The "Super Mario" Typography Evolution

[Simpson55]

Hi everyone!
Today I'd like to try and make a quick recap of the evolution of the most commonly used font in the Super Mario franchise. Let's first take a look at the logo of Super Mario Bros. 3:

This is the first occurence in a Mario game of this font style. It does seem to be hand drawn since recurring letters don't look the same (like the Rs and the Os). This logo didn't make it onto the western boxart, though it still appears on the game's title screen. This is also the only time this font was used in a Super Mario Bros. game. In the New Super Mario Bros. series, the original Super Mario Bros. font is used instead.

This font was then reused for the japanese Super Mario World logo, albeit some changes. In the west though, the typeface was heavily modified.

The two Os were redrawn to be the same height as the other letters. Also the letters appear to be simpler in shape (e.g. the protruding portion on the right leg of the letter M is missing). However, the japanese version of the font ended up being used in almost every Mario game in the 90s and 00s with little to no changes to the typeface.

The font was redesigned in 2011 and was used for the first time in Super Mario 3D Land. Not only is it used for the logo itself, but it's also used in the hud font. It's also used for the MFGG logo...

[Q-Nova]

Nice analysis, @Simpson55! I never knew that there's a difference between the Mario fonts before and after 2011.

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