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Charles Martinet was the voice of Super Mario from 1991 through 2023. During that period he had the Italian plumber say many lines across video games, commercials, and more. However, there was one line he refused to have Mario say. Speaking to a crowd at Fan Expo Canada, Martinet recalled recording his lines for the 1992 game Mario Teaches Typing.

“I went in the studio, and the line was, ‘You did great! That was great!’ And then, ‘You failed. You have to go back to the beginning and start again. And this time you’ve got to do better.’ I read that, and I was like, ‘This is to kids in school.’ My life lesson, I remember, I was terrible at typing. I couldn’t get my brain around it. And I said, ‘Can I just change the wording a little bit?’”

The voice directors decided to let Martinet pitch his alternate line, “That was great! But I know you could do even better! Let’s a-go!”

Needless to say, that’s the one that made it into the game. The moment was also a revelation to Martinet, as it helped him understand who Mario was.

“That was the teaching moment to me. That’s who this character is. He doesn’t say no to children. He’s always respectful. He’s always kind. He is everything that I would ever want to be as a man, or as a human being. Kind, respectful, optimistic, and joyful. Being realistic in life is being optimistic. Cynicism is the opposite of realism.”

Inspiring words. Sometimes all we need is a little encouragement from an Italian plumber.

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