What Is 'Elephant Mario,' The Beastly Creature Nintendo Has Unleashed Upon The World?

At the end of yesterday's Nintendo Direct, Mario grabbed a power-up that turned him into an elephant. Many online fear this will have tremendous consequences for the internet.

In truth, the catastrophe has already begun. The internet was immediately abuzz after Direct, and within 20 minutes of Elephant Mario's debut, artwork of the character in scant clothing committing unspeakable acts had flooded Twitter. Much more will likely come in the days ahead.

Could this all be part of Nintendo's plan? Perhaps. Because as many internet veterans know, "Elephant Mario" is not the first time Nintendo has unleashed a great evil upon the world.

What Is "Elephant Mario?"

"Elephant Mario" is simply an elephant in Mario's iconic outfit. It appears it will be a power-up in Nintendo's upcoming 2D, side-scrolling Mario game Super Mario Bros. Wonder, much like Tanooki Mario and Catsuit Mario have been powerups in prior games. What Mario can actually do as an elephant is unclear at this point.

Why Is "Elephant Mario" Such a Big Deal?

The reveal of "Elephant Mario" was in the most important spot of yesterday's Direct — the final shot of the final trailer. This spot is usually reserved for the release date of a major title, like a new Pokémon or Zelda game. Instead, it went to an image of Mario as an elephant.

Why? There's certainly reason to believe Nintendo was banking on "Elephant Mario" being the talk of Direct, because the idea of a Mario character "changing" to another form set the internet ablaze once before. We speak, of course, of Peachette, the result of the Super Crown power-up in Super Mario Bros U Deluxe that turned Toadette into Peach.

When the Super Crown was shown in that trailer, it didn't appear with much fanfare, but for months after, it was the inspiration for one of the most infamous fan art eras in internet history thanks in large part to one artist imagining the character Bowser getting the Super Crown and becoming Bowsette.

The introduction of "Elephant Mario" gave art Twitter the equivalent of war flashbacks, and it's not inconceivable that Nintendo may be attempting to astroturf another meme.

How Has "Elephant Mario" Spread?

If it was in fact Nintendo's plan to launch a meme at the end of their Direct, it's been succeeding wonderfully so far. Fan art of "Elephant Mario," both SFW and unsavory, has flooded the internet. At least on the SFW side, most people seem to be in love with the character and have wondered what could happen to the rest of the Mario crew if they get the same power-up.

While time will tell if "Elephant Mario" reaches the same heights as "Bowsette," the meme could be well on its way. More information on Super Mario Bros. Wonder and this mysterious "Elephant" power-up will almost definitely fuel further fan art as the release date for the game approaches.

For more information, check out the Know Your Meme entry for Elephant Mario.