Super Mario 3D All-Stars removes bizarre ‘gay Bowser’ line from Super Mario 64

Fan debate over the exact wording of the line remains inconclusive

A bizarre line from the classic Nintendo 64 game Super Mario 64 has been removed from the new re-release, Super Mario 3D All-Stars.

In the original line, which has long been the source of curiosity from players, Mario appears to say, “So long, gay Bowser,” while flinging his spiky foe during the game’s boss fights.

The utterance itself has been subject to much debate among the game’s fanbase, with the sheer incongruity of it leading to claims that Mario was actually saying “So long, king Bowser,” or, “So long, ay, Bowser." 

Mario fights Bowser in the original 'Super Mario 64' (Nintendo)

Last year, Mario voice actor Charles Martinet appeared to pour cold water on the speculation, by stating on Twitter that Mario does in fact say: “So long kinga Bowser!”

While this sounds credible enough, when you listen to the isolated and uncompressed audio, it’s hard to make out the words Martinet claims. 

Consequently, some players still remain convinced that the original audio featured the phrase “gay Bowser”.

Super Mario 3D All-Stars, released on the Nintendo Switch console yesterday (18 September) offers remastered versions of three classic Mario games – Super Mario 64 (1996), Super Mario Sunshine (2002) and Super Mario Galaxy (2007).

As to why Nintendo would remove the line from the game, it’s been suggested that it’s because the game is ported from a Japanese “Shindou Pak Taiou” version, released roughly a year after the game’s original launch.

The Shindou version features different audio to the version played widely in the West, because Bowser has a different name in his native Japan ("King Koopa").