Danica Davidson
February 7, 2023 
This past weekend Pedro Pascal, star of HBO’s The Last of Us, guest hosted on Saturday Night Live. Because The Last of Us is based on the video game of the same name, they did a skit starring Pascal in another famous game.
The narrator of the skit says dramatically, “HBO’s The Last of Us is a hit, proving a video game can become a prestige dystopian drama. This spring, HBO is doing it again with another iconic game. . .”
And that game is . . . Mario Kart!
When a grungy woman has important cargo she needs smuggled to Rainbow Road, she finds a man people say used to drive. And when she asks for his name, the man, played by Pascal, replies dramatically, “It’s-a me, Mario.”
You can check out the whole skit here. It’s full of Mario Kart references! Besides Pascal as Mario, it includes Chloe Fineman as Princess Peach, Kenan Thompson as Bowser, Mikey Day as Luigi, and Bowen Yang as Yoshi.
The very first Super Mario Kart came out in 1992, and there have been multiple versions since. Universal Studios Hollywood is getting its own Mario Kart ride. The Apple Store gave this description for Mario Kart Tour:
“Mario Kart takes a world tour!
Mario and friends go global in this new Mario Kart as they race around courses inspired by real-world cities in addition to classic Mario Kart courses! These destinations will be featured in tours that rotate every two weeks! In addition to courses based on iconic locales, some of your favorite Mario Kart characters will get variations that incorporate the local flavor of cities featured in the game!
Endless Mario Kart fun at your fingertips!
The Mario Kart series known and loved by many is ready to take the world by storm – one smart device at a time! With just one finger, you can steer and drift with ease and sling devastating items as you go for the gold in cups filled with new and classic Mario Kart courses.”
Source: Saturday Night Live YouTube
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Danica Davidson is the author of the bestselling Manga Art for Beginners with artist Melanie Westin, plus its sequel, Manga Art for Everyone, and the first-of-its-kind manga chalk book Chalk Art Manga, both illustrated by professional Japanese mangaka Rena Saiya. Check out her other comics and books at www.danicadavidson.com.
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