Bowser Is Canonically 34 Years Old [IGN]

Nintendo just revealed that Bowser, Mario’s longtime arch-enemy and the King of the Koopas in the Mushroom Kingdom, is canonically 34 years old.

The ages of all the characters in the Super Mario Bros. franchise have remained a mystery since 1985. However, Nintendo of America revealed Bowser’s age in the most hilarious way possible: through a YouTube video post last Friday (though still unlisted) showing Nintendo Switch owners how to create a Nintendo Account.

The first thing you do when creating your Nintendo Account is put in your birthdate to ensure you’re 18 or older at the time of account creation. The company used Bowser as an example for the demonstration to make it seem as though he’s making a Nintendo Account for himself, setting his birthdate to Feb. 5, 1989, which puts his age at precisely 34 years old. That’s quite young for a turtle dragon that’s been going after Mario and his friends along with Princess Peach for nearly 40 years.

Nintendo also revealed the canonical age of Bowser’s only son, Bowser Jr. When creating a Nintendo Account for a child, Bowser Jr.’s birthdate is set to March 3, 2010, which makes him 13 years old. Seeing the heir to the Koopa throne as a teenager instead of the little kid he’s always been is hilarious considering we haven’t seen him hit puberty yet – growth spurt, deepening voice, acne and all.

If you’re wondering how old some of the other characters are, Shigeru Miyamoto said in a 2005 interview that Mario is somewhere between 24 and 25, while Luigi is the same age. That means they’re twins!

Cristina Alexander is a freelance writer for IGN. To paraphrase Calvin Harris, she wears her love for Sonic the Hedgehog on her sleeve like a big deal. Follow her on Twitter @SonicPrincess15.