For better or worse, Mario's nipples have been in the public consciousness since 2017. However, Nintendo may have quietly removed them from the chest of the Super Mario star.The help celebrate summer, Nintendo tweeted a picture of Mario lounging on a beach under the shade of a palm tree, exotic drink by his side. Conspicuous by their absence, though, are Mario's nipples, as the fan-favorite video game mascot's chest instead appears completely smooth.
The subject of Mario's nipples exploded in 2017, shortly before the release of Super Mario Odyssey on Nintendo Switch, when Nintendo tweeted a pair of images featuring Mario in contrasting settings: a sandy beach and the frozen tundra. In the case of the former, Mario was appropriately bare-chested and sporting swim trunks, opening the floodgates for a newfound appreciation over his nipples.
Interest in Mario's nipples experienced a brief resurgence in August 2019 when a screenshot from Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 featured Wario -- Mario's sinister counterpart -- also in swim trunks, albeit without nipples.
The latest Mario game, Paper Mario: The Origami King, is now available on Nintendo Switch.
(via Automaton)