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Live Feb 18, 2023
Super Nintendo World officially opens at Universal Studios Hollywood. | Photo courtesy of NBC Universal
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Mario, Luigi and Princess Peach officially threw open the gates Friday to Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios Hollywood, immersing park-goers into the renowned videogame world with rides, games and Nintendo-inspired eats.
“Today’s grand opening of Super Nintendo World is very exciting, and we are thrilled to share it with our team members, fans and guests who have been enthusiastically waiting for this day to arrive,” Scott Strobl, executive vice president and general manager of Universal Studios Hollywood, said in a statement.
“This is truly one of the most dynamic moments in the history of Universal Studios Hollywood, and we are very proud of our partnership with Nintendo to bring to life a new genre of highly immersive, next level interactive theme park entertainment.”
Super Nintendo World has already been welcoming guests under a soft opening, but Friday marked the official opening day of the latest immersive world at the theme park, which also includes the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, a recreation of “The Simpsons” town of Springfield and a land of Minions from the “Despicable Me” film franchise.
The latest attraction sinks visitors into the brightly colored and interactive world of Nintendo’s Mushroom Kingdom, populated by its signature characters, Mario and Luigi, joined by their colleagues such as Yoshi, Bowser and Princess Peach.
The land is built around the ominous Bowser’s Castle, which houses the much-anticipated augmented-reality ride “Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge.” It takes riders on a live-action version of the coin-collecting and tube-hopping video game.
Super Nintendo World also includes a series of interactive challenges, allowing guests to collect more so-called digital coins as they move through the park.
But a highlight of the new attraction is undoubtedly the Toadstool Cafe, where visitors can dine on videogame-themed meals and snacks ranging from Super Mushroom Soup to a Mario Bacon Cheeseburger and Princess Peach Cupcake.
“It has been such an honor to work closely with Universal Parks and Resorts and Universal Creative to help bring the Mushroom Kingdom, where Mario and friends live, to life here at Super Nintendo World,” Shigeru Miyamoto, representative director and fellow for Nintendo Co., said in a statement. “We hope people of all ages will enjoy visiting the Mushroom Kingdom in real life and experiencing all the interactive surprises this land has to offer. As Mario would say, ‘Let’s-a go.'”
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