If there are two things I love during the winter season it’s the holidays we adore celebrating with one another and taking time off to replay Super Mario World on the Super Nintendo (or the Game Boy Advance) for the hundredth time. Every December, my family and I typically take a trip to New York City, but due to the current pandemic, there’s one tradition that will have to stay at home this year. One location in the Big Apple I will always make time to visit is the Nintendo World Store — or rather, what has been known for a while now as simply Nintendo NY.
During my last few years of visiting the store packed with massive Mario character statues, literal historic compendiums of glorious Nintendo information, and early game demo stations, there is one particular song that always seems to play over the loudspeaker that has caught my attention. You may just be lucky enough to hear it on a visit close to the holidays, but if you have not heard it before have a listen to this unofficial Nintendo theme below.
Dale North and Mustin’s “Super Mario Sleigh Ride” performed by the OneUps is pure holiday magic. If you ever wanted to hear Leroy Anderson’s classic “Sleigh Ride” song and some of Koji Kondo’s Super Mario World soundtrack bundled together in one nostalgic earworm package, this cover is the ultimate collaboration to play in your household during the holiday season. If you consider yourself a fan of Super Mario World and have never once heard of this joyous score, do yourself a favor play it at least once before finding a way to download it so you can put it on loop.
Want to listen to more of the OneUps? Feel free to give their YouTube channel a deeper dive in your spare time or follow them on Spotify! Due to licensing, this piece may never be able to make its way to streaming platforms, but there will always be a way to listen to it online in all of its glory. Happy holidays!
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Written by Marc Kaliroff
Ever since owning a cobalt blue Game Boy Advance, Nintendo is his preferred way of gaming. Marc is a journalist, creative writer, and video producer. While his focus may be on providing news, he spends his days preparing reviews for games of the present and past.
