Nintendo Teams With Japan's 12 Pro Baseball Clubs for Super Mario Bros. 40th Anniversary

Forty years after Mario first jumped across a screen, Nintendo of Japan is taking the plumber to the ballpark. The company is sponsoring a match with each of Japan's 12 professional baseball teams as part of the Super Mario Bros. 40th Anniversary, a celebration that formally kicked off September 12, 2025, following an announcement during that month's Nintendo Direct.

The collaboration introduces a change that organizers say is unprecedented: for the first time in professional baseball, all 12 teams will use specially designed bases in an official game. First, second, and third base at each sponsored match will feature a Question Block motif, the floating golden cubes Mario punches for coins and power-ups. Mario will also throw the first pitch at each game, though Nintendo has not specified who or what will fill that role.

The fan experience extends past the final out. After each game, a base-running event using the Question Mark bases will be held for parent-child pairs selected by lottery from fans in the stadium that day. Nintendo has not yet published entry mechanics or lottery timing, saying those details will follow at a later date.

Merchandise will be on sale at the stadium events, though a full product list has not been released. The Nintendo Museum is already offering one confirmed item: a Super Mario Bros. 40th Anniversary special design T-shirt, available starting Friday, November 14, at the museum's Bonus Stage shop. It comes in white or black, runs 5,500 yen including tax, and is offered in sizes 130 through XXL. The shirt is also available at Nintendo TOKYO, OSAKA, KYOTO, and FUKUOKA locations, as well as through My Nintendo Store. Purchase limits may apply.

The Nintendo Museum has added a physical complement to the anniversary programming: a history board dedicated to Super Mario Bros. is on limited-time display in the hallway just outside the exhibition area on the first floor of Exhibition Building 1. Visitors who scan illustrations on the board using the Nintendo Today! smart device app camera can browse game scenes and music from across the series, along with a calculation of how old they were when each title was released, pulling the age from whatever information is registered in their Nintendo Account. The board is available in Japanese and English.

The Super Mario series debuted September 13, 1985, making 2025 the 40th anniversary year. The baseball collaboration is the latest activation in a broader slate of programming Nintendo has built around the milestone, following a pattern the company has used for previous anniversaries at the 25th, 30th, and 35th marks. The full schedule of sponsored games and additional merchandise details are still pending from Nintendo.