Classic Outfit
First appearance: Donkey Kong (1981)
How to acquire: Purchase with 200 gold coins after your first visit to the Mushroom Kingdom, or tap a Mario amiibo.
Before Mario was called Mario, he was known as Jumpman. He didn’t start off with his iconic blue overalls and red shirt. He started off with a shockingly different red overalls and blue shirt. You’d never recognize him!
Golf Outfit
First appearance: Family Computer Golf: U.S. Course (1987)
How to acquire: Purchase with 45 purple coins from the Metro Kingdom.
Even before Mario discovered his traditional outfit, he liked to play a bit of dress-up. This outfit is well recognized from the box art of NES Open Tournament Golf, but it actually predates this by four years. The U.S. edition of Family Computer Golf was the first time Mario donned his stars and stripes.
Mechanic Outfit
First appearance: Famicom Grand Prix II: 3D Hot Rally (1988)
How to acquire: Purchase with 200 gold coins after your first visit to the Wooded Kingdom.
Mario’s mechanical outfit is only really seen in artwork for Famicom Grand Prix II: 3D Hot Rally. In this game, Mario is the driver and Luigi is the navigator. They can only be seen in-game when they get out of their vehicle to celebrate a victory.
Mario Outfit
First appearance: Super Mario Bros. 2 (1988)
Starting outfit
Now we come to Mario’s regular old clothes, which have a rather strange origin. You may be aware that the Super Mario Bros. 2 that was released in America and Europe was not the same Super Mario Bros. 2 that Japan received, but was actually a modified version of Japan’s Yume Kōjō: Doki Doki Panic. The colors of Mario’s overalls and shirt in this game were reversed compared to what we had seen prior. This look ended up sticking, and the rest is history.
Luigi Outfit
First appearance: Super Mario Bros. 2 (1988)
How to acquire: Purchase with 300 gold coins after gaining 160 moons, or tap a Luigi amiibo.
Like with Mario, the color of Luigi’s clothes differed before the release of Super Mario Bros. 2. Originally, his shirt went from being brown to blue before settling on green. In fact, Luigi’s appearance used to be completely identical to Mario’s besides the color of his clothes, akin to the Luigi outfit in Odyssey. But that’s a discussion for a different time.
Aviator Outfit
First appearance: Super Mario Land (1989)
How to acquire: Purchase with 15 purple coins from the Lost Kingdom.
In Super Mario Land, Mario sports his aviator cap when piloting the Sky Pop. He uses it in world 4-3 to take down the evil Tatanga and save Daisy, princess of Sarasaland.
