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Charles Martinet, the voice of Mario since 1994, is moving into a new role at Nintendo, the company announced on X (formerly Twitter). He will no longer record character voices for their games, including the upcoming Super Mario Bros. Wonder.
Nintendo posted on X that Martinet will become a Mario Ambassador, travelling the world to promote the Mario franchise and engage with fans. “It has been an honour working with Charles to help bring Mario to life for so many years and we want to thank and celebrate him,” Nintendo wrote. “Please keep an eye out for a special video message from Shigeru Miyamoto and Charles himself, which we will post at a future date.”
Martinet stepped into the role of Mario in 1994 for the educational game Mario Teaches Typing on the Macintosh and PC. He became famous for his exclamations of “Wahoo!” and “Mamma mia!” in 1996’s Super Mario 64. He also voiced Luigi, Wario, Waluigi, and other forms of Mario. Aside from his work with Nintendo, Martinet has voiced characters in IPs like Dragon Ball and The Elder Scrolls.
Martinet has been a fan favourite for his enthusiasm and friendliness. Following today’s news, he posted, “My new adventure begins! You are all Numba One in my heart! #woohoo !!!”