'Sombrero Super Mario' Pulled After Cries Of 'Cultural Appropriation'

Cultural appropriation strikes again – this time in the digital world.

Super Mario Brothers – the decades-old Italian video game characters – are coming under attack because one of the characters is wearing a sombrero.

That’s right. A video game icon that is stereotypically culturally Italian is being attacked for appropriating Mexican culture by wearing a sombrero.

It got so bad that Nintendo – owners of the characters and the game Super Mario Odyssey – actually changed the artwork on the cover of the game to remove the evil headwear.

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When the screenshots of the game were released earlier this year, the perpetually-offended left let out howls of protest at seeing Mario in a typical Mexican costume – a poncho and a sombrero. It was “cultural appropriation,” they cried. And Nintendo caved. The Daily Caller reports:

When the box cover for Super Mario Odyssey was unveiled at the Electronics Entertainment Expo (E3) in June, a portion of the cover art showed the portly protagonist dressed up as a Mexican. It was presented alongside other visuals depicting the mustachioed Italian plumber in several different looks and environments, to emphasize the game’s diverse content.

It received complaints from social justice warriors, some of whom proudly identify as “latinx” — a made up word intended to neuter the Spanish language of gendered terminology. In a now deleted tweet, Rebecca C-Palacios wrote: “Hey, it would be nice if we used this stereotype less.” Her words became a meme, prompting her to delete it.

Mexican gamers thought her complaints were idiotic and said they had no problem with the content and appreciated the recognition from Nintendo.

I am from Mexico and I am honored that Nintendo does this.

— Gustavo Rebollar (@U_Nintendo) June 13, 2017

As a mexican, I love it.

There's a reason why Mexico got angry when WB censored Speedy Gonzales in Mexico, he is insanly popular here.

— starsun (@starflash24) June 13, 2017

Mexican here, chinga tu madre.
Don't try to speak for us, we Mexicans love this stuff and like seeing our culture in media. Pendeja.

— Jass (@Jassbec) June 13, 2017

Following the complaints, Nintendo altered the artwork. “Mexican Mario’s” hat was replaced with a snorkel and swimming gear.

Nintendo slightly changed the Super Mario Odyssey boxart, removing Sombrero Mario for Snorkeling Mario pic.twitter.com/8v9hgNi9JM

— Nibel (@Nibellion) August 2, 2017

One continues to wonder how nobody complains that Mario is an Italian stereotype and that’s not cultural appropriation …

Maybe Italians have better things to do than complain about how their culture is “appropriated” by a video game.