People Are in Love with Super Mario Bros. Wonder’s Elephant Mario [IGN]

Nintendo announced a brand new 2D Mario game called Super Mario Bros. Wonder during June’s Nintendo Direct and fans are already in love with the trailer’s “one last thing”: Elephant Mario.

A two-minute trailer for the upcoming Switch game closes with Mario absorbing some sort of Elephant fruit and transforming into, well, an elephant. Instead of Mario’s clothes changing like with the Tanooki or Cat Suits, however, this time it’s Mario himself who undergoes the transformation.

Fans were quick to embrace the new character, sharing their adoration online through social media posts, memes, and fan art.

The Super Mario Bros. Wonder why Mario is an elephant. pic.twitter.com/WBOkyoWfM0

— Grandma Field (@FieldExplores) June 21, 2023

“He’s a chonk and I love him”, wrote one Reddit user, replying to a “What are your thoughts on Elephant Mario” post that’s currently the hottest topic on the Mario subreddit. “I’ll be buying the jumbo plushie when it drops,” said another.

Other fans have found the new power hilarious, commenting the likes of “funniest s**t I’ve seen all week” and “the funniest transformation by far”.

Twitter has also exploded with love for the new character. “I love everything about Elephant Mario,” screamed @NumbNexus. “I freaked when I saw it, I absolutely agree [that he’s so cute].”

ELEPHANT MARIO IS REAL AND I LOVE HIM <333 pic.twitter.com/mfhP688rea

— Silver Dragon (@SilverDragon94) June 21, 2023

#NintendoDirect #IGNSummerOfGaming pic.twitter.com/Q0Q2lfJuQa

— IGN (@IGN) June 21, 2023

Fans will encounter Elephant Mario themselves on October 20 when Super Mario Bros. Wonder launches, and can otherwise see everything else announced during June’s Nintendo Direct right here. This includes a WarioWare game for Switch, a remaster of Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon, and much more.

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He’ll talk about The Witcher all day.