Why does Mario's voice keep going up in pitch?

[Wavelflack]

Actually it goes up in register, but I wan't sure if "register" would fit in the topic line.

You get the idea, though. It seems that every successive game with Mario in it features a regressive pubescent Mario voice. The kicker was Mario Golf for Gamecube. We finally got around to picking this up, and I couldn't believe how over-the-top feminine/gay Mario had become. His voice just keeps getting higher and higher!
I suppose at some point, Mario's polygonal testes will have retracted so far that his voice is no longer audible to anyone but dogs and Superman.

Anyone have an idea as to why this is so? Is Nintendo catering to the jap fetish crowd and their effeminate models of masculinity? Did they decide to "be hip" and make Mario gay (it's all the rage!)? Why does his voice keep going higher?

[Aussie2B]

I don't know, but it's been bothering me too. The funny thing is it's the same guy doing the voice all this time, so you'd think it would stay the same.

[Iron Draggon]

Well perhaps there's your answer. If it's always been the same guy doing his voice, and that guy is taking female hormones because he's slowly becoming a woman, then his voice would keep going up in register like that. It's-a ME!

[Aussie2B]

Charles Martinet would make a hideous woman. o_O

[GobopopRevisited]

I don't know, but his high voice is one of the things that always makes me laugh in Paper Mario 2.

[Ed Oscuro]

Hmm, remembering that Super Mario remix posted here a while back...remember the guy who says "Super Mario" at the beginning of each track? *begins crazy 1980s techno beat with SMB monster voice clips mixed in* That was a pretty deep voice. Hmm. I'll have to check it out sometime; the newest Mario game I've played was Super Mario 64 (MK 64 as well but the voice hadn't changed).

[Querjek]

It's because they have to kick Charles Martinet in the balls each time before recording, so it was inevitable that his voice would slowyl become permanently higher.

[Zoe F]

If it's always been the same guy doing his voice, and that guy is taking female hormones because he's slowly becoming a woman, then his voice would keep going up in register like that. It's-a ME!

I don't know if you were at all serious about that, but female hormones, or lack of male ones, don't cause voices to raise in pitch. There's enough deep voiced females, and males with deep voices who have had to have their testicles removed to prove that.

Anyway... on to the original subject. No, I haven't noticed that at all. Which perhaps shows how much attention I pay to things. I'll have to play these older games again and see if I notice his voice getting higher.

[JJNova]

I don't know if you were at all serious about that, but female hormones, or lack of male ones, don't cause voices to raise in pitch.

Estrogen, a female hormone, WILL make your voice higher. Ask Michael.

[autobotracing]

Hmm, remembering that Super Mario remix posted here a while back...remember the guy who says "Super Mario" at the beginning of each track? *begins crazy 1980s techno beat with SMB monster voice clips mixed in* That was a pretty deep voice. Hmm. I'll have to check it out sometime; the newest Mario game I've played was Super Mario 64 (MK 64 as well but the voice hadn't changed).


yeah that was mario syndrome ;)

[Zoe F]

Estrogen, a female hormone, WILL make your voice higher. Ask Michael.

No, I'll have to disagree with you.

Testosterone causes the larynx and vocal chords to grow larger, creating a deeper voice. They will not shrink again because of estrogen.

[Push Upstairs]

I've not been able to tolerate a Mario game since Mario 64. I make speciall mention of the GBA *PORT* of Super Mario 2 because the stupid voice clips are so annoying that it makes that version of the game unplayable for me.

Less of Mario talking is always a good thing.

[Retsudo]

Maybe mario finally came out of the closet. LOL

[Wavelflack]

That seems likely. Mario has always been into exploring tunnels, and it was only a matter of time before he decided to enter the darkest tunnel of all.

Luigi: "Mama Mia! What izz that blinding pain in my rectum?"
Mario: "It's-a-me! Marrri-oe!"

[Cryomancer]

Pacman VS is hilarious due to the Mario commentary.

[Push Upstairs]

Luigi: "Mama Mia! What izz that blinding pain in my rectum?"
Mario: "It's-a-me! Marrri-oe!"


LOL LOL ROFL ROFL

[tony_good]

Hmmm... My guess would be to make him seem more child-like, naive, and innocent.

Fits in perfectly with his utterly offensive caricature of a blue collar Italian laborer.

Just like the horribly stereotypical Dora the Explorer, reinforcing the false stereotype that just because someone is of hispanic descent, they must speak Spanish.

In both cases, it's a case of attempting to be PC, but ends up being condescending and causing more harm than good.

If you want to make a racist character acceptable, just make him or her family friendly. A good way to hide something is, paradoxically, to make it obvious.

[studvicious]

I noticed this while playing Mario Sunshine last night, he does sound very girly now. He's gone from shooting fireballs from his fingers, to sprinkling water from his fanny pack.

[Kamino]

I noticed this while playing Mario Sunshine last night, he does sound very girly now. He's gone from shooting fireballs from his fingers, to sprinkling water from his fanny pack.
Fireballs would be too violent for disneytendo these days. LOL.
That's another thing that pissed me off about mario 64...
Expect goomba stomping to go to the wayside in the next mario...instead he'll be sprinkling them with magic dust to save them.

[NE146]

I too notice Mario is slowly turning into a fag. And so is Link for that matter.. @_@

Why do they need voices anyway? 100% guaranteed that by the end of a Zelda game these days, you sure are sick of the HAAA, HIYAAA sounds that come out of his mouth each time you press the button. Just make him swing the damn sword without vocalizations.. is that so hard? :roll:

[studvicious]

I too notice Mario is slowly turning into a fag. And so is Link for that matter.. @_@

Why do they need voices anyway? 100% guaranteed that by the end of a Zelda game these days, you sure are sick of the HAAA, HIYAAA sounds that come out of his mouth each time you press the button. Just make him swing the damn sword without vocalizations.. is that so hard? :roll:

heh, yeah. I'm just glad that Navi wasn't in Windwaker - there's only so much a person can take of, "HEEYY!" "LISTEN!!!!" :eek 2: But as far as Link goes I have a feeling that he'll be represented well in his upcoming game.

[dethink]

voices are what keep me away from modern games in general...

ocarina of time almost drove me insane between link's constant yelps and navi.

then again we can't have stereotypes in modern games either. something like wild gunman or punch-out would be far far worse for children than graphic violence according to our government, i'm sure.

metroid prime was a breath of fresh air though. sweet silence.

seriously, unless it's for comedic effect, voices almost NEVER work well in games.

[Ed Oscuro]

I never was bothered by the voices in Ocarina of Time.

Annoying voice isn't a wholly new thing, either - off the top of my head, there's Stratovox (possibly the first voiced game), which is pretty annoying; there's Shadow Dancer's CONSTANT dog barks, and there's Apocalypse...annoyed me when the game bugged up and had Bruce throwing out lines every three seconds for a while LOL

[ubersaurus]

I can't say I've noticed mario's voice being any higher now then it was back in the day of mario kart 64. It was lower in mario 64 when he was just talking, like in the opening, or at the end, but for his jumping and shit, it was pretty damn high.

[kainemaxwell]

Mario's been taking helium.

[suznjak]

peach has dem nutts in a vice grip.that will make ya sing like a bird anytime