video screens throughout the city? What you’re looking at are various pieces of artwork used for the “Donkey Kong” arcade cabinets. Man, this city’s got a lot of Kong built into it.

Anyone else having a bit of deja vu? Don’t worry, we did, too. In “Super Mario 64”, once you’ve collected all 120 Stars, you can find Yoshi on the roof of Peach’s Castle, where he’ll reward you with 100 lives. “Super Mario Odyssey” brings back the same scenario, but with a different reward. Throwing Cappy at Yoshi will allow you to take control of Yoshi, complete with the flutter jump ability, and, of course, his long tongue. Timing the licks just right will let you Tongue Jump, which sounds gross, but is still pretty cool when you can pull it off.

As if comparing “Odyssey” to “Mario 64” wasn’t enough, now we have a whole kingdom of callbacks! The Mushroom Kingdom is a cavalcade of nostalgia, whether you’re revisiting the throne room in Peach’s Castle or just running around in Mario’s 64 outfit. This isn’t to say there aren’t references in any other areas of the game. The chime that plays when you collect a Power Moon is awfully similar to the chime for Power Stars. Plus, while on your adventures, you might spot some paintings, which you can jump into to explore areas originally out of reach or replay your favorite boss battles.

Before we reveal our top pick, here are a few Honorable Mentions…

8-bit Murials

Hidden Pipe in the Odyssey

Hidden World 1-1 Recreation

Weren’t expecting this now, were you? Poochy is one of the more infrequent Easter Eggs, and one of the easiest to miss. The only way to get a good look at his appearances are in the handful of Hint Art you can find throughout the kingdoms. The only time he appears is in the Bowser Kingdom, by fishing him out of poison water. Whatever you do, DO NOT BLINK! His appearance only lasts for a few seconds! Poochy doesn’t get enough love outside of the Yoshi games, but his brief appearance shows that this dog may soon have his day.