Toronto Santa Claus Parade

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The Toronto Santa Claus Parade is an annual event held in Toronto, Canada in November since 1905 and one of the largest Santa Claus parades in the world. In 2011, Nintendo sponsored the parade with a costume of Mario,[1][2] and since 2013 it has sponsored floats promoting its games and consoles, most of which are Super Mario-themed.

Super Mario-related floats[edit]

Nintendo 3DS (2013)[edit]

The Nintendo 3DS float at the 2013 Toronto Santa Claus Parade
The 2013 Nintendo 3DS float

In 2013, Nintendo sponsored a small, white float with Christmas decorations on its sides promoting the Nintendo 3DS and 2DS. It featured performers costumed as Mario, Luigi, and Donkey Kong and had a backdrop depicting the background of the ground levels in Super Mario Bros.

Super Mario Maker (2015)[edit]

The Super Mario Maker float at the 2015 Toronto Santa Claus Parade
The 2015 Super Mario Maker float

In 2015, a float promoting Super Mario Maker was present in the parade, preceded by a performer in a Mario costume.[3] The float had a sculpture of Builder Mario in the front. It also featured three cylinders with sculptures of characters and objects from the game, being Paragoombas, coins, Brick Blocks, a ? Block, and Mario in the style of Super Mario Bros., a Bill Blaster in Lakitu's Cloud, a Blooper in a pipe, and Bowser Jr. on a Trampoline in the style of Super Mario World, and Koopa Troopas in the style of New Super Mario Bros. U.

Super Mario Odyssey (2017)[edit]

The Super Mario Odyssey float at the 2017 Toronto Santa Claus Parade
The 2017 Super Mario Odyssey float

In 2017, Nintendo's float was themed around Super Mario Odyssey and made in collaboration with EB Games. The float depicted the Metro Kingdom and featured sculptures of a captured Goomba Tower and Chain Chomp, as well as a sculpture of Mario and Cappy on a small hill in the front.

Super Mario (2019)[edit]

The Super Mario float at the 2019 Toronto Santa Claus Parade
The 2019 Super Mario float

Rather than promoting a specific game, the 2019 Nintendo float was themed around the Super Mario franchise in general, and was once again made in collaboration with EB Games. It featured sculptures of Mario, Toad on a ? Block, Yoshi, and a Mushroom in a grassy setting with some coins. A giant Nintendo Switch was present on the back with the phrase "Happy Holidays from Mario and friends!" written on the screen.

Mario Party Superstars (2021)[edit]

The Mario Party Superstars float at the 2021 Toronto Santa Claus Parade
The 2021 Mario Party Superstars float

The 2019 Super Mario float was modified in 2021 to promote Mario Party Superstars. The float now depicted the Woody Woods board and a Dice Block sculpture was added. The Mario sculpture was replaced by performers in Mario and Luigi costumes, while the Yoshi and Toad sculptures were moved around. The Nintendo Switch's color was changed to white and the Mario Party Superstars logo was shown on the screen.

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe – Booster Course Pass (2022)[edit]

The Mario Kart 8 Deluxe – Booster Course Pass float at the 2022 Toronto Santa Claus Parade
The 2022 Mario Kart 8 Deluxe – Booster Course Pass float

The 2022 Nintendo float promoted the Booster Course Pass DLC for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and was made in collaboration with Walmart. It depicted the Christmas-themed course Merry Mountain, with sculptures of Mario and Luigi on Standard Karts racing under the course's starting line banner. The giant Nintendo Switch from 2019 and 2021 was present once again, this time with the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe – Booster Course Pass logo on its screen.

Super Mario Bros. Wonder (2023)[edit]

The Super Mario Bros. Wonder float at the 2023 Toronto Santa Claus Parade
The 2023 Super Mario Bros. Wonder float

In 2023, the Nintendo float promoted Super Mario Bros. Wonder in collaboration with Walmart. The float depicted Pipe-Rock Plateau and featured a sculpture of Mario holding a Wonder Flower in the front. Behind the sculpture, there were some blocks with coins and flower coins and a sculpture of the wavy effect seen during a Wonder Effect, followed by a cutout of Princess Peach, Yellow Toad, and Goomba Blue Toad on an Inchworm Pipe and a sculpture of Elephant Mario. Cutouts of Talking Flowers were present on the sides of the float, while the back had a cutout of Luigi and Prince Florian using the Parachute Cap badge and the game's logo.[4]

References[edit]

  1. ^ November 20, 2011. Toronto Santa Claus Parade 2011. Capt Mondo's Photo Blog. Retrieved September 15, 2024. (Archived July 8, 2017, 11:16:53 UTC via Wayback Machine.)
  2. ^ November 20, 2011. Toronto Santa Claus Parade 2011. Toronto Grand Prix Tourist. Retrieved September 15, 2024. (Archived February 26, 2024, 14:09:52 UTC via Wayback Machine.)
  3. ^ Bryce I (November 16, 2015). Super Mario Maker - Toronto Santa Claus Parade '15. YouTube. Retrieved September 16, 2024.
  4. ^ JESSYCKA (November 26, 2023). Super Mario Bros. Wonder in Toronto Santa Claus Parade! #shorts. YouTube. Retrieved September 16, 2024.