Charles Martinet, the longtime voice of Mario and Luigi, has revealed his most treasured Mario-related item, and it’s probably not something you would guess.
On the Nintendo Today app (via Stealth), Martinet is quoted as saying his most treasured Mario item that he collected over his career is “a little music box that plays the Mario theme.”
He said he was given this music box from a fan, and it’s so special to him because “those beautiful sounds” remind him of the joy he had working with composer Koji Kondo and Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto over the years.
Martinet voiced Mario, Luigi, and other Mushroom Kingdom characters for years before he was replaced by Kevin Afghani. The new actor praised the work Martinet did as Mario, saying his work was “so unbelievably iconic.” Martinet is still connected to the Mario series, though, as part of his role as Mario Ambassador for Nintendo.
Beyond the games, Martinet voiced two characters in The Super Mario Bros. Movie–Mario and Luigi’s father and Giuseppe–but it’s unclear if he will return for The Super Mario Galaxy Movie.
In other Nintendo news, a store that sells Pokemon cards that got robbed recently changed its name after Nintendo reportedly put pressure on the store.