That Time Mario Cheated on Peach With Daisy

Since the dawn of Mario’s existence, originally known as Jumpman, the pipe-diving super hero has been loyal mostly to one woman, and that woman is Princess Peach. Well, of course Jumpman was fighting for Pauline initially, but the love that Mario and Pauline had was short-lived, and soon after, Mario vowed himself to the Princess of his dreams. The problem is that Mario has been with two princesses while seemingly being committed to a one Princess Peach. Many forget that Mario had a fling with Princess Daisy, and for whatever reason, this fact has been hidden for years. Why is that?

Well, this is that time Mario cheated on Peach with Daisy.

The year was 1989, and Mario had spent the previous four years saving Princess Peach, defeating Bowser, playing sports, and even dreaming about a world that is not his own. But in 1989, Mario went on a new adventure to save another princess in the wild world of Sarasaland, and this kingdom lacked a lot of the familiar things of the Mushroom Kingdom, which means Mario hopped on an airplane to try something new with someone new.

This is the story of Super Mario Land according to the instruction manual:

Once upon a time, there was a peaceful world called Sarasaland. In this world there were 4 kingdoms named Birabuto, Muda, Easton and Chai. One day, the skies of Sarasaland were suddenly covered by a huge black cloud. From a crack in this cloud, the unknown space monster Tatanga emerged to try to conquer Sarasaland. Tatanga hypnotized the people of all the kingdoms so that he could control them in any way he liked. In this way he took over Sarasaland. Now, he wants to marry Princess Daisy of Sarasaland and make her his queen. Mario came to know of these events, and he has started on a journey to the Chai Kingdom where Princess Daisy is held captive, in order to restore peace to Sarasaland. Can Mario defeat Tatanga, release people from his interstellar hypnosis, and rescue Princess Daisy? It’s all up to you and Mario’s skill. Go for it Mario!

Super Mario Land instruction booklet

I wonder how cool Princess Peach was with Mario just skipping town to hang out with another princess. Honestly, I cannot imagine she liked that very much, as she has been a bit distant in recent Super Mario games. But that “OH! DAISY DAISY” comment must have been ringing in Mario’s ears, because apparently he had a good time in Sarasaland. I mean, the two of them, Mario and Daisy, alone on an airplane? C’mon.

This problem is two-fold, too, because Luigi has been together with Daisy since meeting at NES Open Tournament Golf in 1987. Did you catch those dates? NES Open Tournament Golf came out in 1987, and Super Mario Land came out in 1989.

That means that Mario cheated on Peach and Daisy cheated on Luigi, and that there is a love four-way hidden deep within the Mario universe that Miyamoto must be ashamed of. Miyamoto was “famously hands-off” during the development of Super Mario Land, which means he had no say in Mario’s or Daisy’s actions in the game. This allowed Satoru Okada, the director of Super Mario Land, to do as he pleased and allow these two characters to cheat on their partners.

But who knows? Maybe they have open relationships, but the fact that this is rarely-to-never brought up as part of Mario’s history is a bit concerning. He is seen as this wholesome, committed, and family-friendly character, but we know deep down he is just another horndog ready to get his hands on the next princess in need, even if that princess is in a relationship with his brother, Luigi.

Freakin’ Mario.

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Thank you for stopping by Nintendo Link and enjoying this new “That Time” article. What did you think of that time Mario cheated on Peach with Daisy? Are you surprised? Or is this to be expected of the Italian plumber from New York? Let us know what you think in the comments below! Happy gaming, everyone.