My Lovely Mario

This beautiful man, this small plush bloke trapped in a t-pose for eternity (except for when you squeeze his tummy and his arms come down to his sides as if he really is startled by the squeeze) is my own Mario, obtained last year through a dog-themed racing game at Coney Island, and I love him very much.

He's very soft and huggable (of course), but one thing I like about him is that he has a loop on the back of his head, so you can hang him anywhere easily, like so:

Because of his eternal t-pose, hanging him on the wall like this evokes the wall-mounted crucifix. Mario looks ridiculous like this. He is no Jesus, and yet his pose is impossible not to associate with Christ through the sheer power of positioning. It's kind of remarkable how strong that iconography is. All you have to do is be up somewhere, arms outstretched, and you yourself become a sort of Jesus.

I've been thinking a little bit about Christian iconography in Japanese media after Skittybitty's mention of the early Zelda series's explicit Christian references in her video on the Gerudo and colonialism. In Japan, the first game had Link wielding a bible (renamed the 'book of magic' for its US release), and in the second game, Link obtained a cross. By the third instalment, the series took on its own new mythology, but some concept art survives of Link praying in front of a crucifix.

Amazing.

I love the way that Christian themes and iconography are often incorporated into the mythos of JRPGs in particular - religious theming can be such a great shorthand for various sorts of mysticism or tradition or worldly history. But one thing I appreciate is the flippancy of its inclusion. Link's bible is inextricable from his broad European fantasy influence in an interesting way - the crunchy background to the forest-y world of the elves contains, as we well know, Jesus Christ our lord and saviour. He gives Legolas a thumbs up. It's awesome.

It's like Vampire Survivors. A game in which my favourite weapon is indeed the bible. That thing kills.

Now, none of this has much to do with Mario. They're not including a lot of religious stuff in Mario games despite his Italian nature. But one iconic t-pose nevertheless evokes a Jesus. And so, my little man becomes an anachronistic clash of popcorn modern media, and the exalted background of our world's esteemed and ancient religious culture. Good for him. I'm going to hug him.