Gaming's most famous plumber
MARIO has been jumping across our screens for decades, and this word search gathers his world. You'll be finding the red-capped PLUMBER himself, his brother LUIGI, PRINCESS PEACH of the Mushroom KINGDOM, the dinosaur pal YOSHI, and the spiky-shelled villain BOWSER who's always causing trouble.
Each puzzle pulls a fresh selection from the list, so the level changes every time you play — gentle on Easy, and a Hard-mode castle run once the diagonals and backwards words appear.
Coins, mushrooms and 1-ups
A Mario game is packed with things to collect and dodge, and the words are here. You bop a GOOMBA and a KOOPA, dodge the ghostly BOO, and grab golden COINS, a power-up MUSHROOM, a STAR for invincibility and a FIREBALL flower. You JUMP down a green PIPE, race to the FLAG at the end of each WORLD, storm BOWSER's CASTLE — and when you fancy a change, you hop into a go-KART for a race.
The accidental superstar
MARIO almost wasn't Mario at all. He first appeared back in 1981 as the nameless 'Jumpman' in the arcade game Donkey Kong, and his famous look came from the limits of the technology: designers gave him a cap because hair was hard to draw in tiny PIXELs, and a moustache because a mouth wouldn't show up. He was made a PLUMBER simply because the game took place in a sewer. Those happy accidents created the most recognisable character in video games.
What's kept him on top for over 40 years is variety. The same cheerful PLUMBER stars in side-scrolling JUMP-and-run platformers, in go-KART racing, in sports games, party games and puzzles — Mario has appeared in hundreds of games, far more than any other character. The clever level design, where a green PIPE might hide a secret and a MUSHROOM makes you grow, is studied as a model of how to teach players without words. Loved by every age, Mario makes a brilliantly broad, crowd-pleasing puzzle theme.
Great for gamers of all ages
Mario is a favourite with players of every age, so it's a guaranteed crowd-pleaser — Easy mode keeps the grid small with no diagonals or reverse words. Play online, print a PDF pack, or use Make Your Own to build a grid from your own Mario favourites.
Frequently asked questions
What's in the Super Mario word search?
Characters and items from Super Mario — Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, Yoshi, Toad and Bowser, enemies like the Goomba, Koopa and Boo, plus coins, the mushroom, star, fireball, pipes, the flag and the castle. Each puzzle uses a fresh mix.
Which characters and items feature?
MARIO, LUIGI, PRINCESS PEACH, YOSHI, TOAD and BOWSER, enemies like the GOOMBA, KOOPA and BOO, plus COINS, the MUSHROOM, STAR and FIREBALL, the PIPE, FLAG and CASTLE.
Is it good for all ages?
Yes — Mario is a favourite with players of every age. Easy mode keeps the grid small with no diagonals or reverse words.